Red Wings FTW!

I was really excited about doing this next design because I'm a huge Red Wings fan! I'm actually going to a game tonight so I wanted to don my team spirit the best way I know how. This look is actually quite simple as long as you have the right tools. I do use a thin eyeliner brush to create the lines and the numbers but this could also be done with any small paintbrush or a careful hand and an orange stick. I'm very proud of this look and I don't want anyone to worry about the symbol on the thumb. I'll let you know a few tricks on how to get it to look right.

 Coat your clean nails with your favorite base coat. I used O.P.I.'s Natural Nail Strengthener as my base coat to protect my brittle nails. Next place your red base color down on your thumb, middle, and pinkie fingers. I used CND's Fireberry as my red because it's a bold red that matches the Red Wings colors perfectly! Next put your white base coat down on your index finger and your ring finger. I've been having trouble finding a white that lays down correctly as a base color on my nails. O.P.I.'s Alpine Snow is good for pooling but it stays wet too long when you use it to coat the whole nail. For this look I tried Sinful Color's Snow Me White. It went on my nail really well and its held its shape and texture, so I have high hopes. I then laid down the edge stripes, alternating red and white according to the base coat. The way I made the lines was by brushing on the color with an eyeliner brush by Bare Escentuals. Make sure you use nail polish remover between colors so the brush doesn't get stiff. Use the thin brush again to create the thinner lines under the tips. I had a picture avaliable for the numbers and I made sure to go slowly to create the right shape. #93 is my man Fransen! You could use anyone's number that you want, like #35 for Howard, #13 for Datsyuk, or even a throwback to #19 for Yizerman. Make sure you know what the numbers are supposed to look like and that you're painting them the right way because there's nothing worse than finishing your nails and noticing that your 3 has become an E. >_<.

The thumb is the part that's going to take the most concentration and patience . Your first step is to get a picture of the Red Wings Symbol and draw it out with a pencil and paper. This will give you a good foundation and it will help you to realize where to start and how to go about drawing it without going over lines. Don't worry about getting every detail down because it's going to be very hard to get every feather and every spoke on such a small canvas. I used Strip Rite's white brush for the detailed work. I found that the wings were easy to do because the brush was designed for the sweeping motion but the circle of the wheel was hard to do in one motion. Practice with the brush on a sandwich bag to get the symbol correct. When you feel that you're ready, paint your masterpiece on your little canvas. Finish off with your top coat and let dry! I hope you all have fun with this look and GO WINGS!!