How to Draw Hands for the Absolute Beginner
Introduction
The hand is one of the most beautiful aspects of figure drawing. It is a subject that could stand on its own, independent of other parts of the human body. Though a lone subject, it is expressive. The poignant gestures it portrays and the rhythmic patterns on its surface communicate a thousand emotions… singled-handedly.
And yet, drawing a hand is probably the most challenging task for beginners. To come to think of it, even a handful of intermediate artists can create impressive figure drawings, but they fail to render realistic—or, at least, accurate—images of the hands. This can be easily observed in whole figures wherein every other part is highly structured and elaborated—except for the hands.
Most often than not, rendering the hands incorrectly arises from inferior structuring and erroneous proportions. Among amateurs, there is the common mistake of drawing both hands smaller than they should be. This is just one of the various difficulties encountered.
Thus, this book was conceptualized, out of the inspiration to instruct beginners—with absolutely no background in drawing, but have the desire to learn the craft. If you are one of those aspiring to hone their talent, it is a pleasure to share with you the wonderful world of drawing.
To achieve such end, the book briefly discusses the basic anatomical structure of the hands. It further acquaints you with the mathematical proportions of the human anatomy¾an integral aspect to rendering well-proportioned illustrations. In spite of being quite a plain aspect of figure drawing, the hands consist of complex muscular and skeletal structures, which lend to the difficult task of depicting them with utmost precision. Touching base on the rudiments will provide you with adequate understanding on the matter, which will contribute significantly to improving your knack at hand drawing.
In addition, a glossary can be found at the end of the book. It includes most of the perplexing words (such as volume, value, and variety) you will frequently come across in this book and in the drawing community.
Using basic materials most beginners are familiar with, you will also learn a variety of techniques and exercises that will greatly enhance your skill. Practice makes perfect. With utmost resolve, you are on your way to the path of mastery.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Drawing Tools
- Anatomy of the Hands
- Skeletal System
- Muscular System
- Proportions
- Drawing Exercises
- Blind Contour Drawing
- Shapes and Shading (or Rendering)
- Drawing Techniques
- Grid
- Blocks and Cylinders
- Contour Drawing
- Gesture Drawing
- Rendering
- Glossary
- The Author
Important:
This is for the Digital Book Download only. For the Printed Copy, click HERE