Perhaps you’re already doing Halloween nail art or thinking about what designs you might like to pursue. Nailpro interviewed seven nail techs/artists to get their spooky and fun ideas.
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The bewitching hour is almost upon us!
Perhaps you’re already doing Halloween nail art or thinking about what designs you might like to pursue. Nailpro interviewed seven nail techs/artists to get their spooky and fun ideas.
Nailpro: Why do you choose to do Halloween nail art?
Jenny Guthrie (JG), salon owner, The Nail Chef, Clairemont, California: I love Halloween! It’s probably my favorite holiday, especially for nail art. You can go the scary route or the cute route.
Abigail Tovar (AT), salon owner, Dope Culture, Austin, Texas: I love horror! Not only do I do Halloween nails during Halloween season, but if someone asks for some scary nails or anything to do with Halloween, I will do them year round! It’s so fun and usually more detailed art! If it’s challenging my artistic ability, let’s do it!
Trina Ragno (TR), nail tech, Polished to the Bone, Hagerstown, Maryland: I choose to do Halloween nail art because I think it’s fun, and I love the color combos. It’s not something you can wear anytime of the year without you looking Halloweeny. Also, my customers want it. If I can’t give them the things they want, then they will find another nail tech.
Liana Groves (LG), salon owner, Color Trip Studios, Stow, Ohio: Halloween is one of my favorite times to do nail art. A lot of clients get into it! They love expressing the “spooky season” on their nails.
Andrea Lugo (AL), nail technician, Fort Myers, FL: Halloween designs are part of the business must do, especially because some clients are very into it. I love drawings, so it is an exciting season of the year.
Michelle King (MK), salon owner, P3 Lashes & Nails in Omaha, Nebraska: Halloween nail art is, in my opinion, the most freeing and creative type of nail art. Anything goes during the Halloween season. Creepy, bloody, cute or bold or bright. You really have no limits here.
Sharina Joy Layo (SL), nail technician, salon assistant, SoHotRightNail in Los Angeles, California: My decision to do Halloween nail art was inspired by the fact that the potential design possibilities are ENDLESS! Whether it is something that is gruesome, spooky, fall-inspired, themed to match a client’s costume or cute, there’s a design for everyone.
Nailpro: What is the most popular design?
JG: The last few years have been holiday nails in a non-traditional holiday color but have elements of the holiday in it.
AT: Speaking from my experience, the blood drip/splatter look is pretty popular.
TR: For Halloween, I do a lot of ghosts and jack-o-lanterns/pumpkins. They are fun and can either be cute or spooky.
LG: My most popular designs are the ghosts and spiderwebs for sure! My clients love it because they can customize the ghosts to be spooky or cute and the spiderwebs can be simple or intricate.
AL: Spiderwebs, Scream and, of course, Jack from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
MK: I get far more requests for the cute type of Halloween art more than the bloody or creepy kind. Ghosts, spiderweb and jack-o-lanterns; all of those are the “go to” requests for my clientele.
SL: In the past few years, I’ve done lots of variations of witchy things, ghosts and blood. But, I would have to say that the most popular designs consist of blood. It’s my absolute favorite when blood looks realistic.
Nailpro:What is your favorite design and why?
JG: My favorite Halloween design I’ve done was a black widow spider and raven set I painted on myself. It was a challenge because of the detail, but it was so worth it!
AT: Anything to do with 3D designs! The 3D effect usually makes things look more realistic, and during Halloween, it makes things look creepier and cool.
TR: I love doing pumpkins/jack-o-lanterns. They are fun and can either be cute or spooky.
LG: I think the Halloween colors are my favorite part — lots of orange, black and purple!
AL: All of them.
MK: I absolutely love to do the more detailed character art. Pennywise (the clown from “It”), The Nun or a realistic Scream mask — these are the types of things I really enjoy. They challenge me and push me to the next level with my nail art skills.
SL: My favorite Halloween designs to do are witch-themed. With the topic of witch, you could incorporate so many different art techniques as a base such as a marble, glitter and/or chrome, and top it with clean detailing, symbols and cheeky sayings using stamping plates.
Nailpro: Do you create your own designs?
JG: I am deeply inspired by other artists, but I do create my own designs. I like being different from other amazing artists in the industry.
AT: Yes! I do! I try to get inspo from things that aren’t nails and put my own spin to it!
TR: Yes, I enjoy creating my own designs. I like the originality of the design.
LG: Most of my designs are originals. I always change the design up, not to copy other nail techs but to be inspired by some of their work.
AL: Clients bring in their own designs. Some of them let me change it a bit specifically if I know I can make it. It can be a teamwork design, and the clients love that.
MK: Yes, sometimes a client has an idea, and I can just visualize what I need to do to execute what they can’t articulate. Likewise, I have a lot of clients who come in and let me freestyle, and that’s when my artistic brain takes over.
SL:Some of my designs are original and some are inspired. Either way, I love being creative and making all of my designs special and unique. Depending on what art products I am using and the inspiration I collect, I love stretching my imagination and outperforming my designs from the previous year. Inspiration could come from so many places, whether it’s from shopping for decorations, visiting a spooky event or watching a scary movie.
Nailpro: Do you have any advice on Halloween nail art to share?
JG: If you’re inspired by other artists, use their work as a starting point and put your own spin on it. Be creative. Also, great looks don’t have to be complicated. Do what you are most comfortable with.
AT: If I had any advice, just do it! There are no limitations to nail art. Get out of your comfort zone, especially when your client is giving you that artistic ability!
TR: Yes, have fun with it and remember even if your client requests the latest Halloween trend, put your own spin on it to make it your own.
LG: My tip would be if you are doing a spiderweb, draw the initial lines, cure and then add the details that prevent all the lines from blending together and losing that perfect detail! A good liner brush and painting gel make everything easier.
MK: Don’t let yourself be limited to designs of one kind or trends you see online. Experiment with different styles, colors, techniques and designs. That’s when you’ll find the style you really love, and you can come up with some amazing designs that are all your own.
SL: My advice to other nail techs when designing Halloween art is to keep your eyes open for inspiration everywhere, not just nails. Shopping for Halloween is always a great place for me to gather loads of ideas. Just make sure that you take a picture to make it easier for you to execute your inspiration onto your nail set. I once found a black mug with 3D eyeballs and turned it into a really rad nail set.
Nailpro: Do you have any special Halloween stories that would influence your art?
JG:I do not. I just do me and let my art come out of me and onto the nail.
AT: Growing up, I’ve always loved Chucky! If you know me, you know I LOVE HIM! Watching those movies all the time has definitely helped me be super open to gory designs.
AL: Not really. I’m excited for my clients because I know they love Halloween.
MK: For my entire life, I’ve had ghosts/spirits drawn to me. When I see one, it can be terrifying. That feeling I like to use and try to capture in my more creepy or spooky nail art. Rather than just looking up a character online and copying it, I like to reference multiple pictures, then try to pull that fear in when I’m painting my nail art. Somehow that feeling translates in the art and makes it more interesting, unique and creepy.
SL: Every year for Halloween, my family makes chili, and we add slices of cheese on top that are cut outs of a bat, a bone or a ghost with cookie cutters. When the cheese melts on the bowl of chili, the ghost bone or bat becomes a gooey blob, and I always thought that was really cool (and tasty). That image is never lost on me when I do spooky designs, especially spooky Halloween designs fading away on a dark background.
About the Author:
Marcia Travelstead is a former nail technician and a freelance writer who resides in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is a longtime and regular Nailpro contributor.
