Gel-polish is a growing medium for nail art as it combines the familiarity of handpainting with traditional polish and the longer endurance of gels (making that time commitment you put into creating the nail art that much more worth it).

Australian nail artist and competitor Viv Simmonds showcases this trend in her new compendium i.Gel by Odyssey Nail Systems Design Book. Created by nail tech Trang Nguyen, Odyssey Nail System’s (O.N.S.) i.Gel is specifically made for nail art. It has a thin viscosity and can be used similarly to acrylic paints, meaning you don’t have to add water to it to make it workable, according to the manufacturer. “In my experience, education and updating my skills has been paramount in my career, and I have always been a firm believer in up-skilling. Odyssey shares this passion for education and has a superior education program that we deliver worldwide, which is why I wanted to work with O.N.S.,” Simmonds says. The design book showcases more than 10 step-by-step designs, one of which — You Can Toucan — is shown here. A second volume with even more designs will be released this summer.

1. Apply two coats of Turkey Pot Pie. Cure for 30 seconds in the O.N.S. LED lamp or for one minute in the O.N.S. UV lamp between coats. Use Arctic Circle to create your outline of the toucan and the tree branch.

2. Color in the toucan’s beak using the liner brush from “The One” Art Brush Set and the color Tip Toe Thru the Tulips. Use the same color for the toucan’s eye. Use Slovak Cave to color the toucan’s body, the tip of its beak, and the line between the top and the bottom beak. Create the crest underneath its eye and its feet using Arctic White. Cure for 30 seconds in the LED lamp or one minute in the UV lamp.

3. Apply a small amount of Tickle Your Fancy to create the inner eye. Use a tiny amount of Slovak Cave to add in the claws and lines on its feet. Cure for 30 seconds in the LED lamp or one minute in the UV lamp.

4. Use Slovak Cave to add the pupil. Use Taiwan Temple and Chokki to add texture to the tree branch. Cure for 30 seconds in the LED lamp or one minute in the UV lamp. Apply a thin coat of Top2Bottom. Cure for one minute in the LED lamp or two minutes in the UV lamp. Use O.N.S Gel Cleanser to remove the sticky layer.

Buy i.Gel Design Book at www.blurb.com/user/store/vivsimmonds ($22 for the hardcover) or at www.blurb.com/my/store/ebooks ($15 for the e-book).

Visit NAILS Online Store for more nail art books.