Which Method To Practice P&W?

[Emily S]

For the past year and a half I have been doing acrylics & have always used tips, I'm now feeling confident in that the nails I do are lasting and are of a good standard BUT know that they don't look technically correct and would like to change this.

What I'm wondering is, am I best to go straight into sculpting the P&W's or doing a P&W overlay - then perfecting the sculpting? I was taught sculpting at college but found it extemely fiddly and wasn't ever really impressed with MY results, especially when there was no free edge so would I be taking on too much trying to sort out smile lines as well as trying to sort out the shape of the sculpt.

Hope this makes sense and I appreciate any advice you may have? Thanks.

 

[angel fingers]

I think you would be better to perfect your tip and overlay.
It's just smile lines that aren't correct?

Try using white tips on a client but instead of overlaying them with clear acrylic use white l/p over the white tip. You will have a guide for the smile line.

It won't be long before you can replace the white tips with natural or clear ones and you will instinctively know how to get a good smile line.

Then you will be ready for a new challenge and can move on to sculpting.

Oh , also, using any old tip and practicing in your own time to create a smile line on them will really help.

Try to do at least ten at a time. Compare the first to the last and you should see some progress.
Keep the tenth one and then when you get a chance to do another batch, try to improve. Keep your best one every time and move onwards from there.

 

[Emily S]

Thanks, I think my problem is getting the extended nail placement the same on every single nail - it's not necessarily the smile line, although that could also do with some work!

Would I just extend where the 'shadow' is underneath the actual tip? Basically, the edging of the finger - I did some once before and wasn't very happy with them - i'll find the pic and perhaps put it forward for critique?

 

[Emily S]

Looking at these nails, as a client, I know which I'd choose and it'd definitely be the tipped ones, the extended nail bed look awful to me - really not impressed with them, it wasn't helped by the fact that she wanted them round and I rarely round them so again, this was something that also needs practice.

To be fair though, the extended ones are from 6 months ago, I've got a lot busier and more confident since then so I may be slightly better at them..

What do you think? :o

 

[angel fingers]

The smiles are very flat and that's not flattering the fingers as it visually chops the nail across the widest part. A deeper smile would be a lot prettier as it wouldn't give that vertical divide.

Try looking for through the excellent tutorials on this site for some pointers.

 

[Emily S]

The smiles are very flat and that's not flattering the fingers as it visually chops the nail across the widest part. A deeper smile would be a lot prettier as it wouldn't give that vertical divide.

Try looking for through the excellent tutorials on this site for some pointers.

Yeah, I can see that myself, thanks. I watch the videos all the time - I'm pretty obsessed :o LOL, I shall give them a try again - if I can get someone to practice on - my Sister was a good one for practicing with but she's now converted to Shellac!:biggrin:

Thanks, I'll start practicing over the white tips for now and see how I get on

 

[angel fingers]

Well, you sound determined, it's only a matter of time until you get it perfect.

 

[Emily S]

Well, you sound determined, it's only a matter of time until you get it perfect.

Actually putting acrylic to finger would be an idea really, there's so many things I want to do and perfect but doing them is a whole other matter.

I'm definitely going to start trying all this though instead of tips - I look at so many pics and feel such envy that I can't do the same nails that they're doing but then, how will I ever if I don't practice!

Thanks very much for helping