Maki Otani, San Diego
“Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Katsushika Hokusai
“I chose this painting because Hokusai’s art is very familiar to me since I grew up in Japan,” says Otani. “It has always been my favorite historical masterpiece.”
It took Otani about 10 hours to complete the nail. She used four shimmer nail polish colors on the background and blended them in gradually. “Using a tiny brush, I painted the waves and Mt. Fuji with acrylic paint, and then I used white acrylic powder and monomer on the white part of the wave so it would look like it was popping out.”
David Duong, Gilbert, Ariz.
“L’Eclat” by Tamara De Lempicka
Erica Plyter, Hinesville, Ga.
“Meditative Rose” by Salvador Dali
Vickie Chilla, Eustis, Fla.
“Jeanne Hebuterne (in large hat)” by Amedeo Modigliani
Natalie Wolfe Wargo, Johnstown, Pa.
“The Japanese Bridge” by Claude Monet
Jade Stanley, Lincoln, Neb.
“Self-Portrait” and “Old Blue Eye” by Ralph Steadman
Lisa Lang, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
“Le Reve” by Pablo Picasso
David Duong, Gilbert, Ariz.
“Madame Monet and Her Son” by Claude Monet
Erica Plyter, Hinesville, Ga.
“Girl With a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer
Carrie Sweeney, Goodrich, Mich.
“Beasts of the Sea” by Henri Matisse
Jamie Lyn Valentine-Hess, Greencastle, Pa.
“Violet, Green and Red” by Mark Rothko
Megan Acevedo, Baudette, Minn.
“The Cart, or Road Under Snow at Honfleur” by Claude Monet
Vickie Chilla, Eustis, Fla.
“Mother and Child” by Gustav Klimt
Lisa Lang, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
“Son of Man” by Rene Magritte
Maki Otani, San Diego
“Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Katsushika Hokusai
“I chose this painting because Hokusai’s art is very familiar to me since I grew up in Japan,” says Otani. “It has always been my favorite historical masterpiece.”
It took Otani about 10 hours to complete the nail. She used four shimmer nail polish colors on the background and blended them in gradually. “Using a tiny brush, I painted the waves and Mt. Fuji with acrylic paint, and then I used white acrylic powder and monomer on the white part of the wave so it would look like it was popping out.”
David Duong, Gilbert, Ariz.
“L’Eclat” by Tamara De Lempicka
Erica Plyter, Hinesville, Ga.
“Meditative Rose” by Salvador Dali
Vickie Chilla, Eustis, Fla.
“Jeanne Hebuterne (in large hat)” by Amedeo Modigliani
Natalie Wolfe Wargo, Johnstown, Pa.
“The Japanese Bridge” by Claude Monet
Jade Stanley, Lincoln, Neb.
“Self-Portrait” and “Old Blue Eye” by Ralph Steadman
Lisa Lang, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
“Le Reve” by Pablo Picasso
David Duong, Gilbert, Ariz.
“Madame Monet and Her Son” by Claude Monet
Erica Plyter, Hinesville, Ga.
“Girl With a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer
Carrie Sweeney, Goodrich, Mich.
“Beasts of the Sea” by Henri Matisse
Jamie Lyn Valentine-Hess, Greencastle, Pa.
“Violet, Green and Red” by Mark Rothko
Megan Acevedo, Baudette, Minn.
“The Cart, or Road Under Snow at Honfleur” by Claude Monet
Vickie Chilla, Eustis, Fla.
“Mother and Child” by Gustav Klimt
Lisa Lang, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
“Son of Man” by Rene Magritte
Riding a Wave of Success
Meet the Winner
It may be polka dots and cheetah prints that delight Maki Otani’s nail art clients at Lulu’s by Travis Parker in San Diego, but it was the “Great Wave off Kanagawa” that captured the attention of NAILS’ panel of judges. “I chose this painting because Hokusai’s art is very familiar to me since I grew up in Japan,” says Otani. “It has always been my favorite historical masterpiece.”
It took Otani about 10 hours to complete the nail. “I found finishing the nail very challenging because I had to squeeze the painting into such a small space while keeping the size balanced,” she says. She used four shimmer nail polish colors on the background and blended them in gradually. “Using a tiny brush, I painted the waves and Mt. Fuji with acrylic paint, and then I used white acrylic powder and monomer on the white part of the wave so it would look like it was popping out.”
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