This nail art tutorial is for the angler fish, an iconic deep-sea creature, in the nail design of the pictured set. Before you begin, don’t forget to prepare your nail surface with a DIY nail cleanser!
Instructions
Step 1
- Apply base coat and cure.
- Apply black coat and cure. Reapply black coat until opaque and cure.
- Outline and fill the general shape of the fish in grey. Cure.
- Outline and fill the shape of the tongue in pink. Cure.
Step 2
- Add shadows to the fish in gray to create a more detailed shape of the fish. This includes the inner portion of the mouth of the fish so that it seems as though you’re looking inside the fish’s mouth. Shadows can be easily applied by blending the grey with the mixing clear gel before applying to the nail.
- Cure.
Step 3
- Add details to the fish including the teeth in white and the pupil of the eye in black.
- Cure.
Step 4
- Finish the image by coloring in the iris of the eye in blue.
- Use the same blue gel to create a more engaging background by adding some eclipses.
- Cure.
Commentary
This Angler Fish nail art tutorial was inspired by an excerpt of a poem by Sarah Williams. This one line from the poem vigorously shakes the body with a reminder to dream, to overcome fears, and to always remember to seek passion and joy from life.
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night
The above quote brings to mind the billions of stars and never ending galaxies in space. So not surprisingly, you may be wondering why this nail art tutorial is for a design that represents the ocean. The ocean is such a vast and unexplored space, that the thought of it simultaneously fills the body with a deep sense of awe and trepidation. It creates an internal tug of war between the strong desire to go on an adventure to discover the deepest corners of the ocean, and the fear of the unknown – of actually being fully enveloped in darkness and surrounded by creatures naturally built to thrive environments that are actually toxic to my own human life.
“What, my boy, you are not weeping?
You should save your eyes for sight;
You will need them, mine observer, yet for many another night.”– an excerpt from The Old Astronomer to His Pupil by Sarah Williams
What a quick reminder to myself of the beauty and excitement in being ever present, and ever brave.
