Bioshock Infinite Nails - Part 2 (Big Baddies)

Hurhur, see what I did there?? ...No? Just me? Oh well. Big Baddies is a pun off of one of the creatures from the first two Bioshock games - Big Daddies. But that's not what I painted, I painted the bad guys from Bioshock Infinite! Same as in Part 1, this post is going to be long and pic-heavy. But it's freaking awesome, so you won't even notice how long it is!!

So for this post, I'm showing you my left hand. Since I was able to paint it with my dominant hand, the difficulty for these is pretty high. But you're welcome to try them! It took me a few hours to paint all ten nails.

For my base colors, I did two coats each (three coats for my index). Thumb to pinky: China Glaze First Mate, China Glaze Ride the Waves, L'Oreal Notting Hill Blues, First Mate, and Notting Hill Blues again.

For all of the following designs, I used acrylic paints, so I'm not going to say specifically what I did. So we can save some time! We'll start with my pinky. I painted the Siren!

All I used for this one was white acrylic paint, since the Siren is a ghost. In the game, she's just blue and white. And she's absolutely the hardest baddie to beat in the game, in my opinion.

On my ring finger, I painted a Boy of Silence. In the first two Bioshock games, there were security cameras around every corner, and you either had to destroy them or hack them in order to not get caught. In Bioshock Infinite, the Boys of Silence replace them. When they see you, their mouths open, they explode, and the explosion reanimates a bunch of dead people who then attack you. What a drama queen!

This is my absolute favorite, I was so proud of it. This is a Motorized Patriot head. The Motorized Patriot is exactly what it sounds like - it's a George Washington robot with a crank gun that has flags and gears sticking out of his back. And the entire time he's shooting you, he's spouting phrases about Colombia (the city the game is set in) and being loyal to the Prophet (the leader of Colombia). I honestly think they're the most terrifying creatures in this game, because the more you shoot them, the more broken their patriot mask becomes. Eventually the mask falls off and there's just a metal skull a la Terminator left behind. AND IT'S STILL ATTACKING YOU. 

On my index, I painted Songbird. Songbird is a giant robotic bird (at least I think he's robotic, he could be alive) that protects Elizabeth (the incredible, powerful, female character who kicks butt and is way more intelligent and interesting than Booker DeWitt). Ahem. But Songbird is freaking awesome, with his scary red eyes.

And finally, on my thumb, a Handyman hand! I'm not entirely sure what a Handyman is, if I'm being honest. In the pre-production of the game, the creators said the Handyman would have a tragic background, but it was eventually cut from the game before it was released, and I think that left a little disconnect with the character. Basically, he's another giant robot - except he's a cyborg. He has a human head and a human heart, and he has some semblance of emotions, because early in the game he's seen crying and he's afraid of a camera flash. Regardless of a backstory, he's really tough to beat. 

So once you put all of those together, this is what you get:

(Sunlight)

So that's it for part 2! If you haven't already, check out part 1 for designs based on the Vigors from Bioshock Infinite. And also if you haven't already, play the Bioshock games! They are absolutely incredible, one-of-a-kind, immersive games. Actually, they're not just games, they're experiences. So go do it, you won't regret it. Anyway, thanks so much for reading, have a good day, and happy painting!! :) 

Bioshock Infinite Nails - Part 1 (Vigors)

Hey there! :) So, if haven't assumed it from the title... This is going to be a loooong, pic-heavy post. And I'm sorry about that. But this is big! BIG!!! I hope you're as excited about this as I am. This is part 1, because all ten nails are different, so I'm breaking the posts up by hands.

So, if you don't know what Bioshock Infinite is, it is a video game; quite possibly the best game this year (well, in my opinion at least). It was released in March and is the third installment in the Bioshock franchise. I'm not going to tell you the whole story, because that would just take too long and I would probably confuse you. But if you like video games (first person shooter games, to be specific) that have to deal with corrupt societies and interesting powers and dangerous cities, I 100% recommend the Bioshock games. They are my absolute favorite games in the history of video games. In fact, the first Bioshock was #3 on G4's top 100 video games of all time. Trust me, they're incredible. So for Infinite I had to paint my nails!

We'll start with my right hand (painted with my non-dominant hand). I painted my representation of the Vigors, which are powers that Booker DeWitt (the character you play) can use. On my thumb, I painted the Vigor called Possession, which allows you to take control of both machines and humans and get them to fight for you. It's shown as a green, flowing, ghost-like apparition.

I started with one coat of China Glaze Gaga for Green.

Then I sponged a gradient of China Glaze Gaga for Green and Starboard with e.l.f. Emerald at the base of my nail going from dark to light. I also put a little bit of Sinful Colors Snow Me White at the tip of the gradient. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of it on the nail.

Then I lightly sponged on some white acrylic paint on the tip of my nail and going up the sides - then I  used a small brush to paint waves, almost like fire. And violá! You have Possession!

On my index, I painted Devil's Kiss, which allows you to throw fire balls, basically. It looked like lava, with craggy rock pieces in it. 

I started with one coat of Sinful Colors Snow Me White.

Then I sponged on a u-shaped gradient of Sinful Colors Snow Me White, Funky Fingers Like Clockwork, and China Glaze Hey Sailor. I wanted the red to outline my nail around the cuticle with the orange and white centered in the middle. Then I took the edge of the sponge and put a few spots of Hey Sailor in the middle.

Then I used dark red and white acrylic paint to put some rocks and highlight spots on the nail. And there you have Devil's Kiss!

On my middle finger, I painted Undertow, which allows you to use water to yank people up into the air and pull them close so you can kill them or throw them off of an airship. It looks like a whirlwind of water. It was my absolute favorite Vigor, but unfortunately I'm not great at painting water. 

I started with one coat of Ulta Concrete Evidence.

Then I painted a whirlwind of water with light blue and white acrylic paint. I also used dark red and grey acrylic paint to make some sores on either side of the whirlwind. And that's Undertow!

On my ring finger, I painted Shock Jockey, which allows you to shock your enemies. It's pretty awesome. And it's also the prettiest, in my opinion!

I started with one coat of China Glaze Fancy Pants.

I then sponged a gradient of Fancy Pants and Snow Me White in a u-shape on the nail just like I did for  Devil's Kiss on my index finger.

Then I used white, black, and light blue acrylic paint to paint the electricity, the burnt cracks, and the blue crystals that make up Shock Jockey. And that's it!

And finally, for my pinky finger, I painted Murder of Crows, which allows you - yep, you guessed it - to command a murder of crows to attack your enemies. This one looks the coolest in the game, because Booker's hand turns black and feathery and then every once in a while he stretches it and he grows claws. It's terrifying while you're playing, because you have no freaking idea what's happening to his hand, but you get used to it.

I started with one coat of China Glaze Tart-y For The Party.

Then I smudged on some white and black acrylic paint, concentrating the black on the tip of my nail. I also sponged on Ulta Concrete Evidence.

Finally, I painted on some crows with black acrylic paint. They're in various states of flight, as well as being bigger the closer they are. And that's Murder of Crows!

And once you add them all together, this is what you get:

(Indoors, with flash)

(Sunlight, shade)

(Sunlight)

Whew, that was a lot. And it was only one hand! Of course, you can choose to just do this on both hands, because if I'm being honest, this is the easier of the two types of designs (mostly because I was painting this with my left hand). But if you're up for it, check out Part 2! I painted the bad guys of the game on my left hand. Even if you don't want to do it yourself, I'd still appreciate it if you want to check it out. Let me know if you try these designs, I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading, have a good day, and happy painting! :)