I did these hand studies under the professional counseling of the renowned Swiss designer Armin Hofmann towards the end of my art studies at the Basel Design School. First, I collected hundreds of examples of hands from art history, commercial photography, etc. and "copied" these in a collection of free-hand pencil drawings. The second phase of this project was the selection of "usable" material: expressiveness, stylistic recognisability and a symbolic meaning of the hand were – amongst other elements – factors which led me towards the definitive choice. I then decided to hand paint the chosen motifs in a formal and extremely reduced black and white style, using egg tempera paint and a brush. This was a challenging technique which sharpened my visual sense and developed my craftsmanship.
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