Mermaid Scale Nail Art Design

This WRUWW I decided to recreate a nail art design I did a few months ago, mermaid scales.  There are many ways to create mermaid scales designs using stamping images, and hand drawing scales but I have a slightly different method for creating mermaid scales and I wanted to share with you this technique.

Materials
Base and top coat
2‐3 shades of polish (I recommend one be a metallic)
Medium/large dotting tool
Glitter  (optional)

I started this design off with two coats of Sally Hansen's Posh Plum on all my nails except my accent nail.  For my ring finger I applied one coat of OPI's My Signature is DC.

I started my mermaid scale accent on my silver accent nail.  The initial coat on this doesn't have to be perfect because you are going to layer dots to create scales on top.

Create the first row of scales using a blue green color by dotting a row of large dots across the tip of the nail.  The dots should be a continuous row of dots that touch but do not really overlap.  Leave enough space on the tip of the nail for the silver to be seen.  I used Nabi's Abysis for my blue green polish color.

For the next row use the scale color and place the dots overlapping but in between the dots of the previous row.

The next row will be in the blue green color.  The color row(s) will directly overlap the silver (metallic/scales) row(s).

The next row will be in silver (you should be up to four rows not including the exposed silver on the tip) and just like the previous silver row it will overlap but in between the dots of the previous row.

Repeat dotting rows as previously described altering between scale color and color polish until the nail is filled completely.  (I hope this makes sense with the help of the pictures.)  I like to occasionally add in a third color, an accent within an accent.  I do this randomly and you don't have to do it if you don't want to.

After a little clean up and a top coat application, you'll end up with an interesting layered scale design.

For this manicure I topped my Posh Plum nails with Sinful Colors Green Ocean.  This iridescent glitter is a perfect topper for this look.

Though this nail art design is not original this technique is different than those that I have seen.  This technique allows anyone who can wield a dotting tool to create an awesome mermaid mani.  If you are anything like me you are probably slightly more proficient with a dotting tool than you are with a brush.  I also like this technique because the layers give it a more realistic look.  But the real question is what do you think?
 

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Your Fellow Plebe,