Knieya Peterson’s quirky tribute to the 1993 baseball movie The Sandlot and Beth Elliott’s detailed painting of Rihanna both captured the judges’ imaginations, leading to a tie for top place! These two worthy winners are joined by excellent entries representing celebrities from Gene Simmons to Queen Elizabeth II. 

Meet Knieya Peterson

Temecula, Calif.-based nail tech Knieya Peterson has always loved The Sandlot, and after she introduced it to her two sons, they loved it too. “We have probably seen it 100 times in the last six months and our oldest babe knows the entire opening monologue word for word,” says Peterson.

Peterson always begins portraits by sketching the image with pencil, usually starting with the eyes and working her way out. “Even though this piece is super tiny, it still took quite some time to get all of the details right,” she says. “The perfectionist in me is never satisfied.” Peterson’s art isn’t confined to nails: She also paints on canvas and clothes, and even does murals.

Meet Beth Elliott

For Beth Elliott, who is an educator at Sapphire Hair and Beauty Training Academy in Bedfordshire, England, Rihanna was an inspiration as well as a subject. “I chose Rihanna not just because I’m a big fan of her music, but also because I admire her talent and creativity, and hoped I could use my creativity to recreate her in my nail art,” she explains. She used gel-polish and fine art brushes to create the portrait, curing between each layer of shading and finishing with a matte top coat.  “I’ve been doing nail art since 2011 when I first started my beauty/nail qualifications,” she says. “I’ve always enjoyed art since school and love being able to channel that into my work.”