designed to create nail images that are especially delicate, airy, and with a slight gradient effect. Thanks to their special texture, they are easy to work with even for a beginner, since even without having nail painting skills you can create expressive and attractive designs. If earlier masters and beginners mastered the nuances of various textures and tried to adapt them to the “wet painting” technique, then the appearance of this new product made it possible to turn manicure into a pleasure. Simple, fast, without complications or tricks. Intrigued? Then let's take a closer look at aqua shellac!

Watercolor gel polish: coating features.

At the moment, coatings with a spreading effect are a trendy new product, not offered by all brands that produce gel polishes. Among the flagships of watercolor paintings are the brands Nika Nagel (collection "Lady"), Lianail (collection "World of Illusions"), BlueSky (colors from the "B" series) and Irisk (collections "" with enamel texture and "" with mother-of-pearl and microglitter). Why are the new products so interesting?

Their key features include the following characteristics:

• for accurate visual reproduction of the watercolor painting technique, it is necessary to distribute (spread) the textures of the new gel varnishes and create this expressive half-haze effect;
• gel polishes with a spreading effect are not tied to the color of the substrate: on both light and dark, any design option looks impressive. And it attracts with the richness of the color alone or with a beautiful combination of color pigments with complementary microglitters or tiny pearlescent particles;
• coatings have a sticky layer, which means they require careful application to avoid contact with the skin (and therefore possible);
• new items do not require special tricks when removing the design and are not capricious in the choice of polymerization of the finished image;
• Unlike classic shellac (), products for this technique are less demanding in terms of choice, since the top coat does not spoil the design when dried.

However, these are not all the positive aspects that tip the scales towards a closer acquaintance with watercolor shellac. We invite you to take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages using the example of the Irisk “Watercolor” and “Watercolor shine” gel polishes presented in our assortment.

Pros and cons of coatings with a spreading effect.

The demand and popularity of watercolor gel polishes is due to their truly unlimited possibilities for creativity. Manicurists emphasize such pros How:

• Particularly convenient in creating new unique colors by mixing.

“Watercolor shine” coatings are not only ideally combined with each other, but are also completely suitable for combination with the basic “Watercolor” collection. You will no longer have to worry whether the textures match each other, whether it will be convenient to paint with a new, mixed color, and whether the drawing will turn yellow when exposed to light or become covered with cracks in the sock.

• very beautiful, graceful and attractive visual effect.

After spreading, the drawing retains brightness, clarity and saturation at the edges of the contour, while towards the middle of an element a blurred effect (haze, veil) is obtained. That is, a kind of light gradient is created, due to which the manicure gains volume, while maintaining a special femininity and lightness.

• With watercolor gel polishes it is simply impossible to create something stylistically inexpressive.

Even chaotic dots overlapping each other, due to spreading, create the feeling of a “multi-layered fabric”, attractive with the radiance of bright natural colors.

• You don’t need a large arsenal of brushes to create images like those from artists’ paintings.

You can work either with a brush from the gel polish itself or use (depending on what kind of pattern you are creating).

• aqua shellacs do not require any additional decoration, or.

Of course, they can appropriately complement the manicure in accordance with the idea. However, if you have a strict dress code at work, or you just don't like complex nail design ideas that spread to the effect of colored muslin, gel polishes are a great choice.

• huge variety of designs.

Because the textural features allow you to save a little time when creating a manicure, you can make a mistake without fear, slowly practice drawing pictures, various types painted designs and monograms. This gel polish will not run under the cuticle or onto the side ridges, but will allow you to correct (paint on) the element the way you want (while it blurs). The lines of the drawing are soft, smooth, with chic light-and-shadow transitions;

• speed of work on creating and deleting an image.

The minimum time to create a manicure with a spreading effect is 30 minutes. With the help of any (or in) the design can be removed from the nail in just 10 minutes!

As for possible disadvantages , that is:

• the need to purchase a special base (from Irisk this is the base of Wet Gel Polish -, and), without it the spreading effect will not work at all;
• You can’t get a full coverage with these gel polishes, as they are mostly decorative. However, you can create a multi-colored marble effect by layering complimentary colors;
• These gel polishes must be stored and used in compliance with all the rules for handling shellac products, since it is undesirable to dilute them with topcoat if there is a hint of thickening, or even with exactly the same new gel polish. Since the half-haze effect will no longer be the same as it was originally intended. And experiments with resuscitation will not have the best effect on the wearing time;
• since space is needed for spreading, such gel polishes will certainly give greater scope for creativity on long nails;
• Unlike collections of classic gel polishes, new products are not so numerous quantitatively. Which, however, is an additional reason to experiment with mixing colors together.

How to correctly create a long-lasting manicure with watercolor gel polishes that attracts attention with its beauty and emphasizes the beauty of your nails (both natural and extended)?

Manicure “wet”: how to work correctly with watercolor gel polishes.

If you follow all the recommendations for working with watercolor gel polishes, even a small palette of shades can be turned into reliable assistants for a 100% gorgeous result. Do you want soulfully soft, soulfully feminine image-pictures on your fingers? Do you like stunningly beautiful designs in the style of “Zhostovo painting” or “romantic gradient”? Flowing gel polishes can handle any client’s whim. We prepare your nails as standard for applying gel polish (classic edged or unedged manicure with) and start creating a masterpiece!

For abstractions you can use, for paintings and drawings - for painting and for installing rhinestones or.

The steps for creating a watercolor design without a color base are as follows:

1. We form the desired shape and, if necessary, create the desired length.
2. We remove the natural gloss from the surface of the natural nail and apply. If necessary, we apply.
3. If you are creating a rich image, immediately start applying a special base. For a softer and airier design, it is better to resort to base coats.
4. Next, apply a thin layer of Wet Gel Polish base coat and, without polymerizing it, begin painting.
5. We create the necessary elements on the surface in a very thin layer. The thinner the layer, the more expressive the spreading. At the same time, we try not to apply the brush to the same place many times (the effect may deteriorate). If the gel polish does not spread sufficiently gradiently, stretch it with a thin brush and send it to dry in the lamp. The total spreading time of the pattern elements is from 10-15 to 30 seconds.
6. We polymerize the design for 30 seconds (2 minutes in ), cover the image with finish (for further decoration it is better to choose).
7. If desired, we complete the painting, attach the rhinestones, covering the gaps with a layer of topcoat.
8. Repeat drying and admire the finished manicure.

Steps for creating a watercolor design with a colored background:

1. We carry out basic nail preparation, apply a base for gel polish (or) and dry it in a lamp in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations (in a LED device - 30 seconds, in a uv lamp for 2 minutes). If desired, do not forget to remove the sticky layer.
2. We cover the nail in 2-3 layers evenly and thinly, drying it in a lamp layer by layer.
3. We follow steps 4-8 from the previous master class.

Each master has his own favorite images with watercolor gel polishes, and in general there are a great many options for patterns and designs. Let's look at the simplest and fastest ones for creating a manicure yourself at home.

Nail design ideas with watercolor gel polishes: photos and videos.

Designs with a flowing effect are universal for any length and shape of nails. However, to make your fingers look as impressive as possible, choose ideas that are most expressive for your hands. For example, for short nails, images where the pattern covers the entire surface are suitable. These are abstractions and marine themes. They will help to advantageously present the shape of the nail and make the design a stylish and beautiful accent of the entire image.

For long nails, it is better to choose single and large images, or many small ones. Ideal - large flowers, stylized marble, stones, reptile skin. Medium length Anything will do – from small details to entire images and paintings. Let's look at typical photo examples of popular nail art for watercolor gel polishes.

Marine images.

Using a dots or a brush, apply the spots randomly. Let them spread like pebbles on seabed. Decor suitable for such designs is:

Abstract manicure.

Another quick option. Dots or curls, chaotic strokes or ray blots. And the best part is that in the case of a chaotic design, you are not limited in color choice. Contrasting combinations are even welcome. Especially for a multi-color look.

Floral designs.

They require some painstaking effort to create. Place 4-5 dots around the circle and use a thin brush to draw the petals towards the center of the circle or vice versa, towards the edges of the nail. This design looks most beautiful with rhinestones imitating a rose or stamen bouillons.

Marble (stone) images.

The design is similar to the design with reptiles (large-cell marble). Or you can create the effect of veined stones by extending dots in thin lines to the free edge of the nail. In such images you need to use 2 contrasting colors (the main texture and veins), but remembering the “living” analogues.

For beginners who are discovering the world of design with watercolor gel polishes for the first time, they should start their acquaintance with a training video from the Irisk company.

For experienced craftsmen, we can only wish pleasant creativity and enthusiastic compliments to their skillful hands from grateful clients!

A colorful manicure requires a lot of effort and time. After all, most types of colorful manicure are done using a brush or needle. At the moment when the question arises about what kind of manicure to do, you can see what watercolor looks like. The decision to get a manicure this way will come immediately, because it will not leave any girl indifferent.

Special paints are diluted in water, and they form a kind of film that combines brightness and smooth transitions from one color to another. With the help of such paints you can make any pattern or design, the main thing is to know how to properly handle this material, as it can be very unpredictable.

What is watercolor for nails?

It is worth noting that watercolor for nails is not watercolor paint, which is used for drawing on paper. They have different properties, and therefore are used in different fields.

There are several types of manicure that are created using watercolors. One of them involves blurring the paint from the contours. That is, paint of the desired color is applied to the nail and the contours of the pattern that should be on the nails are drawn.

After this, you need to dry the paint and with a wet brush begin to blur from the edges in the desired direction. After the desired pattern appears, you need to let it dry again, and then draw lines that will give clear shapes and patterns to the blurred paint. By the way, watercolor is very easy to paint, because even after drying it can be renewed by simply brushing it with a wet brush.

All sorts of floral scenes are often made in this way, sometimes even small rhinestones are added to enhance the effect.

If we compare watercolors with watercolor paints, we can conclude that watercolors paint brightly because they have a sheet of white paper as a background. While watercolors for nails are most often used on a transparent (natural) basis. But the masters found a way out of this situation.

In order to add brightness to the watercolor, they came up with the idea of ​​​​applying French colors, white and pink, to the nail as a base. After the free edge of the nail is covered with white, a watercolor design is applied on top of it, and it looks much brighter, and it will last longer, since there is a base.

Manicure stages

In order to get a clearer outline of the pattern on your nails, you need to do a manicure in several stages. The first involves drawing lines that will be the main color, but they should be blurry. The second stage is to apply white paint along the contour of the first color and again you need to blur the lines. Then it turns out that two bright colors connect and merge into one scale. When making abstract patterns, this method of applying watercolors will look beautiful and contrasting. The drawing will be clearer.

In order to see what kind of result you can expect when performing such procedures, you can look at photos of the finished work, perhaps even with a description of this type of manicure.

Using a special flat brush can make it easier to apply watercolors to your nails. Typically, this brush is used to paint flowers with a clearly defined free edge. In order to make such a manicure, you must first create a background base, and then apply watercolor with a flat brush. After drying, another layer of a different color is applied.

After all the layers of paint have dried, you need to paint decorative elements with another brush, these can be flowers or other objects. A special feature of this manicure is the half-shadow effect created using several layers of paint.

This application technology is considered complex, so many girls shared their videos where they tell and show how to correctly apply each layer of paint.

Blurring watercolor on nails

One of the most important properties of watercolor is blurring. After all, other nail coatings cannot boast of such an opportunity. Therefore, when using watercolors you should always create such effects. An action such as blurring can give the nails a lightening effect, that is, a glare effect. To do this, you need to apply a fairly bright background and wait until it dries.

After complete drying, you need to brush over the area you want to highlight with a dry brush. Typically, this technique is used to draw flowers, the petals of which should have white areas.

There are lessons on how to apply watercolors and create white highlights that will help you learn how to create this effect yourself. When attending a master class on applying watercolors to nails, you can ask the master to clearly explain how this is done.

In order to learn in more detail how to apply watercolors on nails, you can refer to the works of bloggers who show their work step by step, making it clear all the details of such a manicure. Girls often go to beauty salons to get a manicure done with watercolors, so to save time and money, you can learn how to make drawings with special paint yourself.

Video on the topic of the article

The capricious “lady” watercolor managed to win the hearts of not only artists, but also modern designers who, willingly following fashion trends, ennoble the interior, bringing into it a piece of painting. Such an unusual decor with watercolor elements has become very popular among most manufacturers, producing not only wallpaper, dishes, clothes, bed linen, but also furniture with rich, but at the same time delicate upholstery. Such bold ideas will appeal to both art connoisseurs and those who simply decided to dilute gray everyday life with a riot of colors.

1. Poster

Modern manufacturers offer a huge selection of watercolor posters for every taste and color. From ordinary images of nature and animals to the most unusual and daring pictures.

2. Watercolor accent

Tired of monotony? Then take note great idea, which in a matter of minutes will help to dilute the long-boring atmosphere. Decorate a wall or partition watercolor decor. This will not only lift your spirits, but also add richness to even the simplest room.

3. General view

You can refresh your living room with a common color palette. By combining walls, floors and furniture with each other, you not only create comfort, but also give a special atmosphere, emphasizing your interior, giving Special attention blurry walls with soft transitions and smooth lines, more like a huge watercolor painting.

4. Imitation canvas

Recently, art and design, closely intertwined with each other, have safely moved into the interior, becoming its integral part. So, for example, a wall with imitation canvas - great solution for those who want to transform not only the bedroom and living room, but also the kitchen.

5. Watercolor bed linen

Such bed linen is an amazing find for those who want to please themselves and their loved ones with something simple, but at the same time unusual. Such sets will look great both in children's rooms and in adult bedrooms.

6. Watercolor upholstery

“Watercolor” chairs, sofas and headboards look very stylish. Such furniture will delight you for a long time with its bright colors, reminiscent of hot summer or the first days of fragrant autumn.

7. Watercolor in the bedroom

An accent wall with a beautiful watercolor pattern (it can be prints, photo wallpaper, or a real drawing created by an artist) will not only create a pleasant atmosphere in the bedroom, but also give a romantic mood.

8. Watercolor curtains

Such curtains will look ideal not only in bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens, but also in bathrooms.

9. Rugs, pillows and other decorative elements

Charming ones will help transform any room decorative pillows, rugs and roller blinds, made in a watercolor theme.

Colorful watercolor nail designs have become a favorite manicure option for many modern women. There is absolutely nothing strange or surprising about this, because this manicure technique allows you to create real masterpieces on your nails with little time and money.

The watercolor paints used to create such beauty are light and airy in structure. Therefore, regardless of the version of the watercolor design, the result is always very gentle and feminine.

Nail art masters are constantly looking for ideas for watercolor manicure. Today there are several technologies for its creation, which are similar in essence, but different in results. Let's look at each technology separately.

Monochrome color scheme with outlined outline

Watercolor manicure done in monochrome color scheme, looks very impressive. The special beauty of this technology lies in its ease of implementation, which makes it the most popular.

To do this manicure, just follow these steps:

1. Decide on a design and draw its contours on the surface of the nail.
2. After the outline of the drawing has completely dried, blur it with water. This is very simple to do; you just need to moisten the brush in water and use smooth movements to fill the entire design with color. Watercolor very easily “comes to life” under the influence of water, so working with it is a pleasure.
3. All that remains is to make the drawing clearer using thin lines.

This technology works great when creating floral elements or simply abstractions. This watercolor nail design gives a very impressive and interesting result.

Stained glass effect

The technique of creating a stained glass effect is not much different from creating a manicure in monochrome. The only difference is that in in this case Several colors are used to create a design. The end result is very similar to stained glass. To make the stained glass effect on your nails more vibrant and festive, you can decorate them with mica or manicure foil.

Watercolor French and translucent backgrounds

If you create a watercolor manicure on the free edge of the nail, after painting it with white varnish, you will get a very interesting option French The drawing will be as clear as possible thanks to the rich white background.

You can create a translucent background on your nails using special white. They need to draw the blurred contours of the future drawing, and then apply the drawing (the white must be completely dry). Thanks to this background, the drawing looks clearer.

Creating a translucent background and a saturated background with a flat brush

Using a flat brush (No. 1.5) allows you to somewhat simplify the process of creating a watercolor manicure. To create a translucent background, you just need to draw the silhouettes of the future drawing with a brush, diluting the paint with water. After drying, use a flat brush to apply the design to the background in several layers. The result is a very interesting complex image.

It’s quite easy to create a rich design using a flat brush. First, a background is created with white paint, and then the design is drawn in any contrasting color. The main thing is to wait until the previous layer has completely dried.

Washing watercolor to create shadows

Due to the fact that watercolor tends to blur under the influence of water, you can create an interesting watercolor nail design based on the play of light and shadow. It's not difficult to do this:

Video: watercolor nail design with gel polishes

Video: simple and beautiful nail design flowers with gel polishes

Take a look at other sections - there are still a lot of interesting things there!

Let's discuss one of the most trendy designs. Find out why watercolor works in this article.

View Trend: Watercolor

Nothing quite like the meditative qualities of watercolor paint. Just observing the water mixture with beautiful flowers becomes relaxing and gives pleasure for any creative person.

But as a therapeutic medium, this medium is often considered quite challenging. However, you can still enjoy all the amazing qualities of this art by using digital assets in your work.

Today we will discuss one of the most beautiful trends, which shocked the design industry: watercolor design. Let's see what we love about this trend and head over to some of our favorite resources

Watercolor Blush Life logo template

What we like about this style

Do you like painting with watercolors? Let's look at a few key features of this style:

• Beautiful, liquid watercolor paints. Play any video on YouTube to see the magic of watercolor painting in action. Water and bright, vibrant colors mix together for a beautiful result that you can only dream of.
  
• Amazing texture. Hand crafts such as watercolor painting always create fascinating textures. Combining grunge and rough watercolor paper, this texture can be applied to many unique designs.
• Versatility. Whether you'll be celebrating an upcoming wedding or designing flyers, there are many ways to use watercolor paint. Experiment with different styles for more inspiration!

Fascinating watercolor lessons

From traditional paintings to stunning digital prints, our experts have created a variety of fun tutorials to suit your watercolor interests! Check out these tutorials to learn more about this trend:

Watercolor

Introduction to Traditional Media: Watercolor

Text effects

How to Create an Inspirational Watercolor Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop

Textures

How to Create a Watercolor Texture in Adobe Illustrator

How to Create Watercolor Wedding Invitations in Adobe InDesign

Painting

How to create unique effects with watercolor and gouache paints

Watercolor

How to Create a Galaxy Animal Portrait Using Watercolor Paint

Character design

How to Create a Watercolor Mermaid Illustration in Adobe Illustrator

Drawing

How to stretch paper for watercolors and gouache to avoid my mistakes!

• 
  

  Illustration

  Creating an Illustrated Watercolor and Ink Effect in Photoshop

Watercolor

How to Create Realistic Watercolor Photoshop Brushes from Scratch

Photo manipulation

How to Create a Beautiful Abstract Portrait in Photoshop

Wojciech Pijecki

Global influence

How to Create a Traditional Chinese Birds and Flowers Painting Using Gradient Mesh

Photo manipulation

Illustrate a Dramatic Portrait Using a Pen in Adobe Photoshop

• 

  Tools & Tips

  Quick Tip: How to Create a Watercolor Background Using Adobe Illustrator

  Iaroslav Lazunov

• 

  Create Cool Watercolor Effects in Photoshop

20 Amazing Watercolor Project Designs

Can't get enough watercolor designs? Download these resources from Envato Market and Envato Elements to help with your digital creativity.

Explore this great choice premium goodies, from abstract backgrounds to printable templates and more!

A simple template can do the trick to transform your work. This watercolor set is a designer's dream! Featuring 10 watercolor paintings available in JPEG format with high resolution, these models are simply chic and elegant. Try them out with your stationery or scrapbooking projects!

Your business cards should show your profession in the best possible light. So this divine template can greatly influence this business card. Featuring a lovely set of wild watercolor feathers on a font, this template allows you to accommodate all necessary information on his back side. Try it!

Add a special watercolor background to your design with this set of stunning backgrounds. These designer handmade pieces have been scanned at high resolution to help you create high quality work. Access 12 different backgrounds with different textures and colors.

Invite your friends and family to your birthday with a sweet watercolor invitation. This design features a simple, minimalist watercolor style. Insert text and date with party information to get started today!

Do you need some watercolor elements for your invitations, stationery and printing? Then check out this amazing floral set. These elements are ideal for most packaging and printing work and are 100% vector and ready to use. Choose from 70 items self made, such as flowers and ready-made bouquets!

Creating watercolor flowers is one of the first things you'll learn about when you open this tutorial. But if you're short on time, just use the colorful collection to inspire great design! This flower set includes eight PNG files with several watercolor elements. With everything from flowers to wreaths and bindings to choose from, you're sure to love this selection!

You can access beautiful watercolor colors and textures, even when working in Illustrator. This Watercolor for Illustrator pack allows you to access a variety of goodies. Get access to 18 designs and even bonus vector logos!

Create an art gallery like no one else can with this watercolor template. Featuring a unique design covered in various watercolor splatters, this template is simple and easy to use. Simply open the well-organized file to access fully editable layers in Adobe Photoshop.

Do you need some speech bubbles or arrows for your projects? Consider doing them in watercolor! For an interesting look, this graphic elements kit provides everything you need to add special watercolor accents to your work. Have fun with this massive collection of over 150 watercolor elements and shapes.

Turn your photos into beautiful watercolor paintings with this Photoshop action. Created for CS3 and above, this action is supported on both PC and Mac devices. Create a magical look with a few short clicks and various options colors. Try!

Designers are becoming increasingly creative with wedding stationery. And you can send unique cards to all your loved ones using this phenomenal template. This download includes two Photoshop files with back and front designs and even a helpful tutorial!

How long are you married? Celebrate your anniversary with this invitation. This template is perfect for couples or experienced designers. Access fully customizable images, colors and text effects for a stunning look!

Add some watercolor splashes to your vector work with this set of Illustrator brushes. Created with handcrafted textures, this collection includes 30 vector brushes and more! Enjoy bonuses and paper textures to make the most of them in your projects!

Add life to your charts with this gorgeous watercolor layout. With several realistic scenes to choose from, this mockup is easy to use. Simply drag and drop your painting into the ready-made smart objects to get a professional result in seconds!

You can never have enough watercolor backgrounds in your arsenal. This amazing set features 10 high resolution backgrounds created at 3000x2000 pixels. Insert these backgrounds into your web pages or print projects for phenomenal results.

Traditional textures are possible in Adobe Illustrator. And you can add gorgeous watercolor brushes and textures to your work using this phenomenal pack. Simply copy and paste these brushes into your file to gain access to more options. Try it!

Where have all the Easter eggs gone? Create a fun environment for your kids with this adorable Easter flyer. Featuring a vibrant watercolor style with adorable bunny characters, this flyer is quick to customize. Choose from five color options for a more amazing look!

Advertise an amazing party or club event with this watercolor poster! Featuring a stunning abstract liquid watercolor design, it is easy to edit in Adobe Photoshop. Update it with event information before sending it straight to print. Check it!

The beauty of abstract design is that it is multi-purpose. And this set of watercolor flowers is the perfect addition to any creative project. Get access to 100 amazing watercolor backgrounds suitable for print, posters and web pages.

Save your wedding budget with this elegant invitation set. With print-ready files that you can easily download, this package includes invitations, RSVP cards and more. Enjoy nine whole files that you can easily update in Adobe Photoshop. Download it now!

Show us your watercolor designs!

If you love the watercolor trend as much as we do, show us your work! Submit your results showing us how you work with watercolors and let us know your favorites in the comments below.

This collection of tutorials and premium resources is perfect for the avid designer. For more trendy watercolor assets, check out Enwato Market and Envato Elements. Happy designing!