Improve Your Nail Art Skills With Adult Coloring Books

Have you ever looked at someone's hand drawn nail art and thought, "How can I do that?" I'm not talking about being able to recreate the Mona Lisa on a nail, but something much simpler, like nice evenly arced swirls? I used to try and draw out a swirl and one side of a curve would always turn out flat. [Insert frustration sound here.] I decided to do something about that.

I really enjoy adult coloring books, so I decided that was a good place to start to improve my dexterity. When I would color, I would take a page out of a book (don't freak out other OCD people, it used to bug me too) and put the page on a clipboard. I would then turn the page this way and that to make coloring in small areas easier. To challenge myself, I started keeping the page stationary. I made my hand do the turning to fill in a space, which meant I had to use my markers at different angles than I’m used to. We all seem to have a certain way we would hold the pen/marker/colored pencil or paint brush to fill in an area — a way that feels comfortable. I made myself step out of that comfort zone and change the way I move my hands and fingers. To my surprise it worked!

I now find it much easier to create evenly arced curves. This may seem like something silly to focus on, but I have seen how it has improved my dexterity beyond just drawing swirls and curves. I would also like to add that I have started coloring with my left hand, using less intricate designs. This has greatly improved my ability to do "my other hand."

You really can teach an old dog new tricks! (Or in my case, an old bird.) 

— Melissa Finch