I tried to take according pictures to correspond to each of the steps but it's a little difficult to both carry out the step and take a photo without growing extra hands!
So before you even think about stamping you have to do you're usual base coat, if you want to stamp the image on a clear back ground, or then add a nail polish colour as the backdrop for your stamps. You'll want to make sure that your manicure is dry because otherwise when you stamp the image the stamp will "squash" your nail polish creasing it.
Before you start it is best to collect everything you will need. This includes:
- Image Plate - M65
- Scraper
- Stamper
- Konad Special Nail Polish - or another suitable polish - Konad Special Polish White
- Cotton Wipes - lint free is definitely a Must!
- Nail Polish Remover - not a moisturising one
- Tweezers
I used a base colour is Maybelline Racy Red.
So on to the Konading!
Step 1: Select the image you wish to use and wipe the plate with a lint free cotton wipe wet with nail polish remover. It is very important that you use lint free cotton wipes because otherwise you will have bits on lint on your plate and stamper which will transfer to your nail. I use Sally Hansen Polish Remover because it doesn't contain anything to moisturise my nails and as such doesn't leave a film on my plates which can interfere with the stamping and transferring the image. I rest my plate on an old pad of paper both to keep it level and for somewhere to rest my cotton wipes on. It's also useful to scrape the excess nail polish onto the paper.
Step 2: Wipe the image plate with another dry lint free cotton wipe. This ensures that you don't have any nail polish remover remaining that might interfere with the transference of the stamp or that might be stamped onto your nail.
Step 3: Using your chosen colour coat the design with nail polish ensuring that you fill all the grooves. Some others prefer to place a large amount on one side and allow the scraping to push the polish into the grooves. I'm using Konad Special Polish Black. There's no need to smoother the plate in polish otherwise you're both wasting it and you're more likely to get extra transference onto your stamper. Konad has a series of Special Nail Polish that are designed for stamping as they are of a thicker consistency allowing them to maintain its pigmentation when stamped. Most other nail polishes when stamped will barely appear as the formula is too thin and doesn't transfer onto the stamper.
Step 4: Then place the scraper at a slight angle, for me it's about a 45°, and scrape across the plate until it is clear of the image. If it is an outside design I try to scrape it off the plate and onto a pad of paper or paper towel. I know of many people who prefer to use an old credit card or some type of plastic card instead of the metal scrapers which tend to scratch the plate. I haven't tried using a plastic card as I have no problems with the metal scraper. Although it does scape the plate I don't press hard enough to make deep enough grooves. You can see the scratches on my plate but when I stamp they don't effect my image at all.
Once you scrape the plate will look like the image below, but don't panic those thin steams of polish won't transfer to your stamper.
From this step forwards you need to work quickly because the polish will begin to dry and the image won't transfer properly.
Step 5: Take your chosen stamper and position it at the edge of the design you wish to stamp. Then I use a quick rolling motion pressing slightly on the stamper to pick up the design. I personally find that placing the stamper on top of the design and pressing hard doesn't grab most of the design. For me the rolling motion is simple and most effective at transferring the entire design.
The transferred image will look like the photo below. If there was any excess transference use a cotton tip moistened with nail polish remover to simple wipe away the undesired stamped polish.
Step 6: Still working quickly line up the design on the stamper with your nail and use the same rolling motion to place it onto your nail. Again there is no need to press hard as the rolling motion is sufficient to transfer the image.
Sorry about the two blurry photo's but they were the best I had with a dying camera :(
This was what the pattern looked stamped onto my nail.
Step 7: I always clean my image plate, the stamper and the scraper with the wet cotton wipe each time I stamp an image. Then run the dry cotton wipe over the stamper and the image plate.
To ensure you don't get nail polish remover on your already painted nails it is best to use a pair of tweezers to wipe the plate, scraper and stamper.
Step 8: Now that everything is nice and clean again repeat Steps 3-7 for each new image you wish to stamp.
Step 9: Once you have finished stamping, especially if you used a whole nail design, you might have excess polish stamped on the side of your nails like I do in the photo above. Clean around the sides of your nails and your fingers. See How To: Clean Your Nails.
Step 10: After waiting about 5 minutes for the stamped images to dry add a thick top coat. Konad has a Special Top coat designed for use over stamped images but I often prefer to use Seche Vite. The key to the top coat is that it has to be thick so as not to drag the design. When applying the top coat add a large drop to the centre of your nail and spread it down and then to the each side. Make sure that you don't cross over the same area twice as you're more likely to drag the design. You have to ensure that you have a large amount of top coat on the brush so that it glides the coat across the top of the design without touching it.
Below is my finished product:
Konading takes experience and a great deal of patience. Don't be afraid to clean the stamper if the design didn't transfer entirely and start again. I'm often impatient and take a "meh good enough" approach since from a distance most of the imperfections aren't noticeable.
I apologise that some of the photo's are so dark but my camera batteries were practically dead and kept deciding not to cooperate with the light!
So that's my process when Konading but feel free to leave suggestions or advice from your own experiences!
For more information I suggestion the following blogs:
- Sasse from Sasse's Stamping Stampede has an ever expanding guide on non-Konad nail polishes that work well when Konading
- The Konad USA website has it's own tutorial with pictures on how to Konad.
- Siobhan at The Nailphile has a very informative tutorial on Konad Stamping
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