This design isn’t based on any one particular dragon, but I seem to have read a lot of books that feature them: The Hobbit, The Inheritance Trilogy, The Last Dragon Chronicles, Harry Potter… There’s just something at once terrifying and beautiful about the idea of a dragon.

If you look closely you can see that I actually changed technique after starting this design. The scales on my pinky nail are far more regular than the others. I did the pinky nail first but felt that the uniformity actually made them look less like scales. The irregular pattern gave a greater sense of depth and overlap.

Which pattern do you prefer?

Polishes used:

• Barry M Pacific
• Barry M Block Orange
• Maybelline Blackout
• MUA Whitewash
• NYC Lexington Yellow
• NYC Chelsea

If you would like to see a full tutorial of this design, please comment below.