Terracotta Checkerboard nails
A checkerboard of Vanilla Cream against Terracotta Hour, painted with a square brush so the grid stays hand-drawn.
3 bottles: Terracotta Hour, Vanilla Cream and Burnt Umber. Terracotta Hour and Vanilla Cream sit a comfortable distance apart: the motif is clearly legible without shouting, which is the easiest range to freehand in. The bottles are not all the same finish (crème and sheer), so the pattern picks up light differently from the ground.
The stiletto taper means the design has width at the cuticle and almost none at the point, so anything spaced evenly needs to be spaced by eye instead.
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Bottles for this nail
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How to paint Terracotta Checkerboard nails
- 1 Buff, dehydrate and base coat, then cure. Two thin coats of Terracotta Hour, curing each one.
- 2 Block alternating Vanilla Cream squares with a square brush, four or five to a row.
- 3 Two top coats — the first fills the grid, the second flattens it.
Questions about Terracotta Checkerboard
Is Terracotta 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 three colours means three chances for something to bleed, so cure between each one rather than working wet on wet.
What polish do I need for Terracotta Checkerboard?
3 bottles: Terracotta Hour (crème), Vanilla Cream (sheer) and Burnt Umber (crème). Plus a base coat and a gloss top coat, which every design here assumes you already have.
Does Terracotta Checkerboard work on short nails?
Stiletto needs length, because the point is most of the shape. On a short nail it files down to something closer to almond, and the design still reads, just less sharply.
How many coats does Terracotta Checkerboard need?
More than you would expect. Vanilla Cream is translucent, so the colour builds over three thin coats rather than covering in two. Stop wherever you like the depth — that is the point of a sheer.