Nail Art Idea Book: How a Creative Tech Gets Inspired

Ideas for your nail art creations can come from almost anywhere. Keeping your eyes (and your mind) open, you can find inspiration in the most random of places. We asked Orange, Calif.-based nail art Elsbeth Schuetz to identify several off-beat sources of inspiration. From the fall season to global warming and a few things in between, use these nail art ideas to get wheel turning for your own creations.

Source of Inspiration: Organic Cooking

Organic foods are taking up more and more space in our grocery stores these days. There are more organic restaurants and cookbooks too.

Starting with a charcoal gray base, I added poppy and sesame seeds to create this organic flower design.

Under a handpainted coffee mill, I added real coffee to this nail as a special touch.

Curry has great color, so I used it as a base (you should smell this nail) and used acrylic to create the label.

Source of Inspiration: Chrome Kitchen

Chrome appliances are a popular trend in kitchen design. Often paired with black, this modern look is hot whether it’s your kitchen or on your clients’ nails.

I used silver and charcoal gray polish split vertically down the middle, then added a row of seed beads as a divider.

I found this thin, stretchy fabric at the fabric store and placed it between two layers of top coat. I used a UV top coat over that for extra strength.

On a base of black polish, I handpainted silver kitchen items with a fine detailer brush.

Source of Inspiration: Fall Leaves

Nature is a great place to look for art ideas. While flowers are a common nail art subject, changing colors and falling leaves seem to get the short end of the stick.

On a base of a copper polish, I used a fine detailer brush to create this abstract design. It reminds me of fall leaves.

I placed these leaves on a base of turquoise so they seem to pop right off the nail.

Using a fine detailer brush, I painted the silhouette of a bare tree whose leaves have already fallen to the ground.

Source of Inspiration: Charitable Events

Charity will never go out of style. From cancer awareness to supporting causes you believe in, nail art can be the conduct to get the message out.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and what better way to show your support than by offering pink ribbon nail art? Donate the nail art portion of the service to the organization of your choice.

Many pets are waiting is shelters for good homes. Create cute designs like this cat for your pet-loving clients.

People helping other people was my inspiration for this design. I used black polish and a fine detailer brush to create the silhouettes.

Source of Inspiration: Global Warming

Global warming is a real problem and creating awareness through nail art is one small way you can get your clients to start thinking about making a change for the environment.

Flames handpainted on red background make a simple, yet powerful, statement.

A cityscape with an orange-red sky represents how we are affecting the environment.

After creating the blue sea and the orange-yellow sky, I used a fine detailer brush to create the city.

On a base of blue and green polish, I used acrylic to create polar bears swimming in the ocean with melting glaciers.