Magazine feature · 2025
Manicure
Study
Opener and spots for a long-form feature on nail culture — hands mid-ritual, polish in primary colours, drawn close and warm.
Commission Similar
Beauty, taken seriously
The article treated the manicure as craft and ceremony — the pictures had to grant it the same dignity.
We drew hands the way a sports illustrator draws athletes: tendons, concentration, tools mid-motion. A warm taupe ground keeps the scene intimate while the red, cobalt and mustard nails punch through the page. The opener ran full-bleed; smaller hand studies punctuated the 4,000-word feature.
What the project included
Feature opener
Full-bleed illustration across the spread.
Spot studies
Five small hand drawings through the text.
Detail crops
Close-ups for pull quotes and margins.
Digital edition
Recoloured artwork for dark mode.
