Tutorial: Holly Leaf

Hello, creative person! Welcome to my holly leaf tutorial. Like the design it is inspired by, the freehand cloud, it's quick and simple to make, even with the small additions. What I like about this design (apart from being very Christmassy ^_^), is that it combines the use of different tools. It's a great way to practice both freehand and dotting skills. But once again, it's pretty simple so I hope you'll give it a try!

Start with a green basecolor for the holly and let it dry. Use a basecoat underneath if your polish tends to stain.

Then use a contrasting color to paint a few vertical strokes next to each other, making each one shorter as you near the other side of the nail (like shown more detailed over here). Start each stroke by placing the tip of the brush on the surface and wait till enough polish has dripped off, forming a round starting point. Try to leave enough polish on the brush to do this, but make sure it's not too much either to prevent having a thick, lumpy layer that will take forever to dry.

Tip: If your polish comes with a (big) flat brush, just twist it 90° and use the side. It's easier to make those round edges this way. :-)

Now we're going to give the leaf some veins, using a dark colored striper polish. Start with one main vein across the length of the holly, to which you then add a few smaller veins.
It's likely to use a green polish for this task, as the leaf is green. But if you don't own any, a black, brown or blue will work too, as long as it's a darker color than the green.

A true Christmas holly isn't complete without its berries! So finish the design by adding a couple of red dots with a dotting tool. Or place a few big glitters or rhinestones instead, for that extra bit of oomph! At last a layer of topcoat, et voilà.

Check out the tutorial page for some useful tips. Also I would love to see your attempt on my design, so feel free to leave a link to your creation in the comment section!

The polishes I used in this post are OPI Jade Is The New Black, Color Club Artsy Crafty, Janet striper polish #119 and P2 Fever.