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Start off by applying a base coat. I used Sally Hansen’s “Double Duty Base and Top Coat”.

Next, apply a white base color. I used Sinful Colors “Snow Me White”.

Then it is time to start painting the skulls. I used a liner brush and Apple Barrel’s “Black” acrylic paint. First, paint a C shape with the curve at the top of the nail.

Next, to paint the cheekbones of the skull, just create two smaller C shapes coming from the ends of the larger C shapes made before.

I forgot to photograph the next step, but to create the chin, paint to connecting curved lines coming from the cheekbones. I also didn’t create skull on my pinky nail because of how small it is. So on the pinky nails, I painted a flower in the corner of my nail and a vine on the other corner. For the flower, I painted a C shape in the corner and then some connecting wavy lines coming off of it for the petals. For the vine, I painted a wavy line with some curved leaves coming off of it.

Continuing with the skulls, paint some circles towards the top of the skull for the eyes. I used the same liner brush for this but a dotting tool would be much easier.

Then, to create the nose, paint an upside down heart in the center of the skull. For the mouth, paint some connecting C shapes with a line separating them.

Now time to decorate the skulls. For this design I kind of made it up as I went, so I will try my best to explain it. For the skull on my thumb, I painted some heart shaped eyes with a dot in the center, filled in the nose, placed some dotted flowers in the cheekbones, some dots around the mouth and some connecting C shapes around the top of the skull. For my pointer finger, I filled in the eyes with black, filled in the nose, painted some flowers in them using a dotting tool, and some dots around the top of the skull and mouth. For the middle finger, I painted flowers with lines as petals in the eyes, filled in the nose, put dots in the cheekbones and dots at the top of the skill. For my ring finger, I filled in the nose, painted a cross at the top of the head, placed a line of dots on the cheekbones, flowers made of dots in the eyes and dots above the mouth.

For all of the skulls I painted two flowers in the two lower corners that are the same as the one on the pinky. I also painted random designs towards the top of the nail. All the designs were filled in and outlined C shapes, coma looking thinks, triangles and dots. All the colors I used for the skulls were Craft Smart’s Acrylic Paint “Rosemarie” (pink), “Light Green”, “Soft Butter” (yellow), “Rich Lilac” (purple), “Tangerine” (orange),  and “Native Turquoise” (blue).

Lastly, I outlined all the flowers in black and filled in the colors on the pinky nail.

Finally, apply a top coat. I used Sally Hansen’s “Advanced Hard as Nails Strengthening Top Coat”.

An easier alternative for this design is the paint just the eyes, nose and mouth larger on the nail so that the nail is the skull. This design is simpler and can easily be done with just a dotting tool and decorated much easier.

Your Day of the Dead nails are finished!