Can you help me come up with an original broach design please?

James Turner, England

Answer Viktoria replies

As an artist it helps if you keep your antennas out at all times for inspiration and unusual ideas. I begin by taking a look online, browsing for broach references. I find that flowers, precious stones, birds and insects are already commonly used in brooch designs.

So to come up with something more original, I think about what I haven’t yet seen as a broach. You wouldn’t believe the crazy ideas I come up with – some too crazy to mention here. I finally settle on an idea that I’ve only seen once before.

That idea is a broach in the shape of a hand, like the one belonging to the Hand of the King in Game of Thrones. Taking that broach as my inspiration, I sketch down a couple of rough ideas and give it an interesting twist by mixing in an antique clock hand.

The pointy ends are inspired by an antique clock’s hands. First I focus on getting the anatomy of the hand right. It may not be a real hand, but the anatomy should still be accurate.