People who try to draw human hands for the first time face a number of difficulties. How to understand the shape of the hands? How to learn the patterns in their structure? Plastic anatomy for artists helps to understand these issues. In this article, I have made a series of anatomical drawings, sketches and diagrams that will help aspiring artists understand the basics and pay attention to key aspects. I tried to present this material as simply and to the point as possible. I don’t rule out that I might have made some minor inaccuracies somewhere, but that doesn’t change the essence.
1. Main titles
Hands consist of three main parts:
- shoulder;
- forearm;
- brush.
The forearm consists of two bones:
- ulna (thickening at the elbow);
- radius (thickening at the wrist).
Main muscles:
- deltoid muscle (raises the entire arm);
- biceps or biceps brachii (flexes the arm at the elbow);
- triceps or triceps brachii muscle (extends the arm at the elbow);
- muscles responsible for the movement of the hand, fingers and rotation of the forearm with the hand (pronation-supination).
Two main muscle groups of the forearm:
- on the side of the external epicondyle of the humerus there is a group of muscles (a), which includes extensors of the hand and fingers;
- on the side of the internal epicondyle of the humerus there is a group of muscles (b), which includes the flexors of the hand and fingers;
- these two muscle groups are clearly visible and clearly separated by the ulna.
2. Anatomical structure of the hand. Core muscles
The shape of the hand depends on the shape of the bones and muscles. Therefore, in the process of drawing a person, you need to pay attention to the anatomical structure of the hands. It is important to “see” which muscles are located where. To understand plastic anatomy, the following drawings, which depict the skeleton and musculature, can help. In each such drawing, I added a diagram in which I highlighted the key, clearly visible muscles in color. These muscles are clearly expressed, so they should be visible in a person’s drawing. Of course, the muscles of women's arms will be more refined and miniature than men's. In addition, there are overweight people, and there are thin and “wiry” people. This means that their muscles will also be different. But the main muscles indicated in the drawings will be visible to one degree or another in each person.
3. Pronation and supination
If you stop and pay attention to how your hand moves, you will notice that it is capable of rotating. That is, we can turn our hands with our palms up, or we can turn our palms down. If upward, then this position of the hand is called supination. And if downward, then pronation. In this case, the radius bone of the forearm moves around the ulna. For clarity, I made a schematic drawing showing how this happens.
During the drawing process, you need to constantly compare sizes. This helps to convey proportions correctly. Hand drawing is no exception. If we talk about the forearm, then the bellies of the muscles are concentrated in its widest part, and the tendons are concentrated in the narrowest part (although there are some muscles there too). Knowing this feature, it will be easier to draw human hands.
5. The shoulder and forearm are located at an angle relative to each other
When a person holds his hand straight, the hand will still not be absolutely straight. This is explained by the fact that the shoulder and forearm are located at an angle to each other.
6. The connection of the shoulder and forearm is similar to the connection of chain links
The chain example is very helpful in understanding the shape of the hands. How is the widest part of the upper arm rotated relative to the widest part of the forearm? This is clearly visible on schematic drawing. If you remember this feature structure of the hand, then further drawing of hands will be much easier.
The elbow joint provides a movable connection between the humerus, ulna and radius. The principle of its operation is clearly visible in the schematic diagram. The head of the ulna looks like wrench. The joint between the radius and humerus resembles a ball and cup because the radius rotates around the ulna and also moves up and down like the ulna to allow flexion of the arm at the elbow.
8. Three visible points in the elbow joint
Some novice artists may ask: “Why do you need to know the structure of a joint if it’s not visible anyway?” The answer is simple - the joint affects the shape of the hand, its movements, and its three elements are also visible. Internal condyle, external condyle and head of the ulna. If the elbow and internal condyle are visible to a greater or lesser extent in any position of the arm, then the external condyle is visible in bent arm. When the arm is straight, he hides in the hole. These nuances affect appearance hands, so it is important in the drawing.
9. Pencil drawings of hands
After studying the anatomical features, you need to be able to apply knowledge in practice. Therefore, in concluding this article, I give as an example pencil drawings in which human hands are depicted in various positions. Pay attention to the shading. It seems to follow the shape of the arm muscles, bending around the surface. This important point in the technical side of the drawing. If we talk about chiaroscuro, then both on the entire hand and on individual muscles you need to learn to see light, penumbra, shadow - just like in the drawing of a jug or geometric shapes. However, in order for your drawing to become confident and professional, you need to practice a lot. It takes time to gain drawing skills.
The image of hands, or rather hands, is quite a difficult task. Even many successful artists, with craftsmanship and landscapes, avoid compositions involving hands. Therefore, having set yourself the task of learning to draw hands correctly, you should understand that this is a long and painstaking work. First of all, you need to study the structure of the palm, physiological basis- skeleton. Most The best way for this purpose it is drawing from life.
Many people refuse to learn to draw. Fears that they will not be able to overcome difficulties, that they are not talented enough, prevent them from even trying to master basic drawing skills. They are looking for reasons and culprits, because it is easier to give up on an idea than to sweat a lot. And it's really sad. After all, you should understand that the learning process will not be easy. Some lessons are easier and it only takes a few hours of practice to get satisfactory results. And some aspects cannot be studied “at once”; you need to work long and hard before the first positive results appear. Both in life and in drawing, it is easier to give up obstacles than to stress and move on.
In order to start drawing you will need: regular drawing paper, HB and 2B pencil, eraser. The first sketch is best done with a subtle HB pencil, and to further add tone and detail we use the 2B markings.
Step-by-step instructions
Turn the paper over horizontally and divide it in half. Place your hand on one half and start drawing on the other. Imagine that your fingers are cylinders, your hands and wrists are geometric shapes. Thus, we can imagine the volumes that make up a human hand.
First, let's draw several straight lines repeating the axes of the fingers. Then we will install the top of the middle finger, little finger and thumb. Between extreme points draw a connecting line along the axes of the thumb and little finger to help calculate the distance and make it easier to evaluate in further calculations of the distance between the joints.
The sketches made may seem like nonsense, and you may have a question: “How will a hand come out of these lines and dashes?” Remember that even great things begin from small things, and it is impossible to correctly build a palm without referring to the physiological structure.
Draw the thickness of the fingers along the marked ellipses so that thin cylinders are formed.
Erase the dark construction lines and smooth the image and add small parts such as nails, folds and wrinkles.
Then, using an eraser, select light colors and shades, erase the excess lines that remain from the sketches around the hand.
Remember that the attitude with which you start work determines the success or failure of your venture.
The brush is probably one of the most complex parts bodies for drawing and causes a lot of trouble for illustrators. Let me remember again the book, where she admits that many artists spend half the time allotted for creating a sketch drawing hands. The artist Gustavo Fernandez once said that you can make a good career only through the ability to draw your hands well and expressively.
To build a model of a hand, you can use the same principle: first the frame, then the flesh.
Four bones radiate from the wrist, the continuation of which are the fingers, divided into three phalanges. The middle finger is the longest, the index and ring fingers are approximately the same length. The thumb is attached to the hand at the wrist:
One of the most difficult aspects in constructing a palm is where the fingers are attached to it. The most convenient technique was given to me by Natasha Ratkowski: you need to designate your palm in the form of a segment of a coconut shell, immediately determining its volume.
You also need to draw balls in place of all the joints. The fingers are marked with cylinders of suitable thickness:
The conditional model obtained in this way is outlined, the phalanges of the fingers and protruding knuckles are indicated in the right places:
Using this principle, you can build a hand in any position. When tracing the base, you should try to give your fingertips and nails a beautiful natural shape. If the palm is clenched, you should draw folds that form in the middle. There is a muscle around the thumb that does not contract and is always indicated by an arch.
Cartoon hands are still easier to implement because they do not require such realism in the image, but there are still rules that will make them the most attractive. This collection contains all kinds of examples of drawing hands + drawing recommendations from various sources.
Christopher Hart "How to Draw Everything You've Learned About Cartoons":
Hands of the main characters of the animated series Homer, Bart and others.
In this lesson, I suggest you draw a hand in its classic position - fingers open, palm down. You may want to draw a hand clenched into a fist or a hand palm up. Or draw connecting hands, like in background picture. Either way, this tutorial will help you draw hands. Drawing a hand is very convenient because you draw with one hand and can draw with the other. First, carefully study your hand, pay attention to the length of the fingers, all proportions. You can even outline the hand if you are going to draw it at life size.
1. Marking the contour of the hand
Indeed, if you need draw a hand on the entire sheet of paper, it is easier to outline the outline of your hand, and then, using some tips from this lesson, just add small details. If you need to draw a hand on a smaller scale, then first put two dots for the wrist and five dots for the fingers. Please note that it is not the index finger, but middle finger the longest on the hand.
2. Straight contour lines of the fingers
The length of the fingers varies. They say that musicians have very long fingers. The nobles believed that long and slender fingers emphasized aristocratic origin. Maybe, but we will be drawing a regular hand, so divide the segment where the little finger will be in half, and draw a line from it, parallel to the previously marked points. For the thumb, draw a rectangular outline.
3. Draw actual outlines of the fingers
At this stage, you only need to trace the straight contours of your fingers with a pencil and give them real shapes. It is possible that these preliminary contours will turn out to be inaccurate, then the shape of each finger can be refined separately.
4. General hand shape
At this step you can adjust the contours of the fingers. Make a deeper “angle” for the thumb, but you can leave the original contour, at your discretion. Mark the phalanges and remove unnecessary ones from the drawing contour lines.
5. The drawing is almost finished
First of all, paint your fingernails. Highlight the knuckles with a few strokes and you can say hand drawing finished. All that remains is to draw a few details in the next step.
6. How to draw a hand. Shadows
A person's hands have "wrinkles" or folds in the knuckles that stretch when the fingers are squeezed, make these areas darker. There is an area between the fingers that also needs to be highlighted. To make the hand look voluminous in the drawing, you can make some of the contour lines darker and thicker. In this case, decide which side the light source will be on. It may seem that draw a hand It's not difficult at all. Try to draw, and then compare your hand with the resulting drawing.
Let's try to draw a hockey player in motion, with a stick and a puck, step by step. You might even be able to draw your favorite hockey player or goalie.
This lesson is intended for those who already know how to draw well, since drawing a person is not easy. Drawing a picture of a dancing ballerina is especially difficult, since the drawing needs to convey not only the grace of a person’s movements, but also the grace of ballet dancing.
When drawing a person, you must see the whole future image from the expected lines and all you have to do is draw them. It is important not only to accurately “maintain” the proportions of these lines in the drawing, but to accurately draw the hands, eyes, and lips. They convey the mood and character of a person.
Portraits are the most complex look visual arts. Learn to draw a portrait, even with a simple pencil, requires not only time to learn, but also talent.
Human eyes are the most attractive and important part of a person's face. Since this element of the portrait attracts the most attention, it must be drawn very accurately. In this lesson we will learn how to draw a person's eyes with a pencil step by step.
Each person’s nose has unique characteristics, so it is impossible to give precise advice on how to draw the nose of a girl, child or man. You can only make an abstract or, as they say, “academic” drawing of the nose. This is exactly the version of the nose that I suggest you draw.
The human body has many parts. As we have already discussed with you here on the site, drawing the body and its individual parts correctly is not so easy. To do this, you need to study and know the basics of anatomy and physiology. Very often children draw parts of the body and the figures themselves in a very simplified, one might say amateurish way. We want to teach you how to draw elements of the human body correctly, first of all from an anatomical point of view. Arm yourself with a pencil and eraser, grab an album and start the lesson. By following our tips, you will gradually learn the basics of this wisdom.
Stage 1. Draw the caracal lines of the person’s hand. First we will teach you how to draw a person's hand from the elbow to the fingertips. We build a straight line.. On the upper part we mark a point from which we draw five segments, from which in turn we draw five more segments connected at an angle to the first. This is the basis of the future hand. Then, along the main straight line, we begin to outline the line of the elbow and the forearm of the hand (this is the part of the arm from the hand to the elbow). The forearm widens from the elbow bend, then thins and passes into the hand (the widened part). After this we begin to draw the fingers. First the little finger, then the ring finger. We draw them along those lines from point 1 of the same stage.
Stage 2. Now we draw the middle and index fingers of the hand. Along the auxiliary lines we give contours to the phalanges of the fingers. The hand is slightly bent, as if the person wants to take or hold something. Then we’ll finish the last one, thumb hands. And further. On the fingers and palms we will show irregularities in the skin, depressions and tubercles, skin folds.
Stage 4. Now let's try to draw a person's hand separately. We build additional initial frame lines like this. Select a point on a piece of paper. We draw three lines from it in different directions. At the end of the third line we put a point, and from it we draw segments connected to each other. It's like a skeleton of future fingers. We outline the hand itself with smooth lines around these straight lines to the finger area. The hand is bent down. Then. Let's draw the thumb. First, we will show its thickened part, then the phalanges of the finger itself and the line of connection with the index finger. Then we draw forefinger and the middle finger of the hand, outlining the skeletal lines of the starting point of this drawing.
Stage 5. Finish drawing the ring finger and little finger. They are barely visible due to the front toes. We show folds on the skin, tubercles, bulges and irregularities on the hand. Then we delete all the sketch lines and leave only the necessary ones. We paint the hand, shading some areas (play of light and shadows). We hope you learned this lesson well and were able to draw human hands.
