nails : one stroke
stroke of genius
Sometimes referred to as Double Dipping, One Stroke is literally just that – one stroke with a brush to create a design on the nail.
The key – and where the double dipping name comes from– is that your brush is dipped in two colours at once, one colour on each side of the brush’s bristles – also referred to a double loading. “To double load, load half the brush in one colour and the other half in a different colour.Your stroke will be lighter on one side and darker on the other with themiddle area softly blended,” explains ZsuzsannaVarga, Educator at Susan’s Nails.
“If using a slated brush, apply the brighter colour to the longer side of the brush, and the darker colour on the shorter side of the brush,” addsAlexandraMéhész, Crystal Nails’ InternationalMaster Educator.
Once you have created your basic design, you can add light and shade by highlighting with darker and lighter colours.
Most commonly designs follow a floral theme, as the technique enables you to effectively recreate petals and leaves, however the only limit is your imagination; different strokes with differing brushes will create different
shapes.Themain shapes you will create during One Stroke are an S, C, U and Shell Stroke. Once you’ve mastered the technique of creating and putting these strokes together, you can play with unlimited colour ways and designs; it’s really about practice and imagination.
your kit
As the saying goes, ‘a bad workman always blames his tools’, but as with any nail artistry technique, without the right kit it’s difficult to excel.
“The best advice I can give is to use quality tools and products, thismakes such a difference,” says Helen Green, Independent Educator for NSI.
“To create themost beautiful One Stroke designs, you need great quality acrylic paints, which are creamy and highly pigmented so you get full coverage in only one layer,” advises KerryMoores, Crystal Nails Educator and Distributor.
Hazel Dixon,multi-award-winning nail artist and educator, agrees: “Your paints should be highly pigmented and the consistency of sour cream. If the paints are too thin you won’t be able to see the design properly and if they’re
too thick you won’t be able to paint smoothly enough.”
In addition to good acrylic paints, your choice of brushes is fundamental. “[You will also require the] perfect brush–flat, not thick or long and which has a sharp chisel like edge and pointy tip. Start with a standard size of brush until you get used to the movements, then you could try with smaller one to adapt your designs,” Kerry recommends.
“You can use a flat brush or angled brush. Personally speaking I prefer to use a flat brush to use but try both of themand work with whichever works better for you,” explains ZsuzsannaVarga, Educator at Susan's Nails. “Cleaning and caring for your brushes will not onlymake themlast longer, but willmake themperformas they should.”
As well as a flat brush, armyour toolkit with a striper brush, a dotting tool and a fan brush.
Calgel offer their NailArt Brush #1, a very versatile short bristled brush which gives you complete control for intricate designs and is usually easier for those that are new to nail
art.Their NailArt Brush #2 is a longer bristled thinner bristled brush that is ideal for highlighting and for certain dragging designs.
MillenniumNails stock a range of nail art brushes, including the Kolinsky and Sable Fan Brush and theMillenniumStriping Brush.
Alternatively, Orly offers the Detail Brush withMetal Case, the Dotter Duo and Stripper Brushes, whilst OPI supply a Competition Striper Kolinsky Brush #000 for excellent paint control and placement precision.
train&practice
A technique such as One Stroke is not something you are likely to be able to perfect instantly. “Training is key to understanding how to use and angle the brushes
correctly...and then practice practice, practice!” says Helen.
Whilst watching demonstrations and ‘how to’ videos fromsites such asYouTube is
certainly going to inspire you, there can be no substitute for practical hands-on training with an expert.
“One Stroke is a challenging art formand it is essential that your educator is skilled and qualified to teach this technique to you,” says Kerry. “Having the right explanation and someone there to correct you is vital.”
Crystal Nails UK holds One Stroke Level 1 classes in various areas across the country. To enable you to get the best results fromthe training day, you are set a prerequisite of their fine art skills course where the basic techniques that you will require can be learnt. On the Level 1 One Stroke course you will learn how to createminiature paintings with onemovement,make shadowing and contours in parallel and how to paint flowers with water-based paints.
Alternatively, Hazel Dixon’s Purely Nailz TrainingAcademy is located inThetford, Norfolk, fromwhere she runs One Stroke Beginner andAdvanced courses regularly throughout the
year.The Level 1 Beginners’ course covers blending and shading, flowers, leaves and stripes, whilst the Level 2 Advanced course will teach you how to layer flowers, closed effect leaves, butterflies, shadowing andmore. Course costs include training,manual and certificate of attendance.
ZsuzsannaVarga also organises One Stroke courses to Level 1 and Level 2 standard at Susan’s
Nails.These courses are fully accredited withABT, and offer you full practical nail art training sessions with a certificate at the end of the day.
Available fromBeauty Concepts International, LCN offers a one day course in the technique to decorate either UV Gel or acrylics delivered by Olga Spitters (a regular competitor for both photographic and nail art categories). Students attending will also receive the brand’s One Stroke Paint set and One Stroke Brush set.
We asked a number of nail art experts to share their designs as well as their expert advice on usingOne Stroke techniques, which you’ll see can be applied to nails of any length or shape to stunning effect. Enjoy!
86 GUILD NEWS
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