Style

You Can Actually Color With These Colored Pencil Nails Because Crafts Are Life

by Summer Arlexis

French and single color manicures move over. Unconventional nail art is trending heavily, so gone are the days of getting a simple paint job. Colored pencil nails are the latest odd, but mind-blowing claws to go viral, proof that nail art is chartering into some pretty strange waters.

If the name Nail Sunny sounds familiar to you, then that's likely because you're hip to viral sensations. The Russia-based nail chain, known as @nail_sunny on Instagram, is responsible for some of the most incredible nail designs. There was the nail art with animated, moving eyes that was just as creepy as it was skillful. The salon recreated Kylie's Instagram baby announcement on a manicure and it was just as internet-breaking as the star's reveal. Nail Sunny even even made hair comb manicures a thing, and they could actually sift through the wearer's mane.

The salon is now making headlines with a functional mani once again by transforming a set of nails into writing utensils. It's not exactly the kind of manicure you could DIY with a file and a few nail lacquers. This design combines acrylic with actual colored pencils for one hell of a crafty mani.

Get a load of these colored pencil claws, the kind of nail art that you just don't see everyday. This pointy design surely isn't for the faint of heart, nor anyone that fears clawing out their eyes. Although it's unknown whether or not these nails would be practical for doing ordinary tasks like putting on contacts or typing an email, it turns out they do actually function for writing or drawing.

A time lapse uploaded by Nail Sunny on how the colored pencil nails were created reveals they could come in handy when you don't have a spare pen lying around. With lead standing in for artificial tips, the nails write smoothly against paper, as shown in the video.

It took considerable effort to create nails that could sign your signature or write a letter. The technician began by forming clear acrylic onto a set of bare nails. Colorful coats of polish followed, each nail getting its own bright, Crayola-inspired hue. Of course, it's all in the details to ensure the nails truly look like coloring book essentials, so the artist painted black lines across the polish to imitate the ridges of the wood. Nude polish applied to the square-round tip finished off the paint job to create the effect of a sharpened pencil.

Now, here's where things got real. The technician had to carve into real colored pencils to extract their rainbow lead. Next, the tech adhered the lead to the back of their coordinating nail. And there you have it — artificial enhancements that ensure you never have to frantically search for a pencil again.

The colored pencil nails may not be what a school teacher has in mind when they add the tools to a back-to-school supply list, but they appear to be super handy. Even if they aren't practical for everyday wear, there's no denying that the artists running Nail Sunny are talented beyond measure.