You only have to do a quick search on NailsMag.com for the phrase “one stroke” to realize that this painting technique has recently been gaining popularity in nail art circles. One-Stroke inventor Donna Dewberry created the method (which allows painters to blend, shade, and highlight all in one stroke of a brush) over 15 years ago while teaching herself how to paint.

Dewberry is thrilled now to see One-Stroke painting being adapted beyond the traditional painters’ canvas, including to nails. So much so, in fact, that she includes eight nail art step-by-steps in her just-published book: Donna Dewberry’s Big Book of Decorative Painting. The nail art step-by-steps should be helpful to nail artists, but the book’s biggest strength lies in its basic introduction to One-Stroke painting. Dewberry shows step-by-step examples of how to create common flowers, leaves, and vines, and how to put all of these components together into a cohesive design. There are also practice worksheets, in which Dewberry encourages you to put plastic over the printed examples, then paint over them to get a feel for how hard to push the brush.

The Big Book of Decorative Painting is available on Amazon.com and on Dewberry’s website dewberrycrafts.com.

For more information, visit Dewberry Crafts.