Next Top Nail Artist Southern Cali Mural

I began by lining up my nails which I gently buffed. I used double sided mounting tape to hold them in place. Next, I taped across the nails, and used an airbrush to lay down my first coat of paint, which is the skyline for the beach.  

I pulled the nails apart and hand painted the water. The sky looked too cartoonish, so I went back and sprayed it again with a transparent white to soften it up. I also added waves, and painted the sand color on the bottom.  

Next I used a fan brush with some nice wet green paint and flicked it upward to create sea grass. I also added some tall sea wheat. After that dried, I added the wooden fence. After this step, I applied a gel topcoat to protect my work so far. After that, I buffed the nails.  

Now, I decide where to position my surfboards and paint a nice white foundation so that my colors will pop. I am using mostly acrylic paint.  

Now, I start detailing the surfboards. I paint a delicate zebra print on the Zoo nail, and then I work on the Sublime album cover. After that, I outline the Chanel surf board.  

Next is my walk of fame surfboard. I use a dotting tool to add texture so that it looks realistic. After that is the mural surfboard. I started at the bottom and worked my way up, laying down the background colors first, and then adding the signs. I also added a Route 66 road sign and used the yellow double line as racing stripes.  

One of my last nails is the Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Because I used polish for this one, I began by taping off the edges, and using a sponge to create an ombre. I painted in a light outline of the design, and filled it in.  

Last, to make it even more realistic, I used some dirty beach sand, and mixed it with clear acrylic, and a little glitter. I added it to the bottom of the mural to give it a slight 3-D effect.