3 mins
Art With Jark
Scratch Stars Hall of Fame pro & founder of Jark Nails, JIAK HING, shares a masterclass in gel polish design to elevate your artistic offerings
ABOUT JIAK HING
Jiak Hing is a bespoke nail artist from Bolton, Manchester. She specialises in unique, illustrative nail art under the business name, Jark Nails, and has scooped multiple industry awards, including the Scratch Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year accolade in 2022, 2023 and 2024. These three wins granted her entry into the Scratch Stars Hall of Fame for the category. Jiak is committed to producing innovative and intricate nail art, and credits gel polish for offering creative freedom. The versatility of the medium allows her to experiment with a spectrum of colours and bring her artistic visions to life. She hopes to inspire nail professionals to step out of their comfort zones, embrace creativity and try new skills and techniques.
OUT & ABOUT
I had the pleasure of attending The Nail Dates’ one-year anniversary event at TGB Spa, Brighton. The nail community, founded by Samantha Haste of @printbysam,marked the milestone with a day of insightful demonstrations, including from The GelBottle Inc head of education & spa, Giorgia Cappella, and the hand-painted nail art team at Birmingham studio, Common Interests.
One of the highlights was a talk by nail artist & educator, Natalie Beeley (@nailgalnat),who shared valuable advice on pricing structures and how to calculate treatment prices. I loved connecting with the nail community and celebrating creativity.
With Samantha Haste (fourth from right) and members of The Nail Dates community.
SPRING WOODLAND NAIL ART: field mouse design
Spring is here, and it’s time to embrace fresh, vibrant nail art. Instead of the classic floral designs typically tied to the season, I’m encouraging you to get creative with an intermediate-level woodland theme, featuring a detailed field mouse portrait.
I created a nail style featuring a hedgehog, owl, rabbit and field mouse for my client, Emily. I used the same painting technique for each animal, and we chose a base palette of pink, purple and blue. The result? A striking gel polish design with realistic woodland creatures.
You will need:
• Pink, purple and blue alcohol inks.
• Isopropyl alcohol.
• Gel polish shades in milky pink, light brown, dark brown, pink and grey.
• Black and white art gels.
• Fine nail art brush.
• Glossy and matte top coats.
Step 1 Following nail prep, apply a milky gel polish to the nail. I used Indigo Nails Lab Mineral Base in Porcelain. Cure.
Step 2 Dab pink, purple and blue alcohol inks across the surface of the nail as desired. I used the Victoria Vynn Blur Inks in 003 Pink, 004 Violet and 006 Turkois.
Step 3 Disperse the alcohol inks with isopropyl alcohol to create a soft marble effect. Apply a matte top coat to create a smooth base for painting and cure.
Step 4 Paint the body shape of the field mouse using a white art gel. Cure.
Step 5 Use a light brown gel polish (I used Indigo Nails Gel Brush in Pocahontas) and your chosen nail art brush to paint the field mouse’s face and body. Cure, then create shading using a dark brown gel polish, such as Indigo Nails Gel Brush in Brazilian Coffee, and cure again.
Step 6 Paint the eyes using a black art gel, and nose with a pink gel polish. Cure.
Step 7 Use a grey gel polish hue to define the mouth and body contours and cure.
Step 8 Add whiskers and fine fur details using a detailer brush and black art gel. Cure, add white art gel to create highlights and cure again.
Step 9 Apply a glossy top coat to enhance the durability and shine of the design. Cure to finish.
3 TIPS FOR MASTERING ANIMAL PAINTING:
1. Use white art gel as a base for your design. It helps the colours pop and your artwork to stand out. 2. Break down the painting into layers: start with the base, then gradually build up colour, shading and highlights. 3. Cure each layer to prevent the gels from bleeding into each other. Patience is key for precise detailing.
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