How to Do Designs With a Nail Pen

The Basics

1). Start with dry base coat. Use colors to create a vibrant background, or use a clear base coat for a clean canvas for your nail pen designs. The base coat should be dry to the touch before using nail pens to avoid scratching or dragging.
2). Press the nib of the nail pen onto the surface of the nail and drag the pen lightly across it to draw lines.
3). Hold the nib in place and apply pressure until a mounded dot of nail polish forms. The longer you press the nib to the nail, the higher the dot will become. The nail polish dot will not spread outward.
4). Pull the nib through dot without pressing to add more polish. Pull straight through in one direction to create an abstract heart. Pull outward from the center to create stars or sunburst patterns.
5). Seal your nail designs with a clear top coat. Most nail pens are fast drying when applied in thin layers. Wait at least 10 minutes for thick dots to dry completely before applying the top coat and avoid smearing your design.

1). Make simple flowers using nail polish dots. Create a single dot for the center of the flower, using yellow or white polish. Surround the center dot with five dots for petals. Place a single dot of green next to one of the flower petal dots. Set the nib in the center of the green dot and pull away from the flower to create a leaf.
2). Freehand holiday symbols such as pumpkins, hearts or witches' hats. The nail pen works exactly like an ink pen, so you can draw any design and fill it in. Let the base colors dry to draw details on top, or add additional colors immediately to create a blend.
3). Polish and drag to create abstract designs. Draw a circle of color with your nail pen. Before it dries, add an additional color on top. Place several of these layered dots in row. Drag the nib of one of the nail pens through the layered colors in figure-eight pattern, connecting each dot. Layer three or more colors in a single large dot and swirl the colors with the nail pen nib to create multicolored patterns.