Whoo Loves You?

I DO!

Today I've got more Valentine's Day nail art to show you guys. It is a set of lovey owls! I love owls. Two years ago, my mom gave me a Valentine's care package, and there was an owl placemat in it that was similar in design to these guys. It came from a collection at Target, which apparently also included towels, blankets, and more!

So I modified that owl design a bit and ended up with these little ones.

I started with a base of Zoya Kristen, which is a really pretty almost-dusty blue.

I did the owls next, using Sally Hansen Twisted Pink and OPI Manicurist of Seville. Here is the process for painting them:

1. Paint the legs.
2. Paint on a fat oval over the top edge of the legs, to give a clean appearance where the legs attach to the head. I used a small, flat ended nail art brush for this step.
3. Using the same nail art brush, paint on two tiny little tufts at the top of the head.
4. Using a white polish, add two dots for the eyes (dotting tool) and a triangle for the beak (small nail art brush). I used stamping polish here because of it's opacity! Then, once the white is somewhat dry, paint yellow over the white areas. I used Color Club Almost Famous. Putting the white on first will make sure that the yellow shows up brightly and clearly.
5. Add a smaller dot of black inside the yellow of the eyes. Then, add a highlight to the eyes in white. I used stamping polish for both the black and white here.
6. Using a small dotting tool, paint on two small strokes to form a heart on the owl's belly. Repeat two more times to do the other two hearts.
7. With a small nail art brush, paint on the wings.

After the owls were finished, I painted on the branch in China Glaze Street Chic with a striper brush. I also added hearts on my thumb in the same color as the owls using the same dotting tool technique that I used to put the hearts on their bellies.

I actually attempted this manicure two nights ago, but was unsatisfied with the results. I knew that I could improve on the first try, so I gave it another shot last night. I am thrilled with the way that this turned out, so I am glad that I didn't settle on the first one when I knew I could do better.

I hope you guys like this design! I know I do. I still have a few other Valentine's nail art designs in mind, so don't change that channel!