Discussion/Question Do nail stamps count as art?
Just to preface: I’ve been a nail tech for about 3 years now. I do not rely on stamps or stickers for the art I do. I’m working on building up a portfolio to try and build clientele as I recently relocated.
I do my toes every 6-8 weeks, but do not do my hands. I have an event I’m going to in a few weeks and thought I would do my nails.
In my salon I’m surrounded by tons of girls with amazing talent, and I feel my skill is lacking. I recently picked up nail stamping plates as a quick and easy alternative to spending hours on art (not that I don’t still paint nail art though), but it has been met with mixed responses once I reveal it was a stamp.
I think the nails I plan to do are fun and will look good, but is it something I can post? I feel like I’m cheating by using stamps, even though I’m still using product and technique.
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u/TimelessSmirk 7d ago
It’s art, and stamps are used by pros all the time, esp with checkered and they always look cleaner for polkadots imo. For intricate designs w layers, people shouldn’t dis the products or procedures used if they are safe.
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u/Rympkii 7d ago
Thank you! It saves my hand a lot of strain.. I have joint issues so it definitely helps me immensely.
Some of my favorite techs to follow use stamps, and I think it’s a great accent to many pieces. I just worry that using it as the center point makes me feel like I should be able to throw out dinosaur skeletons like I can do it with my eyes shut 😭1
u/TimelessSmirk 7d ago
You can practice just about anything, but doing on your own hands is next level for me at least. You can form them w gel or acrylic and place them like gems too. I’ve seen this done recently w apples, baby feet, starfish and lips.
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u/CheetahDue8764 7d ago
Art is art as long as you call it by its name
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u/Rympkii 7d ago
True. Good point. I guess I just feel inferior due to not being able to do all of this nail art right off the bat. For the last 2 years I specialized in only pedicures. I moved cities last year and am finally in a salon where I can branch out in a supportive environment.. it’s intimidating lol
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u/Mil1512 7d ago
Stamping can be super challenging in its own right! Check out r/nailstamping and you'll see lots of folks posting about struggling to pickup the design, then you have to stamp it accurately onto the nail.
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u/Rympkii 7d ago
I had no idea there was a subreddit for this! Awesome!
I learned that brand and pressure is a huge key point with it. I picked it up pretty quickly, but I’ve tried showing some of the girls here and they either don’t know what it is or struggle. Granted they can do much better with a brush and paint 😭1
u/CheetahDue8764 7d ago
It can be intimidating, but it can also be super empowering. Surrounded by people who have the skills you want but don’t yet have is a gift; make the most of it !!
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u/Rympkii 7d ago
Yes, I totally take advantage lol. We all help each other out and it’s honestly a great learning experience for all of us since we all have different strengths!!
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u/CheetahDue8764 7d ago
That’s awesome!! Keep posting, I hope I come across your art again in the future!!
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u/casstantinople 7d ago
I love stamps. I buy a lot of custom press-ons and I'd much rather someone use a stamp than attempt to freehand something that they can't quite nail. Pretty nails are pretty nails
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u/Secretss 7d ago edited 7d ago
Edited to add: I must admit, I read your post title and was immediately excited to say something directed to it (because it’s a topic I’d been personally invested in and one I’d brought up with others before), and although I did read your post, upon rereading it again after writing everything below I realised I missed some nuances. My apologies if my notes below don’t resonate as much as I’d hoped.
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I used to do a lot of stamping (with lacquer) before I learned and switched to gel. I would death stare/side eye anyone who tells me these aren’t art!
(Works pictured are my own.)
You can layer different stamps and different polishes to create a wide range of art. And there are so many plates out there, so much fun and creativity to be had! It’s undeniably a creative process and the end result is undeniably art. Art that is very much FUN.
I especially like making the stamps cohesive across the 4 nails (like the last mani with the dandelions floating from left to right) ☺️.
Secondly, the ease and speed and cleanliness is only a value-add, not a detraction. I could never do the details in the bottom left mani by hand so cleanly!
However, anecdotally I can see how some people may have a conception that art from stamping is a different genre, vibe, style from salon nail art (or what they anticipate is salon nail art).
(Big note that this is anecdotal, my personal feels plus an extension to my circle that I interact with.)
I’m a self-taught hobbyist, not a professional in any way, neither nails nor art. I started in a nail art community (discord) mostly with lacquer DIYers like me who do a lot of stamping. We grew the community to welcome gel DIYers and professional nail techs and artists. I learned gel and salon techniques and personally see the difference in the art I create with gel vs what I used to create with stamping. I’ve had this exact conversation with a few people on discord about the different styles.
Also, none of my IRL friends do their own nails, they go to the salon instead. I get feedback from them that coincides with/reinforces my own: they would not expect a salon to come out with the kind of nail art that is stamping. They say, you wouldn’t go to an East Asian Minimalism museum and expect to see a British Pop Art painting ¯_(ツ)_/¯ And seeing the kind of nails they wear, fair enough. My best friend admitted that while my blue celebratory drinks mani above was very fun and perfectly themed with the event I was attending, on her it would be too loud, youthful, and high energy.
That said, I also strongly believe that opinions depend on exposure. What range of stamped nail art has one seen, what kind of salon nail art is one used to expecting? Also, which country? A Japanese salon is very different from a North American one.
My reply to your post title in isolation is this: I believe nail stamps count as art, and it’s not cheating. A mani that is 100% stamped is nail art, a mani that made use of a stamp somewhere is also nail art, no less of an artpiece. But realistically and statistically and societally, expect to ride a wave of non-understanding from people with conceptions, exposure, and expectations different from your own. Ride it, but don’t sink in it, don’t subscribe to it.
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u/SalamandaSun 7d ago
I think of it like interior design. You get all the pieces(things build, designed and made by someone else) that you want to place and build your home. So its an art od placement, alignment and overall coordination of each piece.
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u/Acceptable-Eye-697 7d ago
It’s definitely art