Red Poppies (With Pictorial)

Hello friends! I'm back with another pictorial! It's been so long since I've posted a more detailed blog post. Though I've been meaning to post a pictorial for quite some time, I get so excited and into the process that I forget to take any pictures in between. Now, with most of my midterm and assignments done, I finally had a chance to sit down and just take things slooooooowly. Since it is the beginning of the month, I scoured instagram to search for a nail challenge to participate in. However, I finally settled on a poppy design since remembrance day is next week. 

I just love poppie, they're one of my favourite flowers; they're just so wonderfully delicate and dainty. In fact, I have a pink poppy growing out in my garden at home, I look forward to it blooming every year. Sadly, my poppies only stay in bloom for a week or so before the flowers wilt off. Thus, with remembrance day around the corner, and my love for the flowers, I thought that poppies would be a suitable design to wear. These days, I feel like I see less and less people wearing poppies, which is quite saddening. I guess it's because most of us living today, do not appreciate the significance of remembrance day.  Those who sacrificed and continue to do so deserve to be recognized for what they've done, and wearing a poppy is just a very simple way to show our appreciation.

Read on to see a pictorial on how these nails were created...

• Start off with an opaque white base color (I used Essie's "Coconut Cove")
• Using a thin paint brush (I used my typical 10/0) draw the thin stems and sume bulbs of the poppies using a light green polish or acrylic paint
• Make sure you don't add too many stems, so as to not make the design too crowded
• Using a red acrylic paint (or nail polish) draw on the flowers; poppies typically have more square/rectangular petals
• Using black acrylic paint, and a thin paint brush, add in the anthers of the flower (the centre of the flower) in sort of an asterix (*) like shape
• Add some pollen using some yellow acrylic paint upon the centre (black part of the flower)
• If the poppies are your accent nails (as mine are) paint your other nails a bright red color to compliment the design (I used Essie's "Lacquered Up")
• Make sure to seal off and smooth out your design using a top coat (especially if you used acrylic paint) to ensure longevity of the design

...And it's as simple as that!