How to draw women's hands with a pencil step by step. Draw hands with a pencil step by step

Looks like learning to draw human hand the most difficult, since it can take many forms and express different emotions. Animation is no exception. You will have to learn how to draw hands in different angles so as to show them in dynamics and attract the viewer’s attention to them. Don't underestimate the power of a well-drawn hand in animation - it will save your work from monotony!

What you need to know

In the comments to my courses, I was asked several times how I draw characters in different poses and with different expressions. The point is that with experience you will begin to develop own style drawing. Without other people noticing, you will have your own little tricks. These tricks are the poses and expressions you'll use more often than others, as well as certain hairstyles and clothes you'll be best at drawing. This is quite common and professional artists resort to this secret all the time!

However, this is very difficult to achieve in hand drawings! Let's take the head as an example. The only moving part there is the lower jaw. We can change facial expressions, but the eyes, nose and mouth remain in place (at least in real life!) With the hand everything is different. With any new movement of the brush, everything changes radically. In fact, in a scene with dialogue, the facial expression may barely change, but the hands will move very actively and at different angles.

The goal of this activity is to turn a human hand into a cartoon hand, so let's not waste time learning the names of the bones and muscles of the hand. (On the Tuts+ platform, by the way, you will have extensive opportunities to learn this too). We, in turn, will try to find a simplified way to draw a hand in a way that is practical and effective.

1. The hand in its most simplified form

The hand is made up of a variety of bones, especially in the fingers. This means that all fingers are different sizes and can bend in different ways. different directions. For this reason, it is important that you learn to draw a hand in the most simplified way possible and be able to look at it like a small puzzle with a few key pieces. Let's try to divide it into blocks:

Step 1

Let's start with the back of the hand. Let's draw a simple semicircle:

Step 2

Now let's draw a triangle that is attached to one of its sides. Like this:

Step 3

Above the triangle we will draw something resembling the tip of a knife.

Step 4

It's time to draw the fingers. In mirror image, draw the first shape at the top. "Puzzle from the hand" is ready:

Step 5

Great! All that remains is to fill in the missing details with soft contours:

Note that the fingers have different formats due to differences in their sizes.

2. At a glance

You need to know a few more details of the palm. Let's take a look at them:

Step 1

Again we repeat the process above, following the basic pattern:

Step 2

Something new appears - the palm now looks a little more complex, and there are characteristic differences in its shape that need to be taken into account. Fortunately, a few simplified forms are enough to show it.

Step 3

Now we can add outlines to complete the drawing with the necessary details.

Profile view

When the hand is turned in profile, we can see the prominence of the muscle at the base of the thumb.

The more “childish” your drawing style is, the simpler and smoother your lines will be. Here are my little secrets that helped me understand that hands can be drawn based on simplified shapes. The most important thing is to strive for a style that will reflect personality and dynamics in the drawings at the final stage.

3. More shapes and a 3D hand

Now you can draw flat hand for the rest of your life, right? If you want to draw hands with convincing depth, use the same technique above, just change the camera angle! Play with this technique until you feel confident.

To form your fingers, imagine them as cylinders stacked on top of each other. This technique will help us draw fingers from different angles, because with its help it is easier to “see” the hand in space.

The shapes into which a human hand can be formed are countless. When the palm is open, the same rules apply; when closed - others! The same thing happens when the hand holds an object, and it must adapt to its shape.

Let's learn how to draw a fist. A slightly different process, but in the end you will see that it all comes down to a simplified drawing of the main geometric shapes.

Step 1

To begin with, we simplify the bend of the little finger, draw something similar to the letter “u”.

Step 2

We kind of “wrap” the little finger around the letter “y”. Don't forget to highlight the curve that goes from the little finger to the wrist.

Step 3

We continue to draw fingers in space. This time we draw only three fingers. I'll explain why later.

Step 4

Lastly, draw the thumb and the protruding muscle at the base of the thumb.

Step 5

Fine! In a few steps we have completed a simplified drawing of a fist on one side. See how the shape of a fist can be roughly depicted using “boxes” different sizes.

Obviously, if we try to simplify each hand position using various techniques, we will get tired quickly. So remember that real secret how to simplify a hand drawing - these are observations from life.

4. The Fab Four

It is common in animation to draw characters' hands with only four fingers. This allows, in addition to enhancing the character’s dynamics, to make the artist’s life easier. This way he doesn't have to worry about too many details.

Note: When using this technique, you will need to adapt your knowledge of a five-fingered hand to a four-fingered one. Concepts need to be adapted to achieve a suitable and interesting result.

It is worth paying attention to your fingertips. In animation, the more rounded and flexible the fingertips are, the more interesting and dynamic they are. When you create characters, think of their hands as if they were separate characters!

Another good reason to draw hands with four fingers: in this case, you have the opportunity to increase the size of the fingers, which means making them more expressive! A number of famous cartoon characters have been able to stand out thanks to this technique: The Simpsons, Bugs Bunny, The Flintstones and Mickey Mouse.

The Mystery of the Little Finger

One of the most big secrets The design of such a brush is to make maximum use of the little finger! If you place it at a different angle in relation to the other fingers, you will break up the monotony in the perception of your hand.

5. Talk to your hand

When we need to express emotions in an animation drawing, the role of hands is irreplaceable! Look at the images below: the hands visually support and echo the facial expressions and body language of the characters.

1. "I have an amazing idea!"
2. "How do I look, dear?"
3. "I can't believe...I'm being awarded an Oscar!"
4. “I don’t understand anything... he was just here!”
5. "Ahhh! My head is pounding!"

No matter how strange it may seem, hands have their own character! Not only do they maintain facial expressions and body language, they can express their own emotions!

However, you will often find yourself in a situation where your hands should not distract attention. In this case they should be minor character. Characters in action scenes tend to be exaggerated more than characters in quiet scenes.

6. Knowledge test

I have prepared a short test to test your powers of observation. Analyze the pictures below and try to determine what feeling the best way describes each. Can you guess everything correctly?

Raise a hand!

Now you know all the secrets of the art of drawing cartoon hands, Congratulations!

Although hands are a very fun part of the body to draw, the ability to create hand designs in different styles is not so simple, and only with the help of hard training can you achieve natural results. Even if your goal is to draw for animation, it doesn't hurt to buy a good anatomical atlas to understand how the muscles and bones in the hands work. There is no need to memorize each one in detail. It is enough to understand how the hand works in motion. Remember that a character's expressions are much more important than what's underneath the skin.

One last tip: when you need to draw hands, place your own hands in front of a mirror, or just watch your hands. One of them will remain stationary while you draw (unless you've learned to draw with both hands at the same time!)

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 the elements of the human body correctly, primarily 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 draw the last, thumb. 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 the index finger and middle finger hands, 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.

If you do not take into account a person’s face, then most of all a person’s emotions are conveyed by the position of his hands. The hands and fingers are very flexible and display perfectly emotional condition person. In this lesson we will draw a human hand with a pencil step by step, from simple to complex.

If you are learning to draw a person, portrait or figure correctly, you definitely need to know how to draw a hand, correctly and naturally, and this requires some knowledge and a little practice.

Proportions

In order to learn how to draw hands, first of all, you need to learn proportions and be able to apply your anatomical knowledge in practice. It's not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Remembering just a few simple rules you will improve your drawing skills several times, and your hand drawings will miraculously acquire believability and naturalness.

General relationships

An interesting fact is that the hand is a bit like a shoulder blade, which consists of two parts: the metacarpus and the fingers.

The length of the fingers is equal to the length of the metacarpus.

This ratio must be respected. The drawing of a hand can be started from a schematic designation of its shape, and a line is used to show the line dividing the hand into two equal parts.

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The length of the entire brush can be completely different. There are people with short and long fingers and, accordingly, a square or elongated brush.

Fingers

Movable and flexible fingers consist of joints. The bones of the metacarpus are the largest and longest, and the finger joints are attached to them. Each subsequent phalanx is smaller and thinner than the previous one.

Our hands are designed according to the principle of the golden ratio, which is why women’s hands attract the glances of surrounding men. The proportions of the phalanges are in the ratio of 2/3 of the length of the previous phalanx.

The picture below shows the first phalanx in red, the second in orange, and the third in yellow.

All fingers except the thumb consist of four joints: three phalanges and one joint in the metacarpus. Thumb set aside, slightly turned in relation to the other fingers and consists of three joints. Its length usually reaches the middle of the first phalanx of the index finger.

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Length little finger almost reaches the bend of the last phalanx of the ring finger. This is shown in the illustration above.

Directions

If you carefully observe your hands different people, another one will appear common feature, which also needs to be taken into account in your sketches. If we outline the brush from above with one line, we get small semicircle, the top of which is the middle finger.

Pay attention to the inside and outside of the palm. If we draw a conventional line at the base of the fingers, we will also see a small arc that goes from the index finger and goes down to the little finger.

In the illustration below this is indicated by red arrows. You can draw a hand starting from the mitten, which is shown in the corner brown, immediately outlining all directions.

The pads and folds on the inside of the palm also have one common direction; they seem to descend from index finger to little finger.

Fist

A little more information about directions that will help you draw a brush more quickly and correctly. Let's say you need to depict a hand clenched into a fist. Evenly bent fingers again form a certain arc, with general direction “down to the little finger”.

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Notice the top part of the illustration - a small hand drawn in brown. Here is a schematic diagram of how it narrows width of fingers in each subsequent phalanx, take this into account and do not forget to show it in your works. Compare the lengths of the red, orange and green segments.

The hand clenched into a fist, on the outside, under the little finger, forms a fold; it is emphasized by a small green arc in the illustration above. By labeling it, you will be able to create a more realistic image of a hand holding something or clenched into a fist, etc.

Important Details

The picture below shows what the skeleton of a hand roughly looks like. The joints where they connect are slightly wider and thicker. We need to understand this in order to know how to draw a hand realistically. This is especially true for the hands of elderly and thin people. At the bends, the finger will be a little thicker, along the length of the phalanx - a little thinner.

Pay attention to how to draw a curved hand in profile. Look at the joint of the metacarpus and the first phalanx of the finger. In the picture above, the red line shows where the first phalanx attaches to the metacarpus joints. This is the beginning of the finger, it can be identified by the joint protruding upward - the knuckle. The green line indicates the place where there are membranes between them; they are often mistaken for the beginning of the first phalanx.

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If we look at the hand in profile, we will see that the outer side is quite flat, with only the knuckles protruding. The inner one, on the contrary, is soft; under each phalanx there is a protruding pad. There are two “pads” under the first phalanx, one under the joint is especially large and stands out well in everyone.

Drawing a hand step by step

Before drawing the hand, decide on the position of the forearm and wrist. To begin with, let's take the simplest example, use your brush as a nature, and do not redraw the picture below.

Human balance in motion

In general, drawing hands is a skill that needs to be constantly developed and improved. The hands are very plastic and can take on hundreds of different positions and angles.

Complex angles

Interesting angles in which the fingers are in different positions are more difficult to depict. There are several ways to help avoid mistakes.

One of the effective and most often used ways to depict a hand from a non-standard angle is to mark the position of each finger with a line:

Sometimes the line does not cope with the task and you have to use auxiliary shapes, cylinders or parallelepipeds to indicate the position of the phalanges:

In order to give the brush some intricate position, first try for yourself how comfortable, natural and generally possible it is. The hand, fingers and each joint are interconnected, changing the position of one element of this structure often changes their position and the rest.

This is quite a difficult lesson, so it may take you quite a lot of effort to repeat it. If you didn’t succeed in drawing hands the first time, don’t despair and try again. Try your best to complete this lesson. If it still doesn’t work out, you can try to complete the lesson “”. But I believe that you will succeed.

What you will need

In order to draw hands we may need:

• Paper. It is better to take medium-grain special paper: beginning artists will find it much more pleasant to draw on this kind of paper.
• Sharpened pencils. I advise you to take several degrees of hardness, each should be used for different purposes.
• Eraser.
• Stick for rubbing hatching. You can use plain paper rolled into a cone. It will be easy for her to rub the shading, turning it into a monotonous color.
• A little patience.
• Good mood.

Step by step lesson

Different parts of the human body and organs should be drawn with a certain degree of realism. Academic drawing requires this. Also, he strongly recommends drawing hands from life or, as a last resort, from a photograph. This is the only way to achieve high realism and elaboration.

By the way, in addition to this lesson, I advise you to pay attention to the lesson “”. It will help improve your skill or just give you a little fun.

All complex drawings must be created through forward thinking and vision. The subject must be more than just a form on a sheet of paper. You must draw it three-dimensionally, that is, creating it from simple geometric bodies as if they were on top of each other: here is a ball on a cube, and here are two balls next to each other. All living and non-living things on earth consist of these primitive forms.

Tip: create a sketch with as thin strokes as possible. The thicker the sketch strokes are, the more difficult it will be to erase them later.

The first step, or rather the zero step, is always to mark a sheet of paper. This will let you know where exactly the drawing will be located. If you place the drawing on half of the sheet, you can use the other half for another drawing. Here is an example of marking a sheet in the center:

Well-drawn hands always enhance the entire illustration. Some artists specifically include hands in their subjects.

Anatomy

Most important fact- that the hands are concave on the palm side and convex on the back side. The bulges are so located around the circumference of the palm that you can even hold liquid in it. The hand served to primitive man cup, and by cupping his two palms in the shape of a cup, he was able to eat food that he could not hold with his fingers alone. The large muscle of the thumb is one of the most important in the hand. This muscle, in interaction with the muscles of other fingers, provides a grip so strong that it allows you to hold your own weight in suspension. This powerful muscle can hold a club, bow, and spear. It can be said that the existence of animals depends on the muscles of their jaws, and the existence of man depends on his hands.

It is worth paying attention to the powerful tendon attached to the base of the hand and how back side hands grouped with finger tendons. These tendons can control both all fingers together and each one individually. The muscles that pull these tendons are located on the forearm. Fortunately for the artist, the tendons are mostly hidden from view. In children and young people, the tendons on the back of the hand are not visible, but become more visible with age.

The bones and tendons on the back of the hand are close to the surface, but those around the palm and inside the fingers are hidden from view. There is a pad at the base of each finger. It protects the bones lying inside and creates grip on the object being held.

Hand proportions

The next important thing is the curved placement of the fingertips and knuckles. Two fingers lie on either side of a line drawn through the middle of the palm. The tendon of the middle finger divides the back of the hand in half. Also important is the fact that the thumb moves at right angles to the movement of the other fingers. The knuckles are located just in front of the folds underneath them on the inside of the palm. Pay attention to the curve along which the knuckles are located and that the curve becomes steeper the closer the knuckles are to the fingertips.

The middle finger is the key finger that determines the length of the palm. The length of this finger to the joint is slightly more than half the length of the palm. The width of the palm is slightly more than half its length on the inside. Forefinger almost level with the base of the nail of the middle finger. The ring finger is almost the same length as the index finger. The tip of the little finger is almost level with last joint ring finger.

The figure shows how to correctly determine the position of the palm socket. Also pay attention to the curve of the back of the hand. The hands will not look natural, capable of grasping, until the artist masters these details. The hands in the picture are depicted as if they were holding some kind of object. The loud sound of applause is produced by a sharp compression of air between the hollows of the two palms. Poorly drawn hands will look incapable of clapping.

Women's hands

Women's hands differ from men's mainly in that they have smaller bones, less pronounced muscles and greater roundness of the planes. If the middle finger is made at least half the length of the palm, the hand will be more graceful and feminine. Long fingers, oval in shape, will add charm.

Man's hands

Babies hands

Children's hands - on their own good exercise in drawing. The main difference from the hands of adults is that the palm is much thicker compared to small fingers. The muscles of the thumb and the base of the palm are very voluminous, even small children can support their own weight. The knuckles on the back of the hand are hidden by the flesh and are visible by the dimples. The base of the palm is completely surrounded by folds; it is much thicker than the pads under the fingers.

Hands of children and teenagers

The proportions remain basically the same. Aged primary school the difference between hand and is small, but in youth big changes appear. The boy's hand is larger and stronger, showing the development of bones and muscles. Girls' bones remain smaller, so they never develop large knuckles like boys. The base of the palms also develops more in boys; in girls it is much softer and smoother. Boys' nails, like their fingers, are slightly wider.

Children's hands are a cross between the hands of a baby and the hands of a teenager. This means that the muscles of the thumb and base of the palm are proportionally thicker than those of an adult, but thinner in proportion to the fingers than those of an infant. The proportions of the fingers to the palm are the same as those of adults. The hand is smaller overall, a little fuller, more dimpled, and the joints are of course more rounded.

Hands of elderly people

Once you have mastered the design of hands, you will enjoy drawing the hands of older people. In fact, they are easier to draw than young hands because the anatomy and structure of the hand is more noticeable. The basics of the design are still the same, but the fingers become thicker, the joints are larger, and the knuckles protrude more strongly. The skin becomes wrinkled, but this wrinkling needs to be emphasized only when viewed from a close distance.

Hand drawings

Hand drawings in painting

It’s not hard to guess whose hands these are :)

In terms of colors, it is worth noting that the fingers and palms are slightly redder than the general skin tone of the hands.

The material was collected from various sources.

Perhaps no aspect of the drawing is accompanied by greater disorder and presents less adequate material for study than the drawing of the hands. Much of this trouble is caused by running around looking for material instead of looking at your own hands. You have best source information is always available. Perhaps you have never thought of them in this sense. The hand drawing should be based largely on itself. After all, any teacher cannot explain to you more than you can learn by carefully studying your own hands.
The study of the hands, in addition to studying their anatomical structure, consists mainly of examining the dimensions various parts compared. The fingers have a certain length relative to the palm; The junctions of the fingers are in a certain proportion in relation to the whole finger. The palm has width and length. The distances between the joints on the outside of the fingers are greater than those between the folds on the inside. The length of the longest finger from its base to the third knuckle at the back is actually half the length of the back of the hand from the tip of the finger to the wrist. The tip of the thumb reaches almost to the second joint of the index finger. The length of the palm is equal to the length of the face from the chin to the hairline. You can take these comparison measurements on yourself or someone else.
The hand is the most flexible and adaptable part of the anatomy of the body; it can grasp an object of any shape and comparable size. This flexibility is also a difficulty for the artist, because the whole hand can take various provisions. But still, the mechanical principle of the hands remains constant. The palm opens and closes and the fingers curl inward toward the middle of the palm. Nails are a very convenient exercise for learning how your fingers work, as they need to be grasped accurately and firmly; you take the pin with your fingertips; take the hammer with your fingers and palm. The back of the hand is more or less resistant to the back pressure of the fingers, and is used in pushing (it is quite difficult to bend the fingers back). The hand is the most perfect mechanism we know for achieving a wide variety of goals. In addition to its perfection, the hand is more closely and precisely coordinated with the brain than any other part of the body. Many of her movements are controlled by subconscious reflexes; for example, typing and playing the piano.
Man began to use his hands before his brain developed and cultural level. An infant can use his hands effectively before he can think. The history of human advancement since ancient times is closely related to the adaptability of the human hand.
It is a fact that the hands and their movements require so little conscious impulse that it is surprising to realize from the outside. Now look at your own hands; You will see in the illustration how the hand automatically takes a shape convenient for grasping the object.
To draw a hand while constructing an object, you must first study the outline of the object, then observe how the automatic adjustment of the hand follows that outline. Watch your fingers before you grab and squeeze a peach or apple. The principle of the grasping mechanism is very important in hand drawing. Only by knowing this, how it actually works, can the hand be drawn convincingly. To draw a hand as you sketch a person, you must first study the outline of the object, then note how the position of the hand matches that outline. First, before taking and squeezing a peach or apple in your fist, you need to observe your fingers to notice how they behave before grasping. The reflex principle is very important in drawing a hand. Only by knowing how the hand actually works can you draw it convincingly. The back of the hand can be drawn in three planes - the first for the section of the thumb up to the base of the index joint, and the other two along the palm, tapering towards the wrist. The back of the hand bends during most activities. Typically, the palm is made up of three blocks surrounding the inside of the palm - the base of the palm, the thick base of the thumb, and the base of the remaining fingers. The joint between the fingers and thumb– connecting, adapted to move the thumb inward towards the palm or pull it at an angle of 900 to the palm. We must also carefully align the nails so that they lie on the same plane as the outer surface of the fingers and are an extension midline each finger. Otherwise, the nail will be crooked, and you will not understand why.
Keep studying your own hands to learn about hands in general. The internal muscles are located so deep that they are not as important as the external forms. The only bones we see are the knuckles of the outer knuckles and the wrists. If you are drawing the palm in action, the fingers can be attached to the knuckles and aligned correctly quite simply. Study comparative finger lengths; remember that the thumb works primarily at right angles to the other fingers. Get rid of the idea that drawing hands is difficult. It's just very easy to get confused if you don't know how they work. Everything becomes much easier once you get the hang of it.
The most important thing to remember about the hand is that it is concave on the inside and curved on the outside. The fingers grow so tightly that even liquid can be held in the palm. The hand served the primitive man as a cup and spoon; he scooped up a handful of things that he could not take with his fingers alone.
The thumb muscle is perhaps the most important muscle in the hand. This muscle, supporting or opposing the rest of the fingers, gave a person the ability to make a very strong grip, capable of supporting even the human body. This muscle helped a person hold a spear and club. Just as animals often depend on the strength of their jaws, so man depended on the strength of his hands.
Once you become familiar with the structure and proportions of the hand (Fig. 77 - 85), it will be easier and more convenient for you to depict the features of women's hands, the hands of babies, children, and the elderly.

Figure 77. Anatomy of the hand.


Note the tendons located on the back
side of the palm that reaches towards the fingers. They perform
huge function: with their help you can compress and unclench
palm, and also move each finger individually.
The muscles that control these tendons are located
in the forearm. Fortunately for artists, most
tendons are hidden under the skin and muscles, and are unnoticeable.
In children and adolescents, the tendons of the hands are not noticeable; they
appear in old age.

Figure 78. Blocks forming an arm


On the back of the hand, the bones and tendons are located close to the skin; those on the sides and on the inside of the palm are additional. I have outlined these surfaces in such a way that it will be easier for you to become familiar with them. Note the thick fleshy "pads" in
the base of the thumb and the base of the palm. A pad is present at the base of each finger, and together they encircle the top of the palm. The muscles of the fingers protect the bones. Due to their elasticity, they
provide good coordination of movements, just as good tires provide grip on the road. There are no muscle pads on the outer side of the palm,
but the outer surface of the little finger is well protected by the muscle, so much so that it can withstand a fairly strong blow, especially when the fist is clenched.

Figure 79. Hand proportions


The next important thing is the curved lines that can be drawn through the fingertips and knuckles. If you divide your palm in half along an imaginary line, you will have two fingers on each side. The tendon of the middle finger roughly bisects the outer side of the palm. Note also that the thumb grows almost at right angles to the other fingers. They can be moved perpendicularly from and to the palm, while the remaining fingers are compressed and unclenched parallel to the palm. The knuckles of the fingers are located slightly above the folds on the inside of the fingers. Draw imaginary curved lines: the curve crossing the base of the fingers will be gentle, those crossing the joints will be steeper, and the steepest line will be the line crossing the tips of the fingers.
The middle finger is the key finger by which we determine the length of the arm. The ratio of the length of this finger to its joint at the back is slightly more than half the length of the arm.
The width of the palm is slightly more than half the length of the inner side of the palm. The index finger reaches approximately the length of the nail of the middle finger, the ring finger is approximately equal to the index finger. The little finger only reaches the top joint of the ring finger.

Figure 80. Building a hand

Figure 81. Interior palms (fossa)


In the picture above, notice how carefully the turnout is marked in the middle of the palm. Also note the curve encircling inner side palms. Hands never look natural and capable of grasping until artists understand this feature. All these hands look like they are holding or grabbing something. The loud flapping sound is produced by the sudden compression of air between these two pits in the palms. A hand that doesn't look capable of grasping or clapping is poorly drawn. Examine your own hands to be sure.

Figure 82. Constructing hands in perspective

Figure 83. Hand in action

Figure 84. Joints

Figure 85. Drawing your own hand

Figure 86. Female hand


Women's hands, like their faces, differ from men's mainly in smaller bones and more delicate muscles, and generally more rounded surfaces. For greater grace of the hand, the middle finger should be about half the length of the palm; oval nails also add grace. Even though female hands thin, they can shrink a lot and be tenacious.

Figure 87. Fingers tapering towards the ends in motion.

Figure 88. Learn many different hand poses.


There's only one the right way learning to draw hands means doing many, many sketches. When drawing hands, more than anywhere else, their position is important. Straighten your fingers along your palm before examining them in detail. The arms are almost never completely straight and flat. Carefully examine the space between your knuckles. Most of the time we see them not in direct projection, but in perspective, as shown in chapters 82-85.

Figure 89. Baby's hand


Babies' hands are studied separately. Their main difference from the hands of adults is that the palm is thicker in relation to the smaller fingers. The muscles of the base of the thumb and the base of the palm in young children are relatively very powerful. Babies can pinch and grasp something equal to their weight. The joints on the outside of the arm are completely hidden by muscles and are marked by dimples. The base of the palm is often surrounded by a thick crease. The base of the palm is much wider than its width at the base of the fingers.

Figure 90. Study of baby's hands

Figure 91. Children's hands


A child's hands are intermediate between those of an infant and a teenager. This means that the thumb muscle and base of the palm are thicker than in an adult hand, but not as thick as in a child's hand. The fingers grow relative to the palm in the same way as in adults. The whole hand is smaller, a little thicker, and more dimpled, and the joints are certainly not as prominent as in adults.

Figure 92. The proportions remain more or less constant.

In junior school age the difference between a boy's and a girl's hand is small, but great changes appear in adolescence. The boy's hand is much larger, stronger, with more developed bones and muscles. The base of the palm and the joints of the fingers are more developed in a boy, while a girl’s hand is thinner and more delicate, with fewer bones. On the boy's hand, the nails, like the fingers, are slightly wider.

Figure 93. Hand of an elderly man

If you have mastered the construction of a hand, drawing the hands of old people will be a pleasure for you. In fact, they are easier to draw than young hands, since the structure and anatomy are more clearly visible there. Main features: thicker fingers, protruding knuckles. The skin becomes wrinkled, but this should only be depicted in close-up.