While working on drawing the ASL image for Each, I ran into problems illustrating the knuckles brushing down against the opposite hand. To get a better visual of the movement of the dominant hand, I put down my drawing pad and signed Each in front of the mirror. Unfortunately, what I should have done is also put down my pencil. As my right knuckles quickly brushed downward, they drove the tip of the mechanical pencil down into the heel of my left hand!
I screamed in pain as I dropped the pencil and looked down at possibly the only American Sign Language Injury in existence. Luckily the cut wasn’t as deep as it felt, but it still took a few weeks to heal. While it should be obvious to never sign with your hands full, I was an artist focused on my work and had to learn this painful lesson firsthand.
To better illustrate the story, I took the ASL cartoon hand sign for Each from the dictionary, adding the mechanical pencil and shocked facial expression. Needless to say, even now, signing the word Each still makes my hands nervous. True Story.
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