The Rock Hand

The ubiquitous Devil Horns. They're everywhere, yet noone knows for sure where they came from. They can be used for almost anything, yet so many people claim them as their own. Butt-rock disciples, sign language speakers, University of Texas boosters, ironic emo kids, drunk frat boys. All have raised the rock hand. You can even get rock hand jewelry and belt buckles.

One of the earliest versions in print I remember seeing was on the cover of 1995's Superfriends album by Seattle band Sweet Water. And lately, the horns can be found on everything from Fender guitar schwag to USB flash drives.

Personally, though, I had never seen a version that I liked, although the Too Much Rock for One Hand design is pretty damn cool..

So, I decided to make my own. First, I had to sketch it out. I wanted to stylize the hand as much as possible, but still capture the essential gesture in a way that wouldn't look awkward or contrived. I also wanted to use the right hand, as opposed to the left, because I hadn't seen that anywhere. When I was happy with where the drawings were going, I was ready to render the idea digitally.

-John Kieltyka