What is Nail Art Stamping?

Nail stamping is the process of using a nail stamper to achieve impressive nail art. The process involves applying stamping nail polish to the grooves of beautifully engraved designs. These designs are then transferred to the surface of each nail using your nail stamper. This technique can be a creative way to express yourself and your interests. 

But what is nail stamping? The short answer is that it’s an easy-to-apply technique that goes over your nail polish after a fresh manicure.

So, if you love nail art, then you will adore nail stamping. This technique has been around for some time now, and is still growing in popularity.

Nail stamp designs are the perfect solution for anyone who is not skilled with freehand nail art. You can create beautiful DIY nail art right at home.

In this article, we will teach you everything you need to know to start your new nail art adventure.

What This Article Covers

• What Is Nail Stamping?
• Nail Stamping Tips for Beginners
• Reverse Stamping
• How to Fix Mistakes
• Conclusions
• FAQs

What Stamping?

Nail stamping is the process of using a nail stamper to achieve impressive nail art.

The process involves applying stamping nail polish to the grooves of beautiful engraved designs. These designs are then transferred to the surface of a nail using your nail stamper.

Using this technique, it’s quick and easy to achieve amazing designs on your nails. There are no limits to the types of designs you can explore for nail stamping. There are tons of designs available from hundreds of manufacturers and designers. Make sure you have all the fun nail polish colors that are trending if you want to keep up with nail art fashion.

If you’re wondering what the best nail polish for stamping is, simply put, anything that is pigmented enough to cover a nail, hiding the C-curve, in one coat. The are many over the counter polishes that can be used. However, there are many makers who specialize in making stamping polishes. Having these specially made polishes can reduce the chances of poor image pick up.

Nail Stamping Tips for Beginners:

1. Use the Right Tools
   To get started you will need to get your hands on the correct nail stamping tools. Here are the three basic tools you should shop for when beginning your nail stamping adventure:

Paper Towels or Silicone Mat (to protect your table surface)
Stamping plate(s)
A nail stamper
A scraper
Tape or Lint Roller

The stamping plates are usually made of thin steel and usually contain several images or designs per plate. These designs range from small intricate patterns to larger designs that are very detailed and cover an entire nail, including longer nails.

You can start out with a full stamping kit, and then add on more stamping plates as you widen your design options.

The bottom line is to choose the stamping plates that contain the designs that suit you best. But to keep your designs flawless and effortless, choose quality stamping plates with deeply etched designs and perfect detail to them.

When choosing a stamper, the one that feels right for you is your best option. For example, you might prefer a jelly stamper instead of a firm rubber stamper. 

And finally, when choosing a scraper avoid using one with a metal blade. These scrapers will mess up the face of your quality stamping plates. An old gift card or sturdy business card can work too!

2. Choose the Right Nail Polish

The trick is to be creative when nail stamping. You can use regular nail polish for stamping because no matter which type you may opt for; the stamping technique remains the same for all applications of designs.

You may want to go for creamier nail polishes that are slightly thicker. Most nail stampers prefer this.

This might narrow down your creative options when considering the question, can you use any nail polish for stamping?

Alternatively, you could learn how to thicken nail polish. Using a thicker nail polish will be much easier to use for nail stamping designs on your nails.

3. Master the Process

Now to begin the art of nail stamping, grab a paper towel. Place the stamping plate over the paper towel to avoid nail polish messing up any of your surfaces. You also need some cotton balls or lint free pads, acetone polish remover, lint roller or tape (I prefer packing tape), and a quick-dry topcoat. Now follow the process below to achieve the best result in nail stamping.

• Polish your nails with the base color and apply two coats of a quick-dry topcoat. The topcoat makes it easier to fix any mistakes you might make when nail stamping. (more info below)
• Apply the stamping nail polish onto the design of your choice on the metal plate. Be generous.
• Use the scraper to scrape off the excess nail polish from the stamping plate. One scrap is usually enough.
• After scraping, the wet polish should completely fill the grooves of the design. Don’t worry if there are some erroneous stipes of polish, those don’t usually pick up on the stamper.
• Roll the stamper across the design in one smooth, firm movement. This will lift the image from the stamping plate. This is where most people have trouble. You need to do this gently. Pushing the stamper down is not necessary.
• Position the stamper over the nail so the design is aligned properly. Make sure to work quickly as the polish on the stamper will dry out within a few seconds.
• If any dried polish remains on the stamper or in the grooves of the plate, clean them with the acetone remover before moving on.
• Make sure you seal the design with a top coat once it is dry on your nails. Use a light touch when doing so. The best technique for this is to ‘float’ the top over the image. This means to prevent the bristles of the brush from touching the image. If they do, it can cause the image to have streaks.
• That’s all there is nail stamping your favorite designs on your already manicured nails.

‘Reverse Stamping’ for Extra Pizzazz (and bolder designs)

Break the rules, and let your creativity shine! There are so many ways to spice up your nail stamping.

You can play with more colors by combining them and experimenting with new ways of bringing out the design more.

You can also paint in the reverse of the stamp (while it is still on the stamper) by using a nail art brush or dotting tool (toothpicks can work for small areas) to fill in the design with different colors. Do your best to stay in the lines. Nail polish or acrylic paint can be used for this. If this becomes your preference, you may consider purchasing a ‘light pad’ to better assist in seeing where the paint should go.

Once the additional painting is dry, you can add a coat of sticky base coat the nail, allow to dry slightly, then stamp the image onto the nail. Or you can add a coat of clear polish (not quick dry top coat) over the image while its still on the stamper. Allow that to dry. Once dry, peel up the edges or the clear coat and flip the image over and place on the nail – similar to a water decal. Trim an unnecessary edges and top coat as usual.

Nail stamping takes practice, but once you know what you are doing, you can play with new options to improve the creativity of the process and produce a new outcome.

The options with nail stamping are limitless so try something new whenever the creative bug bites.

How to Fix Nail Stamping Mistakes 

If you’re new to the art of nail stamping, you will naturally make some mistakes. But it can all be fixed quite easily. Some of these mistakes include incomplete stamping, smeared nail polish, or crooked patterns that were not placed properly on the nail when stamping.

Relax and don’t stress, it's part of the fun of learning. It won’t always be necessary for you to re-polish your nails from scratch. Using a topcoat before nail stamping means the hard glossy surface makes it easy to erase the badly stamped design.

You can use sticky lint paper or tape to remove the stamped polished design by gently rolling it over the nail. If the mistake is stubborn then try lightly rubbing the nail with a lint-free pad soaked in just a little acetone. Once the design has been removed, re-apply a top coat to the nail.

Conclusion 

Be patient! with your first attempts of nail stamping. Perfecting the art of nail stamping requires practice and concentration. Usually, after the first few attempts, you will be rocking it and improvising on ways to make the best of nail stamping.

If you get frustrated, take a break and try again later. Think of nail art stamping as a new hobby, especially if you are determined to find an easier more cost-effective way of enjoying nail art for any occasion. All it takes is a few, patient tries, confident applications, and creativity to be a pro nail stamper in you.

There are many resources to assist if you continue to struggle. Feel free to reach out to our Facebook group(s) and our members will be happy to help in anyway we can.

FAQ:

• Should you always use a base coat?
  While some people opt to use base coats, others prefer not to. The pros of using a base coat are that it reduces the chances of dark-colored nail polish staining your nails
• Should I clean my stamping plate after each stamp?
  We highly recommend cleaning your stamping plate after each stamp. Doing so will yield the best results. Use 100% acetone to get rid of all the polish.
• You should also clean the surface of your nail stamper quickly after each use. To do this, use tape or lint roller. DO NOT USE ANY POLISH REMOVER ON YOUR STAMPERS!
• Why can’t I pick up designs properly with my nail stamper?
  Firstly, make sure that you are stamping on a hard steady surface.
  Also, when scraping the nail polish off make sure you are holding the stamping plate down firmly with one hand.
  Finally, make sure to apply a good amount of nail polish to the design. If you don’t then it will dry out quickly and it won’t pick up the designs from the plate.
• How Long Does Stamping Polish Take To Dry?
  Usually, it takes a few seconds for it to dry enough that it may not transfer well. So its important to work quickly. But can take one to two hours before nail polish is completely dry. If you’re using a nail polish dryer then wait around 20 minutes. Many nail polish dryers allow you to use your hands 5 to 15 minutes after the nail polish is applied, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. The last thing you would want is for the nail art you’ve stamped onto your nails to smudge.

 

Cover Image courtest of: IG: marianailartongles using our Kindness is Magic plate.