Hands are very complex and involve many moveable elements, which can be a challenge to draw. Some positions of the hand are more difficult to draw than others. You may want to try posing a hand—yours or a model’s—in many different positions and drawing them for practice. In general, draw men’s hands more angularly, with a heavier line quality; draw women’s hands lightly with smooth, graceful lines. When sizing a hand to a figure, remember that a hand is about the same length as the face, from chin to hairline. If a hand is posed in a way that does not allow you to see all the fingers, don’t be tempted to draw what you can’t see or it will look unnatural. Try not to be discouraged if your first few drawings aren’t lifelike; hands definitely take a lot of practice!
BONES AND MUSCLES Studying the bones and muscles of the hand can help you understand the form and movement of the hand. That, in turn, can help you render more successful drawings. Notice the joints of the fingers, their relationship to the other fingers, and how the bones and muscles extend from the base of the hand.
SHOWING AN OPEN PALM An open-palm rendering of an adult female’s hand could be at rest, showing us something in her hand, or reaching for something. With lighting from above, the highlights are on the tops of the fingers and palm, with the back of the hand in shadow.
HOLDING A PEN OR BRUSH This adult male hand holds a paintbrush, but the same pose could hold a pen or pencil. The strong light source from the right highlights the fingers and leaves the back of the hand and wrist shadowed.
DIFFERENCES IN MALE AND FEMALE HANDS Here the hands of a young married couple clearly show how male and female hands are drawn differently. The strong lighting is from above, creating bright highlights on the back of the woman’s hand.
EXTENDED VERSUS FOLDED FINGERS The skin at the base of the thumb shows more modeling or folds than the other fingers. This view is lit from above, so the highlights are on the tops of the fingers, and the shadows are beneath.
MAKING A FIST The middle-aged male fist here could be holding something tightly or using a tool. The lighting is soft and evenly distributed from a source that is to the viewer’s left.
PLAYING AN INSTRUMENT In this view of a young male’s hands on a keyboard, several of the fingers are not visible. These hands also could depict reaching for something. The light here is from above, highlighting the backs of the hands.