Fear of Drawing Hands.

Michael Whynot. Hand study in red chalk.

Michael Whynot. Hand study in red chalk.

Michael Whynot. Hand study in red chalk.

Michael Whynot. Hand study in red chalk.

Michael Whynot. Hand study in red chalk.

Michael Whynot. Hand study in red chalk.

Michael Whynot. Hand study in red chalk.

One of the questions I hear, more than any other, is how do I draw hands? A lot of people harbour a deep fear of drawing hands. So much so, that many will avoid them altogether, hiding them behind something or cropping them off. Unfortunately, this is exactly the wrong way to learn anything.

Hands have a learnable structure, like any other form, albeit it somewhat more complex. Get a good anatomy book and study the skeletal structure; there is a wonderful sort of symmetry to the structure of the hand, and once you see it you will be able to place the parts with more precision.

Then you need to watch people's hands - a lot of people's hands. Watch them working, playing and resting. More than almost any other form, seeing the gesture in hands will mean the difference between a stiff, lifeless drawing and one that you can reach out and touch. When drawing hands, always start with the gesture.

You need to draw hands constantly to improve; your own hands, pictures of hands - take a whole life drawing session and just draw the hands. Make quick doodles, short studies, longer, carefully rendered studies. Eventually, you will loose your fear of them and they may actually become your favourite, expressive, body part to draw.

Hands and Feet: Drawing Beauty and Complexity

Michael Whynot. Hand Study, c. 2012.

Michael Whynot. Foot Study, c. 2012.

Michael Whynot. Study of Feet, c. 2012.

"The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art." Leonardo Da Vinci



Nothing strikes greater fear in the heart of the novice draftsman than the prospect of drawing the human foot or hand. And, in fairness, they are somewhat more difficult to draw well than the rest of the body, owing to their beautiful complexity of form.

The feet can support the figure with a graceful delicacy, sturdy determination, or an awkward shuffle; among the many variations which can reveal the nature of a pose.

And the hands are, perhaps, the most expressive part of the human anatomy, rivalling the face as the most eloquent conveyor of emotion.

Needless to say, the complexity of these two appendages is the major factor in the difficulty encountered in their rendering. The hands, in particular, with the fingers ability to fold in upon themselves, poses unique difficulties.

With understanding of the form, however, the complexity becomes manageable, even if it doesn't totally disappear. In the initial stages of learning to draw the hands and feet, simplification is the key.
Construct the foot with a simple wedge shape, apply perspective, and build the details upon this. Learning to see the simple shapes comprising complex forms can be applied to any part of the anatomy.

When first drawing the hand, draw it with the fingers as a single mass, like a mitten. Once you understand the gesture of the hand as a whole, you can observe the gestures of the individual digits.

And the difficulties encountered in drawing hands and feet often lead draftsmen to invent ways of not drawing them. Ignoring a problem, however, is never the path to improvement. Persistent drawing and understanding of form is the path. Drawing must become an obsession - like a private religion, where line is your God.