Conroe Marine is unlikely competitior in Next Top Nail Artist

CONROE, TX (KTRK) -- Tan Nguyen has never been one to back down from a challenge. In fact, the more complicated, the more detailed, the more outrageous, the better.

"Sometimes it's outrageous," Nguyen laughed. "Sometimes they want me to do a portrait of their family member. I'm like, 'You're kidding me, right?'"

Nguyen is a Marine, who, 20 years ago, started hanging out at nail salons to meet girls. Then, the salon owner saw some of his art.

"He's like, 'You can draw on paper, can you draw on a smaller canvas?' I'm like, 'I don't know, I never did.' This is so small. It's tedious work," he said.

Nail art has never been more popular. In fact, there are even reality competitions about it now - like "Next Top Nail Artist." Nguyen has made the top 12. He's the only man and one of few from Vietnam left in the game.

"I just want to end that clich where Vietnamese people are labeled cheap with discount salons," he explained. "If you're an artist, you get hooked on it. It's a form of art, you're sculpting."

To see more of Nguyen's work and to vote for him in the competition visit www.nailsmag.com/nexttopnailartist.