Fruit and Veg Nail Art | Nail Stamping Tutorial

It feels like I brought out half of my nail art equipment to do this design but it was well worth it! In this tutorial, I’ll go over nail stamping and reverse stamping techniques plus some tips and tricks that I have learnt along the way so that you can re-create this design or create something unique. So let’s create some healthy inspiration with Fruit and Veg Nail Art. If this is getting a bit too long to read or your not sure of the steps take a look at the video below for more details.

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The Base Colour | OPI Nail Polish

Give that this design was going to use a wide variety of bright vibrant colours I wanted to use something neutral and not overpowering. I ended a picking a soft blue by OPI called Check Out the Old Geysirs. This blue has grey undertones which makes it perfect for enhancing the other colours. I only added two coats of this colour. If I was going to leave this polish as-is I would recommend adding a third coat.

Fruit and Veg Nail Art – Reverse Nail Stamping Tutorial

To create the fruit and vegetable images I used Maniology plate Kawaii Emoji BM-XL322 (for 10% off Maniology use code THENAILCHRONICLE).

Before I get into the instructions I thought I would share the specific tools that I used. The stamping mat I use is from Beauty Big Bang. I love that I am able to do all of my decals in one go. Another option is to leave the image on the stamper and colour them in individually. Having multiple stampers is recommended for this alternative method otherwise it can take a while. For the stamper I used Maniology’s monocle stamper, you can check out my review here.

Nail Stamping Steps

I started out this design by stamping a range of fruit and veg on my stamping mat. To stamp:

1. Put some polish onto the image you wish to stamp
2. Scrape the polish across the image, holding the scraper at about a 45-degree angle*
3. Quickly grab your stamper and either
   1. Roll the stamper over the image OR*
   2. Press the stamper down on the image*
4. Pop the image down on your mat. If you’re just doing basic stamping then apply it directly on your nail.

* If you’re having trouble picking up an image don’t stress. Sometimes it can take a bit of experimenting. Sometimes the angle of the scraper will need to be adjusted. The pressure and movement of the stamper can also make a difference. Even the weather or room temperature can affect it. Try not to be directly under a fan or air conditioning.

Reverse Stamping

Now that you have a range of images on your stamping mat its time to add some colour. For this, I use dotting tools. I have a basic assorted pack of 5 that you will see pretty much everywhere if you search for them on ebay or amazon.

Carefully apply the colour trying to stay inside the lines as much as possible. For larger areas, I find it easier to apply a dollop of polish and spread it around trying not to touch the stamped image as this can damage it. This same technique can be used on smaller images just with smaller amounts of polish. If your working with a tiny area I find just using the dotting tool to apply the colour works best.

You don’t need any special polishes for the colours used to fill in your images. These are the colours that I used for my fruit design:

• Banana – Souzize (by David Jones) and Lemon Gelato by Indie Girl Melbourne.
• Watermelon and strawberry – Rasberry Scented by OXX and My Dogsled is a hybrid – OPI

I used these colours for the vegetables:

• Pea Pod and Lettuce – My Dogsled is a hybrid by OPI and Tree of life by BMC (aka Maniolog)
• Mushroom – 672 – Gris Decadent by L’oreal Paris

My only regret on the colour choice was the mushroom as the grey was too dark and I wasn’t able to see the cute features of the image.

Leave the polish to dry for about 5 minutes, longer if the polish is thick. Then apply a top coat using the beading method.

The beading method

The beading method can be used for both reverse stamping and images that have been directly stamped on your nail. Put a large drop of polish on your nail then drag the polish down your nail without touching the nail. The aim of this is to prevent smudging of the stamped image. This technique can also be used for reverse stamping. Follow the same steps but on your stamping mat.

Applying your images

Once you think your images are dry, using a pair of tweezers to carefully lift the image from the mat and place it on the nail. If the decal is overhanging the nail there are two methods to clean up. One is to use nail scissors to trim the decal down and then a brush dipped in nail polish remover to clean up the edges. If the excess is minimal, it will likely be easier to skip the scissors and just use nail polish remover.

When all the images are in place, apply a top a coat.

 

Overall

This fruit and veg nail art took a little patience while waiting for the decals to dry but it was well worth it. The techniques can be used for any reverse stamping that you wish to add to your nails.

For 10% off Maniology use code THENAILCHRONICLE