How to draw hands with a pencil?

Hands are a personal and unique part of the body. Often they can tell about a person's life with their shape and size. Long years people study their lines and structure, try to read the future along the lines. Today we will learn draw hands with a simple pencil by using step by step lesson. We will pay special attention to their construction and the imposition of shadows, so that the drawing comes out the most realistic.

Tools and materials:

1. White sheet of paper;
2. Eraser;
3. Solid simple pencil;
4. Two soft simple pencils.

Stages of work:

Photo 1. The figure will show two hands. One lies on top of the other. Let's start with the hand that will be on top. To build we use hard pencil. Denote simple lines first hand shape

Photo 2. Place the second hand on the bottom left. She will be turned sideways. We are not in a hurry to draw fingers. Just outline the wrist and hand:

Photo 3. On the left hand, draw the fingers and folds on the bends. We do not stylishly press on the pencil, the pressure should be weak at the first stage. Otherwise, then the contours will not naturally stand out. The fingers are slightly unevenly spaced so that they peek out from behind each other. The little finger has the most folds, because it is the most bent:

Photo 4. Now let's move on to the right hand. She is on the top left. Add fingers and two parallel lines at the level of bones, at the level of bends. This will make it easier to navigate when building:

Photo 6. We continue to hatch gradually adding more volume. Let's draw a little contour and work on the right hand. The little finger and ring finger are on a bend, so we add more shadow on them than on the rest:

Photo 8. Let's make more shadow, but try not to darken it. Strokes are applied gradually. This trick helps to make the hands realistic:

Photo 9. Let's add more contrast. We continue to add a shadow:

Photo 10. Let's refine the contour again, it will highlight the foreground. The rest of the places are left untouched.

Perhaps no aspect of the drawing is accompanied by more disorder and is less adequate material for study than the drawing of hands. Much of this trouble is caused by the fact that you rush to look for material anywhere, 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 drawing of the hands should be based largely on yourself. After all, any teacher cannot explain to you more than you learn by carefully examining your own hands.
The study of the hands, in addition to the study of their anatomical construction, consists mainly of a consideration of the size various parts compared. The fingers have a certain length relative to the palm; the joints of the fingers are in a certain proportion in relation to the whole finger. The palm has a width and a length. The distances between the joints on the outside of the fingers are greater than they are 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 comparative measurements on yourself or on someone else.
The hand is the most flexible and adaptable part of the anatomy of the body, it can embrace an object of any shape and size comparable to it. This flexibility is also a difficulty for the artist, because the whole hand can take different positions. But still the mechanical principle of the hands remains constant. The palm opens and closes, and the fingers curl inward towards the middle of the palm. Nails are a very convenient exercise for learning how the fingers work, since they need to be grasped accurately and firmly; you pick up 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 that we know to achieve a variety of goals. In addition to its perfection, the hand is most 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 work with his hands before his brain and cultural level. The baby 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.
The fact that the hands and their movements require so little conscious impulse that it is surprising to be aware from the outside. Look now at your own hands; you will see in the illustration how the hand automatically takes a shape that is convenient for grasping the object.
To draw a hand while building an object, you must first examine the outline of the object, then observe how the hand's automatic adjustment matches that outline. Watch your fingers before grasping and squeezing a peach or apple. The principle of the grasping mechanism is very important in the drawing of the hand. 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 examine the contour of the object, then note how the position of the hand matches this contour. First, before taking and squeezing a peach or an apple in a fist, one must observe the fingers in order to notice how they behave before grasping. reflex principle very important in hand drawing. Only by knowing how the hand actually works can one draw it convincingly. The back of the hand can be drawn in three planes - the first for the section thumb to the joint of the base of the index, and the other two along the palm, tapering towards the wrist. In most actions, the back of the hand is bent. As a rule, the palm is three blocks surrounding the inside of the palm - the base of the palm, the thick base of the thumb, the base of the remaining fingers. The joint between the fingers and the thumb is connecting, adapted to move the thumb to the palm inward 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 a continuation of the midline of each finger. Otherwise, the nail will be crooked and you won't understand why.
Keep studying your own hands to learn about hands in general. The internal muscles are so deep that they are not as important as the external forms. The only bones we see are the knuckles on the outside of the joints and wrists. If you're drawing the palm in action, the fingers can be fairly easily attached to the knuckles and aligned properly. Study the comparative length of the fingers; remember that the thumb works mainly at right angles to the rest of the fingers. Get rid of the idea that hands are difficult to draw. 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 convex on the outside. The fingers grow so tightly that even liquid can be held in the palm of your hand. hand served primitive man cup and spoon, he picked up in a handful what 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, made it possible for a person to make a very strong grip, capable of holding even human body. This muscle helped a person to hold a spear, a club. As animals often depend on the strength of their jaws, so man depended on the strength of his hands.
When you become familiar with the structure and proportions of the hand (Fig. 77 - 85), it will be easier and more convenient for you to display the features of women's hands, the hands of babies, children, and the elderly.

Figure 77. Anatomy of the hand.


Pay attention to the tendons located on the back
side of the palm that reach for the fingers. They perform
huge function: with their help you can compress and decompress
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 imperceptibly.
In children and adolescents, the tendons of the hands are not visible, they
emerge in old age.

Figure 78. Blocks that form the hand


On the back of the hand, bones and tendons are located close under 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 is easier for you to get to know them. Note the thick, fleshy "pads" in
base of the thumb and base of the palm. A pad is present at the base of each finger, together they encircle the upper part of the palm. The muscles of the fingers protect the bones. Due to their elasticity, they
provide good coordination of movements, just like good tires provide traction on the road. There are no muscle pads on the outside of the palm,
but on the other hand, the outer surface of the little finger is well protected by the muscle, so much so that it can withstand quite swipe especially when the fist is clenched.

Figure 79. The proportions of the hand


The next important thing is the curved lines that can be drawn through the fingertips and knuckles. If you divide your palm along an imaginary line in half, then on each side of it there will be two fingers. The tendon of the middle finger roughly bisects the outside of the palm. Note also that the thumb grows almost at right angles to the rest of the fingers. They can be moved perpendicularly from the palm and towards it, while the remaining fingers are compressed and unclenched parallel to the palm. The joints 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 knuckles will be steeper, and the steepest one will be the line crossing the fingertips.
Middle finger- key finger, by which we determine the length of the hand. The ratio of the length of this finger to its knuckle at the back is slightly more than half the length of the hand.
The width of the palm is slightly more than half the length of the inner side of the palm. Forefinger reaches approximately the nail of the middle finger in length, 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. The inside of the palm (fossa)


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

Figure 82. Building hands in perspective

Figure 83. Hand in action

Figure 84 Joints

Figure 85. Drawing your own hand

Figure 86. Woman's hand


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

Figure 87. Fingers, tapering towards the ends, in motion.

Figure 88. Learn a lot different poses hands


There is only one the right way learning how to draw hands is doing many, many sketches. When drawing hands, more than anywhere else, their position is essential. Spread your fingers along the palm of your hand before examining them in detail. Hands are almost never completely straight and flat. Carefully study the space between the knuckles of the fingers. Most time we see them not in direct projection, but in perspective, as shown in ch.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 at the base of the thumb and at the base of the palm are relatively very powerful in young children. Babies can pinch and grab something equal to their weight. The joints on the outside of the arm are completely hidden by the muscles and marked with dimples. The base of the palm is often surrounded by a thick fold. The base of the palm is much wider than its width at the level of the base of the fingers.

Figure 90. Studying the hands of an infant

Figure 91. Children's hands


The hands of a child are intermediate between the hands of an infant and a teenager. This means that the muscle of the thumb and the 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 arm is smaller, a little thicker, and more dimpled, and the joints are certainly not as prominent as they are in adults.

Figure 92. The proportions remain more or less constant.

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

Figure 93. The hand of an elderly person

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

In this lesson, I suggest you draw a hand in its classic position - unclenched fingers, palm down. Perhaps you need to draw a hand clenched into a fist or a hand with the palm up. Or draw connecting hands, as in the background image. In any case, this lesson will help you draw hands. Drawing a hand is very convenient, because with one hand you draw, and with the other you can sketch. First, study your hand carefully, pay attention to the length of the fingers, all proportions. You can even outline the outline of the hand if you are going to draw it in full 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 of the tips from this lesson, just add small parts. If you need to draw a hand on a reduced scale, then first put two points for the wrist and five points for the fingers. Please note that not the index, but the middle finger on the hand is the longest.

2. Straight contour lines of the fingers

The length of the fingers is different. They say very long fingers at the musicians. The nobles believed that long and delicate fingers emphasize aristocratic origin. Maybe, but we will draw a regular hand, so divide the segment where the little finger will be in half, and draw a line from it, parallel to the points outlined earlier. For the thumb, draw a rectangular outline.

3. Draw the real contours of the fingers

At this stage, you only need to trace the straight contours of the fingers with a pencil and give them real shapes. Perhaps these preliminary contours will be inaccurate, then the shape of each finger can be refined separately.

4. General shape of the hand

At this step, you can correct the contours of the fingers. Make a deeper "angle" for the thumb, but you can leave the original outline, at your discretion. Make a markup of the phalanxes and remove the extra ones from the picture contour lines.

5. The drawing is almost finished

First of all, draw nails on the fingers. Highlight the joints of the fingers with a few strokes and you can say hand drawing finished. It remains only to draw a few details in the next step.

6. How to draw a hand. Shadows

In humans, the knuckles of the hands have "wrinkles" or folds 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 figure, you can make some of the contour lines darker and thicker. In this case, decide on which side the light source will be. It may seem that draw a hand quite easy. Try to draw, and then compare your hand with the resulting drawing.

Let's try to draw a hockey player in motion step by step, with a stick and a puck. You may even be able to draw your favorite hockey player or goalkeeper.

This lesson is designed 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, because in the drawing you need to convey not only the grace of human movements, but also the grace of ballet dance.

When drawing a person, you must see the whole future image from the intended lines and you just have to draw them. It is important not only to accurately "maintain" the proportions of these lines in the drawing, but to accurately draw hands, eyes, lips. They convey the mood and character of a person.

Portraits are the most complex view visual arts. Learning how to draw a portrait, even with a simple pencil, requires not only time for learning, but also talent.

Human eyes are the most attractive and main part of a person's face. Since this element of the portrait attracts the most attention, it must be drawn very precisely. In this lesson we will learn how to draw a person's eyes with a pencil in stages.

Every person has a nose unique features, therefore, it is impossible to give exact 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. It is this version of the drawing of the nose that I propose to draw for you.

The brush is probably one of the most difficult parts bodies for drawing and gives a lot of trouble to illustrators. Again, I recall a book where she admits that for many artists, drawing hands takes half the time allotted to create a sketch. The artist Gustavo Fernandez once said that you can do good career only due to the ability to draw 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 diverge 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 very wrist:

One of the most difficult moments in building a palm is where the fingers are attached to it. The most convenient method was given to me by Natasha Ratkowski: you need to designate the palm as a segment of a coconut shell, immediately determining its volume.

In place of all joints, you also need to draw balls. 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:

By this principle, you can build a hand in any position. Outlining the base, you need to try to give your fingertips and nails a beautiful natural form. If the palm is compressed, you should draw the folds that form in the middle. There is a muscle around the thumb that does not contract and is always indicated by an arc.

Cartoon hands are still easier in terms of implementation, 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 hand drawing examples + drawing recommendations from various sources.

Christopher Hart "How to Draw Everything You Learned About Toons":

Hands of the main characters of the animated series Homer, Bart and others.

The image of hands, or rather hands, is a rather difficult task. Even many successful artists, with skill and landscapes, avoid compositions involving hands. Therefore, having set a task for yourself - learn how 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, the physiological basis is the skeleton. Most The best way for this is drawing from nature.

Many 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 the initial skills of drawing. 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, it is worth understanding that the learning process will not be easy. Some lessons are easier and only a few hours of practice is enough to get satisfactory results. And some points cannot be studied “at a glance”, you need to work long and hard before the first positive results appear. In life as well as in drawing, it is easier to let go of obstacles than it is to strain 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 barely visible HB pencil, and for further tone and detail, use the 2B marking.

Step by step instructions

Flip the paper horizontally and split it in half. Put 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 of which the human hand consists.

First, let's draw a few straight lines that follow the axes of the fingers. Then we will install the upper part of the middle finger, little finger and thumb. Between extreme points axes of the thumb and little finger we draw a connecting line to help calculate the distance and easier to evaluate in further calculations of the distance between the joints.

The sketches made may seem nonsense, and you may have a question: “How will a hand come out of these lines and dashes?”. Remember that even great things start small, 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 form.

Erase the dark construction lines and smooth the image and add fine details such as nails, creases and wrinkles.

Then, using the eraser, select light tones and shades, wipe out the extra lines that are left from the sketches around the hand.

Remember that the attitude with which you start work determines the success or failure of your venture.