Meet the Artist Behind the Claws

I’m Jolandi du Preez, the founder of Onyx Nails Design — a cinematic special-effects nail studio specializing in character-driven claw design.​

 

My work exists at the intersection of nail structure, creature design, and performance art — built for camera, stage, and editorial presence.

 

​Over the years, my designs have been featured in film productions, music videos, drag performances, cosplay conventions, and high-profile shoots — functioning not as accessories, but as character assets.​

 

When I began developing advanced creature claws, there was no roadmap.

 

The techniques did not exist in structured form.   

 

So I built the system.​

Through experimentation, refinement, and obsessive detail work,

 

I developed a methodology for constructing claws that hold under lights, under pressure, and under scrutiny.

 

​Today, I teach that system.

Not trends.

Not shortcuts.

​

But structure, dimension, and cinematic presence.

​

​

​

​

​