Pre-Challenge #1: Cover-Worthy
The first pre-challenge for Season 3 of Next Top Nail Artist got things off to a rapid start, as 24 competitors presented their interpretations of a NAILS cover, using handpainted design on a single hand. An incredible variety of covers were selected, from the very first cover in 1983 to the May 2015 cover created by 2015 NTNA 1st runner-up Lexi Martone.
After careful review of the entries, the judges submitted their scores and the 18 highest scorers moved on to the second pre-challenge.
Alecia Mounixay (Wilmington, NC)
I chose January 2001. I was born in January, which was a bonus, but what really gravitated me toward this photo was the gold fish in the bowl. I love the Japansese Koi fish and the symbolism behind it. Along with naming my salon White Koi Nail Studio, I also have a tattoo of one. The gold fish is also a carp and is a direct relationship to the Asian carp. Another and more important element was that this was the first time that Nails Magazine did a nail tech cover challenge. I have wanted so bad to do one and hope to still be able to the next time around! Angie had some of the same goals as I do, which is becoming a celebrity nail artist and being an educator. I can’t wait to do both!
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
April Ryan (San Diego)
Choosing a cover for this pre-challenge was not easy for me. At first I wanted to choose the cover from the month and year of my birth, but it seemed dull for me so I started to seek something else. Then I looked at the cover of Nails magazine June 1986 because it is my husband’s month and year of birth. He is my inspiration and I thought it would be a great cover for me but I was unable to find something inspirational in it. After some time spent thinking I decided to start over and look through every single cover since the first issue. I decided on last month’s issue with Lexi Martone’s beautiful work of St. Basil Cathedral on the cover. I decided to create my design because I’m Russian and May is the month when I came to United States so all of it is very symbolic for me. I have been to Red Square several times and every time I was amazed with the beauty of the buildings. I never thought that I would ever be drawing this cathedral but this is a great opportunity for me to show you my skills by drawing one of the most famous historical monuments of my country.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Amber Dunson (Bossier City, La.)
I chose the March 2005 cover as my inspiration. I was really struck by the shiny chrome with the red nails. After a little investigation I learned that the steering wheel that was photographed belonged to a beautiful 1956 Chevy Bel Air. The 57 Chevy is one of my dream cars so I loved the idea of going with this. I used the red nails and the NAILS logo as my color scheme for my nails. The index and ring fingers are inspired by the design on the side of the car. The middle finger is the actual front of the Bel Air and the pinky is the emblem with the background being the gradient design on the NAILS logo. The thumb is inspired by the car’s speaker and clock dash console. I used a combination of regular nail polish and acrylic paints for my artwork.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Cara Gaskins (Forestville, Md.)
The reason I chose the butterfly cover of Nails Magazine is very special to me. Thirteen years ago I lost my 2 year old daughter Gianna in a horrific fire while she was being taken care of by a loved one. I felt like this tragedy was the end of my world, naturally there is nothing more sacred than the bond of a mother and daughter. Thanks to God and the support of my family and friends I was able to make it through this tough time. Gianna, my beautiful angel was infatuated with the song “Butterflies” by Michael Jackson. She would sing all day long. Butterflies became the theme of her services. The day of her service, the most beautiful yellow butterflies surrounded my home, and stayed there almost all summer. Now every year around June 1st these beautiful butterflies appear. I believe these butterflies are a sign that my daughter is telling me she is OK.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Celina Ryden (Stockholm)
Choosing only one cover from NAILS Magazine sure didn’t seem like an easy task. But when I stumbled upon the issue of October 2000, I instantly knew that was the one! A hand was holding a globe and my eyes were of course drawn to the old school feeling of the globe. I love to recreate old looking materials and I love compasses, so this was a no brainer! I also liked the idea of creating something for the first challenge that also is a symbol for one of the things that this competition means to me – to have the chance to go international! Of course I had to incorporate Sweden into the design as well as a continent (South America) and another country (Italy), just to emphasize that no matter where you are in this world, you still have a chance to promote your passion and your work to an entire world through this competition. In the end, it’s not about where you’re from, but our passion for art brings us all together and erases the physical distance between us.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Deanna White (Fairview, Alberta,Canada)
The cover I chose for my inspiration was the January 2001 issue. I chose this cover because I love fish. Some people are crazy cat ladies but I’m a crazy fish lady. I love all the different colours they have and how each variety has different behaviours. I have 6 fish tanks in my home. The largest one is a 2 tank system that holds 140 gallons in total. I was also inspired by this issue because it was a done by Angie Perez. She won the cover tech contest. She worked hard and was given an amazing opportunity to grace the cover of Nails Magazine. I also feel very honoured to have been given an amazing opportunity by making the Top 24. I have already learned so much by doing this pre- challenge. In my year and a half as a nail professional I sometimes find myself getting lost. My creativity takes a nap but I know that all I need to do is flip through some Nails Magazines to help wake it up! I’m sure I’m not the only nail professional who has this happen. If it weren’t for the the amazing nail techs and dedicated employees that contribute to Nails, we may all be lacking inspiration continuously! Nails revives my inspiration and my creativity.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Emily Nash (Elkhart, Ind.)
The cover I choose was January 1984. I was inspired by the gambling aspect of the cover. I chose this cover in particular because of the endless options you have with gambling and the casino. First off, I love going to the casino. So when I saw this cover I knew I had to do it. I love playing black jack and poker with my friends as well. I decided to extend the nail tips out into different shapes to give the design a different look other then just a flat nail shape. I painted the index and ring finger with cards to equal up to 21, with a painted 21 on the middle finger. Another name for black jack is 21. The thumb was inspired off of the cover so I could get the hands and nails included in the design. The pinky nail was inspired by the back side of a playing card. The tips have 4 different poker chips and then 4 different suits off of that. I wanted to keep the design simple, with the color options just like the cover to keep that 80s feeling to the design, but also include the detailed aspect of the playing cards to show my hand painting abilities.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Eva Jenkins (Bellevue, Neb.)
For my inspiration I used Nails Magazine’s November 2008 issue. I chose this cover because I really like the old school tattoo art. Some refer to this style as rockabilly or Ed Hardy, and these are my favorite types of designs for tattoos. The stylistic nature is reminiscent of 1950s tattoo art. My dad used to draw images like these on love notes for my mom during their dating years. Growing up and finding these notes in my home as a child has given me great fondness for this particular artwork. For the structure, I decided to go with the coffin shaped nail. This is a shape that I do not often get the opportunity to do, so I decided to take advantage (my client was excited to try to the new shape). For my art, I decided to use polish. Nail polish is more difficult to use than gel-polish or acrylic paints, due to the speed in which it cures. Each finger has a free-handed solitary design. I created it this way, because tattoos are typically completed in solitary pieces (unless a mural piece or sleeve is being replicated). I used a variety of nail art colored striper polish. To achieve a finely tuned and detailed look, I used a smaller striper brush along with a dotting tool.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Felicia Cruz (El Paso, Texas)
For this challenge we were asked to recreate the cover of any of the Nails magazine covers with over 30 years to choose from. As soon as I read the word recreate I was inspired. I figured why not recreate myself. I chose the magazine cover from the month and year that I was born, January 1985. Having never seen the cover, I still decided no matter what was on it I was going to challenge myself and recreate it anyway. I was scared but anxious as I pulled up the cover on my phone but sure enough the picture was perfect. I wanted to do something different with it, not just simple shaped nails. I knew I wanted this piece to be in the shape of a magazine and I wanted to be creative by connecting them as a puzzle piece. The puzzle piece represents my life and career coming together after an adventurous journey. I am grateful with every opportunity I am blessed with and this is one of them, thank you.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Halley Fortenberry (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)
I chose NAILS Magazine’s February 1991 cover. I chose this cover because I always have a connection (and some luck) with anything associated with my birthday! There were numerous covers to pick from that inspired me and filled my head with ideas, but I stuck with this one because it will always hold a special place in my heart. It doesn’t necessarily have an overall theme like many of the other covers, but the gold, black, and white brooch on the model’s sleeve intrigued me! It isn’t much to go off of, so I chose to challenge myself and transform basically nothing into something! When I saw the brooch and the big 90’s hair, I immediately thought of my mom (she’s Korean, but still had the big hair when I was born). I used to rummage through her jewelry box and she had multiple gold brooches. On the thumb and index finger, I painted the brooch (depicted on the cover) with finishing touches to balance the colors of the nail. On the middle finger, I painted a woman’s face with big 90’s hair and bright pink lips, like the model on the cover. On the ring and pinky fingers, I used a gradient effect since the background of the cover has a black to pink gradient. I also chose this cover because I knew that none of my competitors would pick it because it didn’t have a common theme like fish or casino memorabilia. I hope you love it as much as I do!
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Jessica Warzyniak (Crown Point, Ind.)
For my inspiration, I chose the Feb. 1997 issue. It has a black and white photo of a silver painted hand and manicure. The caption says “Mars Attacks.” When I think of a martian invasion, I think of Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds.” It was a Halloween special on CBS’s radio show in 1938 that accidentally tricked many people that there was really a martian invasion happening! These individuals missed the host announcing that the reading of the screenplay would be that evening in honor of Halloween, so as the show went on and the martian invasion got more destructive, people began to panic. This mani shows a family gathered around their radio listening to the program, while a young girl imagines the horrible martian attack happening outside.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Karalee Chabot (Nashua, N.H.)
I chose the April 2011 cover of NAILS magazine for my inspiration. I chose the design because I love 3-D nail art and thought it would be fun to recreate 3-D nails by hand painting them. This was a really fun design that required the incorporation of 2 completely different designs onto one hand. This design also caught my eye because I love long nails.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Kerlisha Munroe (Point Fortin, Trinidad)
Nail art and the various scenes it depicts were on my mind, as I sat timid yet excited thinking of a cover idea to choose for this contest. I stumbled upon a cover which immediately spoke to me, personally by the artwork but also the month. January being my birth month, and the year 2014 was the beginning of a great year for my nail art journey. To add value to this I noticed the caption “The Perfect Puzzle.” I had grown to love building puzzles, a game my dad and I would play every Christmas. He would buy me a 500 pieces or more puzzle and if I finished by Boxing Day, I would get another gift of my choice. At times because of his love for me he would assist me in meeting the deadline; where most times I would request another puzzle to enjoy building at leisure. When my dad died in 2009, not only did I lose someone I loved, but knew even in that life changing experience, life became like my puzzle. This challenging puzzle has each chapter of my life creating the mystery of a masterpiece. This theme has inspired me; since applying for Nails Next Top Nail Artist became just like that puzzle I have always wanted, it is a challenging one and being able to participate is a great honor. I love the various shades of blue on the cover so I incorporated the concept in my background as the color blue symbolizes loyalty, faith, trust and confidence. Attributes I need and have for this competition. It also represents the sky, where I imagine my Heavenly Father and dad faithfully cheering me on. The hand holding the piece of puzzle represents the opportunity given to me by Nails Magazine; being placed in the Top 24, then hopefully continuing to make the finals. This represents the other pieces of the puzzle that will help, as each weekly challenge is presented to me, building the perfect puzzle.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Lauren Boyd (Memphis, Tenn.)
We were asked to create a set of five nails inspired by a cover of any past issue of Nails Magazine. I chose the 1988 February issue. I went through the entire collection twice and saw a cover with masks on it. I’m all about things speaking to me and when I saw the same thing that interested me, twice, I knew this was it. The odd, green ombre background and the drama masks with that old school polish color…yeah, this was me. I looked up the meaning behind the masks and where they originated. That led me to looking up Greek and Venetian colors and patterns. The movement of the patterns and the richness of the colors inspired my background. I wanted to include the green ombre and it went well with the gold. I also didn’t want to make either the gold or green the center of attention, so I did a monochromatic design so it could just be an afterthought. Greeks were known for the architecture and quality materials such as marble, so I included that as well for my masks because I didn’t want it to look super sleek and polished because the masks on the cover weren’t. They spoke to me and inspired me as an imperfect artist.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Liza Waitzman (Spring Valley, Calif.)
My inspiration for this challenge is from November of 2008, the “Inked” issue. When I first noticed nail art was coming back around full-circle (I do remember the 80s art craze), I wanted to do something different to set myself apart. I thought that doing something like “Flash Tattoo Art” would be something cool and different. Mind you, I had not even seen this cover at the time. It was just something that I thought would bring a whole new spin on the nail art craze aside from “flowers” and the commonly known nail art. I personally have a love for tattoos but have gone down the path of old Japanese art. So for this competition, my spin off the “Inked” issue is celebrating the tattoo art in my own personal way, because it is truly what has inspired me to do nail art and has unleashed the beast within to better myself constantly and go above and beyond. My final touch was including the word “Inspiration” in Kanji because, it was the subject of this cover that has led me to where I am as an artist today.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Marianthi Tsitsopoulou (Athens)
I got inspired by the February 1983 issue after a lot of thinking, as the options were endless, and the creativity they could lead me to, unmeasurable. I chose this photo, not only as a symbolic starting work (it is the very first cover, like this is my very first challenge), but also because as a nail artist I love bright fade outs, especially when combined with the contradiction of black and gold. I am amazed by the way each makes the other pop out and how harmonically they all coexist at the same time. To make it more playful, I used glow-in-the-dark gel-polish, so it can be great with lights off, as well as in the daylight. I hope it is a pleasure to your eyes as it has been for me to create.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Sammi Newell (Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada)
I was totally inspired by the cover, as a whole, from January 1984. I was hoping that I could pick something from that year because it is the year my husband was born. It has been a life long dream to visit Vegas and play in a casino so I was delighted to find a cover that held meaning for me. I wanted to incorporate the things I think of when I picture a casino so I had to include a poker chip, cards, dice, a slot machine and money! I used the green base to signify the cloth on the game tables and I painted the card symbols and dollar signs in a random fashion to look like raining confetti. I decided to go with an old school style slot machine because I think they have more character. The aces are on the thumb because I always bet big if I am dealt these during a game of Texas Hold Em. I used gel-polish and acrylic paint for my design as well as a variety of striping brushes, detailing brushes, and dotting tools. I was really nervous about what the initial challenge would be and I am happy to say that I really enjoyed doing this.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Sarah Elmaz (Epping, Australia)
With over 30 years worth of covers to choose from, the April 1987 cover just jumped out at me. I love Babushka dolls, I remember playing with them for hours at my grandmother’s house when I was a young girl. I also love the flowers and hand painted art that often adorns the scarves. I began by painting some Babushka dolls on practice tips to see how much detail I could get into the small space. I decided to do all different colours of Babushka, as I wanted this design to be bright and stand out.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Sherri Traweek (Redlands, Calif.)
I chose the September 1999 cover as my inspiration. I don’t know why exactly, but the bee theme really stuck out to me out of all the covers. I love animals, and if given the chance, will always try to stick something furry, cute, and cuddly in my art. Well, maybe we won’t cuddle with these two guys, but they are super important right now because the honey bee is threatened by extinction. If we lose them we’ll lose a crucial part of our ecosystem. Most tragically, we’ll lose all of our delicious honey! I took my style inspiration from folk art and old entomologist drawings. Their honeycomb became a large part of the nails because it represents everything for the hive. It nurtures their young, supports the colony, and leaves us with healthy, delicious honey.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Szilvia Egerszegi (London)
I checked the covers of the Nails Magazine and chose the May 2015 issue for many reasons. This cover inspired me the most, I love its mood, theme and the colours. This cover gave me the chance to use one of my favourite technique, Zhostovo folk art painting. Zhostovo is an old Russian folk craftwork of painting on metal trays and furniture. A few years ago the incredibly talented Russian nail designers implemented this technique in nail art. It is a stunning technique but very time-consuming so it isn’t a popular technique for salon work.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Tan Nguyen (Conroe, Texas)
The inspiration for this design is based upon Nails Magazine February 1988 cover “Out From Behind The Mask”. I chose this design because of the Asian cultural background I have. Chinese opera masks represent certain personality traits and human characteristics. Being in the nail industry we all wear a mask for our health. Yet we are also able to connect with our clients as well “behind the mask”. Red used on masks indicates a positive character. Red can also mean prosperity, loyalty, courage, and heroism. Red shows intelligence and bravery. Gold and silver show the audience that the character is a god or a demon. The character also may be a ghost or a spirit. Gold and silver symbolize mystery. I have painted the male in red and gold. I wanted to show my clients what type of person I am “behind the mask”, a loyal friend and a spiritual person. My female version shows exotic grace and divine beauty, along with the cherry blossoms to represent love and joy. Wihen the two combine we have a “Yin and Yang” relationship creating life.
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Click here to see his inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Torie Bastian (Corwn Point, Ind.)
This cover as a whole fueled my inspiration in many different facets. Between The layout of the Interdimensional 80s graphics behind the translucent human head and a strategically placed clock in the third eye region, automatically steered me in the direction of visionary art. Considering the focus of this competition is flat hand-painted art, I couldn’t think of a better avenue to take for my design. Visionary art is art that portrays a wider vision of awareness including spiritual metaphysical themes. It’s one’s interpretation of visions in meditation and inner self explorational experiences. Major influences behind this design consist of the great works of Alex Gray. Not only is Alex Gray a legendary visionary artist, but he is also responsible for pioneering a movement of inspirational influence in Visionary Art for artists all over the world. I couldn’t be more pleased with the way this cover turned out with a fresher updated look from the original 1986 cover. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to finally execute my rendition of Visionary Art to be displayed and worn as wearable art on the hands.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Victoria Zegarelli (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.)
I knew my first challenge should definitely be a cover from the year I started doing nails, 1987. I was drawn to April’s issue because my grandmother bought me my first nesting doll when I was with her in Poland at the age of seven. Dating as far back to the 1890’s, the Matryoshka Doll is now known as the Russian Nesting Doll. They made their way in popularity to surrounding Slovak nations as a beloved toy among little girls. Although it’s familiar 3-D gourd shape is prevalent in all varieties of the nesting dolls, the painted doll designs are mostly one dimensional in nature. Today you can find many dolls made from the likenesses of world leaders to celebrities. The cover theme for the April issue was “Grasping Opportunities ~ Release your Inner Potential”. I chose to give my nesting doll interpretation a bright and fresh updated look while expressing a story of capturing and releasing creative art design.
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Click here to see her inspiration (click on the cover to make it bigger)
Winnie Huang (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Browsing through the covers, the October 1983 issue caught my eye instantly. Not only is it my birthday month and year, I also have a thing with anything lines and geometric. So it couldn’t have been more perfect! For my creation, I wanted to give it more of a modern spin, while keeping the stained glass concept, as well as the shape of the nails. With it being a hand painting challenge, I decided to actually recreate the texture of the glass pieces instead of sculpting them out. I achieved this stained glass inspired design with various gel-polish and paint. I am extremely happy with the turn out as I love recreating different textures.
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