[chrisstpeter]

Hi everyone. I have been looking and looking for acrylic nails that are just right for my costume, but there seems to be a very limited selection out there! I'm not actually going as a zombie, but imagine a zombie's fingernails and that will give you an idea. I'm looking for 1-2" nails that are yellowed, cracked, etc... just really creepy looking. I don't want nails with false finger-tips, or gloves. Just the press on nails. If you know of a site where I can find something like this please let me know! Or, if you have a good tutorial on how to make them. However, please keep in mind that I am going for realism here.

 

[Spats]

Buy regular press on nails and file shallow cracks and chips into them. For longer cracks without splitting the nail, draw them in with a fine point ink pen, like a Micron .05 or so. You can find fine point felt tips like Microns at michaels, usually near the scrapbook stuff.
Then layer them with clear gloss and a thin, translucent wash of tan acrylic craft paint.
Finally, paint brown on the undersides and the upper edges.

 

[chrisstpeter]

thanks! only question I have is how do I make a translucent wash?

 

[Spats]

Think drybrushing - very little paint spread over the entire nail.

 

[chrisstpeter]

Thanks a lot, this will really help. It's the details that really pull a costume together Just out of curiosity, have you done this before? Making this specific type of nail that is? If so, I'd love to see some pics to see how yours turned out.

 

[churchofsubgenius]

You might want to drop into a hair salon and talk to a nail tech, just explain what you are going for and I bet that they would be very helpful with sizing and what products to use.