Digital design

As more people seek to pamper their piggies, toenail artists expand their fancy footwork.

By JOUNICE L. NEALY, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 7, 2000

[Times photos: Pam Royal] Toenail art on display: The toenails of the lower feet are marbleized, the daisies and palm tree of the upper feet are hand painted.

Sandy Jerger has always been good to her feet, pampering them with regular pedicures. But earlier this year, Jerger wanted her toes to twinkle.

Now, her little piggies steal the show with a hand-painted University of Florida gator on the big toe or marbled swirls of bright red, white and blue on all of them.

Jerger of Pinellas Park doesn't just get her toenails painted -- she turns them into art. When she wants to match her bathing suit, nail tech Lori Fricker applies matching colors and hand-painted designs.

"A lot of people think it's cute," Jerger said.

Jerger reflects a growing trend in nail boutiques that offer pedicures, experts say. Toenail art costs $1-$5 per nail, depending on how elaborate the design is.

"We've certainly seen more people putting the art on the toes than we did a few years ago," said Cyndy Drummey,, publisher of NAILS Magazine. Pedicure services increased slightly from $915-million in 1998 to $938-million in 1999.

Toenail art is especially popular in the summer, say Fricker and Patty Ellerbrock, co-owners of Bloomingnails in St. Petersburg. "People are looking at toes and nails as accessories now," Fricker said. She once hand-painted a tropical scene of palm trees, a parrot and a boat -- all on a single big toe.

Nail artist Annette Cortes livens up the big toe of Just Nails Inc. owner Vicky Paine at the shop in South Pasadena. “Anything you can do on fingernails, you can do on toenails,” Cortes says.

Pam Duquette got daisies on her tootsies, a design debut for the Tierra Verde woman's French-pedicured feet.

"Anything you can do on fingernails, you can do on toenails," said Annette Cortes, who does nail art at Just Nails in South Pasadena. In addition to painted designs, clients can get rhinestones, pearls, lace and feathers. Toe-painting can take from a couple of seconds to 30 minutes per toe.

Some women turn to toenail art because it is not as big a commitment as, say, getting a tattoo. It lets them make a fashion statement with the comfort of knowing they can remove or hide it.

"A lot of people that I know of that are wearing nail art on their toes are generally people who are a little bit more conservative," said Robin Hometchko, the National Cosmetology Association's nail designer.

With toenail art, "They just kind of let that inner wild child out every now and again."

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