Hands not only create Guido Daniele‘s works of art, they also act as canvases. Daniele began his ”Handimals” collection after being hired by an advertising agency to turn models’ hands into animals. “I researched each animal in depth to see how I could transfer it to a hand, and then set about bringing it to life,” he told Shay Howe. He’s since used the trompe l’oeil technique in advertorials for AT&T, Stern watches, and the World Wildlife Foundation.

For his personal work, Daniele tends to use either his son or daughter’s hands. “If you’re spending hours on end holding someone’s hand, I’d rather it be the hand of someone I love. There’s nothing worse than working with a nervous, unfamiliar model whose hands are shaking.”

While each piece takes between three to four hours to make (this one took 10!), the hardest part for Daniele is seeing his hard work get washed off after being photographed. “I’m getting used to it. At least I get to start each day with a fresh canvas.”

While the entire project is totally rad, Daniele’s ability to paint eyes that truly look alive on each of these hands is amazing.

Images: Guido Daniele via Lost at E Minor