How to Become a Hand Model
In Her Shoes: The Career and Life of a Hand Model
by Emily Co
Ashly Covington goes on casting calls and is just like any regular model but with one major difference: the only parts the photographers are snapping shots of are her hands. This former theater major left her ambitions of becoming an actress and never looked back once she started hand modeling. Now a 10-year veteran in the industry, she shares what it's like to be a hand model and gives great tips on how to keep your hands looking young.
How Did You Get Into This?
"I was a theater major in college, and the agent was much more interested in my hand. She made me go get my first manicure, and I kind of honestly thought she was a little crazy. I guess because I didn't know that hand modeling could be a job.
And then I got the manicure, and she loved my hand. She got me a job two weeks later, and then a couple months went by, and I had another job, and it sort of just grew from that. The whole entire time I was working on acting and trying to figure out how to take a step in that direction, and then in the last six years or so, I've been fully focused on hand modeling. It's such an interesting career, and it's so much fun being part of the set that's creating it with the people that I'm not even that interested in acting anymore. So yay to that agent for putting me on the right life course!"
Is It Hard Being a Hand Model?
"It can be. For example, in TV commercials you have to show the product off and your hand has to be in place but the rest of you can't be seen. So you have to get your head out of the way and not be in the way of the camera or blocking any of the lights. You kind of almost have to be a contortionist to pose your hands, and you have to stand in the same type of position for long periods of time while holding things. So you have to stay in shape in order to be able to hold certain positions. And then it's a lot of upkeep, making sure your hands are looking perfect, pretty much, all the time.
I do wear gloves in the summertime, I look like an odd ball walking around with gloves on. But I've had this happen, when somebody bumped up against me and they had a really sharp ring on, which cut my hand. That happened about six years ago and ever since then, if I'm in an area where there are a lot of people around or where an accident might happen, I definitely have gloves on."
How Can One Become a Hand Model?
"It's very much like regular modeling. You need to have a portfolio, composite cards. The comp cards basically have photos of your hands on it. You would need to have those to give to an agent, which they can then give to the client and help to book you. They have auditions; you go on casting calls. It's just like regular modeling.
If somebody wanted to do it, they can get a friend to take photos of their hand, find an agent that's local in their area, and write some letters to ask them if they have a parts division. Hand models are always needed everywhere."
Product Credit: Missoni sweater
Do Hand Models Have a Short Career Like Regular Models?
"I think as long as your hand models are in great care, you can still continue to work. There's a hand model in her late 40s that's still working all the time. She has beautiful hands, and she takes great care of them. She knows how to move them, and that's basically the key to the job — being able to know how to move your hands and position them even when you can't see them."
How Do You Keep Your Hands Young?
"Avoid the sunlight. Sunlight just ages hands so much. I try to avoid the sun whenever possible and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! That will keep your hands young."
How Much Can a Hand Model Expect to Make?
"It's really hard to say because every single year it's completely different. Some editorials pay $150 for a whole day, and then some product shots can pay $1,500 for a day. I've gotten $3,000 for a day before. But most jobs are not that much, and a lot of times you're making a $150 a day."
Why Is Budgeting Important For Your Career?
"One thing that people don't realize is that hand models don't work five days a week. There could be a month where you don't work at all, there can be a month where you work two days, and there can be a month where you work 10 days, and that's a great month.
You really have to learn how to budget, and I was so frugal with my money because I had a wonderful mother who raised me teaching me how to save. All of that was very important to her. Because of that I was able to budget so that I don't have to get another job. That means I'm always available. A lot of the jobs are very last minute, like the other day I got a call at 12:30 asking me if I can be on the set by 1:00. It's so last minute, so if you have another day job while you're trying to make it, it's really hard to be available.
I really attribute a large part of my success to being able to budget and being able to manage my money, so I can get through the slow times without having to take away from my availability."
What Do You Do For Upkeep?
"I use a ton of different types of moisturizers for my hands. One of my favorites is extra-virgin olive oil. It's like the cheap alternative for lotion, and it's really a wonderful conditioning agent. That and vitamin E. Just putting pure vitamin E on the skin is fabulous. I've found out that a lot of lotions have water and alcohol in them so that's very drying to the skin, so I use a lot of natural products whenever possible.
I carry a little squeezy bottle of olive oil around with me all the time and just constantly add a little bit more. I really like shea butter and I really like cocoa butter, so I just always have little tubes of that everywhere. I keep them in my car; I keep some at my desk; I keep a few in my room; next to the bathroom sink; it's just always all around.
At night, I'll usually do olive oil and cocoa butter, then Vaseline. Vaseline will seal in the moisture from the other products, and it just really conditions your hands well overnight. I don't wear gloves at night but I found that if I use really thick fuzzy socks, that works great."
Do You Have Any Special Tips?
"I just helped my friend save her hands. She's an artist who just ruined her hands using very rough materials so she called me to find out how to fix her hands. And I told her to get a bunch of bag balm, which is the stuff that they use for cow's hooves up in Vermont. The people in Vermont used to use it ages ago to protect the cow's hooves from splitting, but it's a really great thing for your skin in the Winter time if you have really dry skin. That will save your hands if they are in really bad shape. If you put that on and throw some socks over your hands before you go to bed, your hands will wake up looking amazing."
What Does It Take to Be a Hand Model?
"The interesting thing about hand modeling is that you have to have beautiful hands in order to be a hand model, and then on top of that you have to have very steady hands to be able to model interesting motions over and over again on camera. So there is actually a skill on top of the prerequisite of having pretty hands genetically."
What Are Considered Beautiful Hands?
"A nice even skin tone, no visible scars or marks, knuckles that do not protrude, long straight fingers, nice curved nail bed, long nail beds are a plus, no white marks on the nails, hairless, and no wrinkles or age spots.
Those are the reasons that I've been given as to what makes my hands great."
