Nailed It: Soph Parkinson turns her nails into street scenes

Nail art has been a part of the beauty industry for ages, but it’s only recently that nail artists like Soph Parkinson have started to make waves.

Soph Parkinson is a self-taught nail artist who has turned a crane into an operational nail look. After being introduced to nail art by a friend she met at Central Saint Martins, it wasn’t until lockdown that the London-based creative started properly experimenting.

Her designs include nails that look like crystal chandeliers and street-setting miniature beauty salon scenes – all of which she can do because of her background in fine art and design studies. She’s also excited about what the future holds for the medium in the beauty industry.

Her biggest inspiration is her grandma. She grew up between Tottenham, Finsbury Park, and Camden Town as her grandma cared for her most days when she was little and she lived in Camden.

She’s very familiar with the city she lives in as her grandma used to walk her, her sister, and her brother into central London to explore and see art exhibitions.

Soph’s Nail art designs are inspired by a variety of mediums, from painting and drawing to sculpture and photography.

Her first Nail art piece of work was a geometric pattern on her thumb tip. It was then that she realized how much more there was to this art form than she originally thought.

Throughout the nail art movement, there are always new ideas being established and creating something new. Soph is one of many artists who has contributed to this concept and is raising awareness of what she creates. Her creation of a functional crane is one thing that stood out to me. Her use of creativity had brought a major impact and change in nail creation overall.