A very simple nail art design that you can create with water based nail polishes is a dot design. You can scatter the dots around your nails as polka dots, or arrange them in a particular pattern. You can make flowers with dots by placing one dot in the middle and making a circle of dots around it. Or get an ombre effect by clustering dots at one end of your nails and then gradually fading them out.
Water based nail polishes are a slightly different consistency than regular nail polish, but they can still be used for this type of basic nail art idea. Shown above, I used Mahalo (Hawaiian ocean blue) from Acquarella with dots of Sea-quin (bright turquoise) from Piggy Paint.
Steps for Simple Nail Art Dot Design:
- Choose two contrasting colors of water based nail polish with a creme finish.
- Cut the tip off of a toothpick, so that it has a blunt round end.
- Optional: Apply a layer of base coat if you are using a brand of nail polish that requires base coat.
- Apply 2-3 layers of colored nail polish until it is opaque. I used two layers of Mahalo.
- Allow the nail polish to dry completely.
- Add a dot design with the contrasting color of nail polish. Open the bottle of nail polish and touch the blunt end of the toothpick to the brush to get a small amount of nail polish. If there is too much nail polish on the toothpick, blot it on a piece of paper.
- Gently apply a dot of nail polish with the toothpick onto the nail. You may be able to make one or two dots before putting more nail polish on the toothpick. Using a smaller amount of nail polish will make smaller dots and pushing harder will make larger dots. Be creative with your design!
- Allow the dots of nail polish to dry completely.
- Apply a layer of clear water-based top coat and allow to dry.
Dots are one of the quickest and easiest forms of nail art. It’s a great option if you have short nails or want to add a design to your kid’s nails.