WHAT I’M WEARING: Melissa Whiffen, Moonstruck Nail Studio

We want to see what you’re wearing on your nails!

Melissa Whiffen, of Moonstruck Nail Studio, wears super cute freehand Stitch nail art in support of World Autism Awareness Day on Tuesday 2 April.

“My family is not only my motivation in my work, but also my inspiration. I created this set for World Autism Awareness Day and it was inspired by my daughter, Hailey, to show our support in her and autism awareness. Hailey asked me to paint Stitch, so I did! I found the idea of Stitch was perfect for the look I wanted to achieve, besides being adorable and representing acceptance, love and family.

“I wanted a bright design to catch attention, but at the same time not overly-stimulating. Most who are on the autism spectrum with sensory issues love and enjoy colourful objects. Hailey is artistically inclined and loves bright pastels, neons and glitters, which I wanted to reflect in my finished design. I painted Stitch smiling while in a leaning position looking like he is dreaming or in deep thought. With the little puzzle pieces, scattered above his head like dreams or thoughts, I used a variety of colour and custom shapes showing the complexity of autism and diversity of the people living with the condition.

“These are sculpted hard gel enhancements using Artistic Hardcore Pink Building Gel. The thumb and pinky were embellished using encapsulated confetti glitter with Artistic Brush On Clear Gel. The index, middle and ring fingers I created freehand artwork, putting Stitch on the middle and ring finger in a diptych style, and created a floral Hawaiian design on the index finger. To create stitch, I first put a thin coat of Amore Pisma Pixies Island Coral in the direct background of where Stitch would be sketched, and fading it outwards just outside his figure so it would show around the edge of the black outline. I sketched his shape to the desired size and, using acrylic paint, mixed a variety of colours to make the desired shades. I painted him using mostly the Ugly Duckling Detailer Brush and occasionally LCN Focus and Filmy brushes for larger areas of his body. I completed the look by painting his outline black and giving him dimension by shading and outlining areas of his body with light shades of blue and white, such as his ears, arms and areas on his face.

“After painting the puzzle pieces, the middle and ring fingers were then coated with a layer of Light Elegance Matte Topcoat, then cured. The index finger was inspired by one of my favourite nail artists, Devin (nails_by_dev) in Bay Area, FI. I added green foil to the tropical leaf for a shimmer effect and a white and red leaf to make sure the nail got a Hawaiian feel. The thumb, index and pinky were completed using Artistic Headliner.

“Nail art is my true passion: I love painting freehand and detailed characters, always having creative and unique designs with lots of colour on my nails. I love to theme my nails to all occasions, as well as creating fun one-of-a-kind designs for no reason at all. I absolutely love everything about this set but most of all how the design shows my daughter’s personality and what the theme represents.”

Check out more of Melissa’s work here!