Let me start out by saying that I hate clowns, and I would never normally want to paint this subject, but I was playing in the orchestra for a production of Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo recently and was briefly obsessed with clowns because of the all the rehearsals and performances. How could I resist the opportunity to face my fear?
I wanted to use primary colors for this design because they remind me of the circus.
From left to right: craft smart Acrylic Paint in Black, Brigitte by Julep, and Sephora Nail Lacquer 5 day shine in Pole dance, Banana split, and Happy hour!
I started with a white base color.
Using different sized dotting tools, I applied dots of red, yellow, and blue nail polish which made my nails look like the packaging for Wonder Bread. I left the middle finger nail for the clown, and yes, that was for a reason. The nose was done with a large dotting tool, and I managed to use the brush from the bottle to swipe on a large red mouth for him.
I painted eyes, eyebrows, and a mouth with a detail brush and black acrylic paint to finish off the look.
My clown and my piccolo at rehearsal. The smiling face doesn’t really fit the opera if you know what the story is about, but I wasn’t about to paint him looking sad because clowns are already creepy to me.
I think he goes best with a handful of confetti.
I could have painted more detail, but to be honest, I didn’t want to spend more time looking at him than I had to! I had every intention of changing my polish soon after the opera, but things have been busier than anticipated, so my little friend has been tagging along for a week longer than originally planned. Better tell him that the circus is moving out now!
Happy polishing!
Fine Polish 