For this challenge Minx asked us to create a design on both the front and the back of the nails.
There was no specific theme for this weeks challenge, and my imagination was running wild - however I thought that I'd create a nail design around a very real and very important topic. Now, I don't want to be morose, but Depression is something that we know exists, but are at pains to try and distance ourselves from. However, it is very real.
On average, 1 in 8 men - and frighteningly, 1 in 5 women – will experience depression at some stage of their lives. This could be someone that we meet on a daily basis who's is silently battling depression alone. Someone you know who always has a smile on their face - but is covering how they really feel. I wanted this design to remind everyone that the world is a wonderful place to be and it is ourselves who can keep each other safe. Simply reaching out to one another, and just asking - are you OK, it could make a difference, it could save someone's life.
Depression comes in many different forms and has many different causes. If we were to look at a person we simply don't know what is going on in their mind, they might have a bright and cheerful exterior but on the inside it's a different story.
For my nails, I chose bright colours as the background on the front of the nails to represent happiness. I also seen the importance of painting eyes, as eyes are the window to the soul. Even if we were to look at someone's eyes, we may still not be able to truly tell what they going through. The butterfly represents hope through its beauty and transformation, and the heart represents life itself. It's this side of the world that is wonderful - and there for all to see - and this is therefore on the top of the nails - or the exterior of the person.
I then adopted different shades of grey and black to show the depression of what is happening on the inside. I also drew another pair of eyes to show the actual feeling of a depressed person, with symbols like the Semi colon which signifies that the 'story isn't over yet'! I emphasised the cloud for clouded judgement, puzzle for the difficulty people have of fitting into the society, and the question mark to represent self doubt. Importantly, the broken heart stands for emptiness and helpless, which is a feeling and key issues of those who suffer from this horrible horrible affliction.
I truly hope you don't see my design as one of sadness, but one of hope and support for those who are fighting. My aim is bring more awareness to those who suffer this plight, and together, I know that this a battle that we can help others through, and help them win their fight.
Thank you.
Step-by-Step Nail Art Tutorial
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My inspiration for this week is the battle against depression. It is around us, it is real and it is an important topic to me. So, through this art work I wanted to portray the exterior and interior of a depressed individual, showing that what you see on the outside of a person isn't true to what is going on in the inside. Here are some of my inspiration pictures.
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I began by prepping the nails for acrylic application and extended my models nails using cover pink acrylic.
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I applied a thin coat of white gel polish and cured for 30 seconds.\n\nI chose bright colours as the background on the front of the nails to represent happiness. I painted all the different gel colours vertically, and using a small gel brush, I blended them together and then cured for 30 seconds. \n
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Once I was happy with the background, I wiped off the sticky layer with alcohol. I then painted the silhouette of the eyes with black gel polish, as I believe the eyes are the window to the soul. I followed this by detailing the eyelashes and the iris. I also added a butterfly mask, as what you see is just the exterior - the actual person is behind the mask. In addition, a butterfly represents a transition - from what it once was to what it becomes. We hope that a depressed individual can transition out into someone beautiful again. Don't forget to cure in between.
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I painted the silhouette of the heart in the middle and ring finger and added the details to it with black gel polish, not forgetting to cure in between.
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I also painted the rest of the nails with a heart because the heart represents life and this shows that there are always love around us.
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. I added white dots and gold border around the design using white and gold gel. Cure for 30 seconds every time followed by a topcoat. To bring the nails to life I added Swarovski crystals with hard gel. This completed the top part of the nails.
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I painted two coats of dark grey gel underneath the nails, remembering to cure in between for 30 seconds. The reason I used dark grey is because i feel it represents a depressed mood. When you are sad, you feel grey.
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I painted another pair of eyes with tears to show the actual feeling of a depressed person, followed by the symbol of the Semi Colon. This is part of the marketing of the depression campaign. This means that the 'story isn't over yet'. \n\nI also painted silhouettes of a cloud, a puzzle piece , a question mark and a broken heart as these are all key issues of those who suffer from depression. Once I was happy with the silhouettes, I outlined and the detailed each one with black gel.
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To finish the nails underneath, I added tiny little Swarovski crystals with hard gel and cured it for 2 minutes. I then wiped off the sticky layer. \n\nThe reason I added crystals underneath the nails are to show that no matter how depressed a person may be, they can still pull through and shine bright! \n\nThis completes my tutorial for this week. I hope you don't see my design as one of the sadness but one of hope and support for those who are fighting depression.\n
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