A checkerboard of Studio Black against Snow White, painted with a square brush rather than tape so the grid stays slightly hand-drawn.
2 bottles: Snow White and Studio Black. Snow White against Studio Black is a hard contrast, so the motif reads from across a room, and any wobble in the line reads with it. All of it is crème, so the whole nail takes light evenly and the shape of the motif is doing all the work.
Round nails are the setting: minimal length, a curve that matches the finger, and the least fragile free edge in the catalogue.
Make it yours
Bottles for this nail
Tap a bottle to open it on the shelfWhat you need
How to paint Checkerboard nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. One even coat of Snow White, cured.
- 2 With a square brush, block in alternating Studio Black squares across the nail, four or five to a row.
- 3 Two top coats: the first fills the grid, the second flattens it.
Questions about Checkerboard
Is Checkerboard hard to do at home?
Yes, with a steady hand. The motif is freehand, so the first nail is usually the worst one. Budget around 45 minutes for a full set, and two colours keeps it simple: cure the first before the second goes near it and nothing bleeds.
What polish do I need for Checkerboard?
2 bottles: Snow White (crème) and Studio Black (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Checkerboard work on short nails?
Round is already the shortest shape here, so yes, this is one of the designs that works at almost any length.
Can I paint Checkerboard in different colours?
Yes. Swap Snow White or Studio Black under "Make it yours" for any of the 103 shades on the shelf, and the bottle list, the steps and the description above all change with it.