Nail Art Course

Add Nail Art To Your Treatment Menu

Nail art is what turns a £25 colour appointment into a £40 one without adding much to the clock. Pens, gems, striping tape, glitter and transfers all go on over a finished set, so the technique sits on top of whatever you already offer rather than replacing it. It is also the thing clients photograph, which is why it tends to do more for a new technician’s bookings than a second enhancement system would.

You do not need to be able to draw. The designs in this course are built from tools rather than freehand brushwork — a gem placed on the right spot, a straight line pulled with tape, a gradient worked with a sponge. Precision and placement are learnable in a way that illustration is not, and that is deliberately where the course puts its attention.

This is a short, focused course and we would rather say so. The treatment module is two units: Nail Art Application & Designs, which takes you through each tool and the designs it produces, and Your Freestyle Designs, where you work up and submit designs of your own. The other 19 units are the Foundation, anatomy and healthcare theory shared across our nail courses — so if you already hold one of ours, the new material here is the nail art module itself. That is reflected in the price.

Victoria, our tutor, demonstrates every technique on video, every unit is assessed, and you can resubmit as many times as you need. Study at your own pace with lifetime access; most students finish this one quickly. Business training is included with every course, and you get access to our private student groups while you study.

What You’ll Be Able To Do

• Work with nail art pens and liners to produce dots, lines and simple motifs that are even across ten nails
• Place gems and rhinestones so they sit flat and stay put, and seal them so a client does not lose one on day two
• Use striping tape for clean geometric lines, including on a curved nail
• Apply glitter — loose, gradient and full coverage — without a gritty surface
• Apply transfers and foils evenly and without tearing
• Design a set from scratch and present it, which is what the freestyle unit assesses
• Judge which designs suit a short natural nail and which need length to work
• Price nail art as an add-on and promote it — covered in the Foundation module

What To Learn Alongside Nail Art

Nail art needs something to sit on, and it has close relatives worth having:

• Gel Polish Course — the base most nail art is applied over, and the service it gets added to.
• Gel Polish Nail Art Course — designs worked in gel rather than with pens and tools, cured between layers.
• One Stroke Nail Art Course — the brushwork technique, where a single loaded stroke produces a shaded petal or leaf.
• Ombre Nails Course — blended colour across the nail, the most requested design of the lot.
• Ultimate Nail Art Course — the package containing this course along with One Stroke and Gel Polish Nail Art.

What You’ll Need To Practise

You need nail art pens or a fine liner brush, a dotting tool, rhinestones and gems with a wax pick-up tool, striping tape, glitter, transfers or foils, and a top coat to seal everything in. Practise tips and a holder are genuinely useful here — unlike an extension course, nail art practises perfectly well on a tip, because the design does not need to flex with a living nail.

Our Nail Art Kit collects the tools and decorations together if you would rather not buy them piece by piece. Anything you already own is fine; nothing here is brand-specific.

Nail Art Course FAQs

Do I need to be able to draw?

No. The designs here come from tools rather than freehand painting — dotting tools, striping tape, gems, glitter and transfers. If you want the brush-led side of nail art, that is One Stroke rather than this course.

Why is this course only £35?

Because the nail art module is two units rather than five or six. You get the same Foundation, anatomy and healthcare theory as our other nail courses, the same assessment and the same accreditation, but the treatment content is genuinely shorter. We price it to match instead of padding it.

Do I need to already do nails?

Not formally — there is no prerequisite. In practice nail art is applied over a finished set, so it is most useful next to a course like Gel Polish. If you are starting from nothing, take that one first and add this.

What is the freestyle unit?

The second nail art unit asks you to design and submit sets of your own rather than copy the demonstrations. It is the part students are most nervous about and the part that actually proves you can work to a client’s brief.

How is my work assessed?

All 21 units are assessed, with unlimited resubmissions and no extra charge. Victoria Arpels, BA (Hons), Cert Ed, demonstrates every technique on video and marks the assessed work herself.

Is the Nail Art Course accredited?

Yes — by ABT, IPHM and IGCT.

Will I be able to get insurance?

Our courses are recognised by insurers including Towergate, Radius, Insync and Balens. Each insurer sets its own requirements, so check with the one you intend to use before you start taking bookings.

How long will it take?

Less time than our other nail courses, since only two of the 21 units are new technique. There is still no deadline and lifetime access, so you can come back to the designs whenever you want to practise one.

Can I spread the cost?

Yes. Pay in 3 is available with Klarna or Clearpay at checkout.

What support do I get while I study?

You can ask questions as you work through the units, and you get access to our private student groups — which for nail art is the most useful one, because people post what they have made and you can see the same design done ten different ways.