The best way to perfect a new nail art design, says Artistic Nail Design international educator Wende Thummel, is to pick one design you want to learn, then spend an entire week practicing it on every client you can. You can change things up by using different colors schemes. “Time yourself and take a picture of the first nail you do that week and the last nail of the week. You’ll see a faster time and an improved design,” she says.

Thummel also urges techs not to do nail art for free. “If I’m doing a quick single finger, I’ll charge $5 a nail, for example. If I’m doing a design that takes a lot of time, I’ll charge for my time accordingly,” she says. “To figure out how much to charge for art, take what you charge for a full set and divide by how many minutes it takes you to do it. This gives you the rate per minute you should charge for artwork.

“I am always upfront and honest with my client before we start, so there is no surprise at the end of the service.”