A steady hand and a melange of coloured gels are Elena German's tools to create nails that can be mistaken for works of art.

The Russian nail art master, who has been plying her trade for the past 15 years, turns nails into a blank canvas and meticulously creates mini paintings, doing the same delicate job 10 times over.

She presented a seminar on nail art yesterday as her two-month trip to Malta to learn English drew to a close.

And it is not only others' nails that are turned into little masterpieces by Ms German - she even manages to do her own.

"Each professional needs to use her hands as an advert for her work," she told around 40 local nail technicians, with the help of an interpreter. Her artistic streak is probably inherited from her mother and grandfather who were both artists.

Some designs are done wholly freehand, while others include stickers and even Swarovski crystals. Even the easiest ones require meticulous work.

At Lm50 for a full set of nails, they do not come cheap, but Ms German believes that people appreciate them and at home clients have to book three weeks in advance. At first clients tend to ask for simple designs but soon warm up to the idea of more elaborate ones.

Ms German's interest in nails started when at 14 she had her first manicure.

"Within a year, I was earning more than my mother," she said.

After starting off doing manicures for waitresses in Saratov City, she moved to Moscow where today she is one of the top trainers for Pro Nails, specialising in nail art on gel nails. She explained that she prefers transparent nails, so she keeps clients' natural nails short, adding length with the use of gels.

Kevin Spiteri, director of Dake, the local importer of Pro Nails, said nail art is very popular in Malta.

This was evident from the good number of people taking courses to become nail technicians.