Written by Welcome back my friend 😀 ! I have always struggled with hands but i found some helpful tips that will help. Drawing hands can seem daunting due to their complexity and variety, but don’t worry. With a basic understanding of shapes and proportions, anyone can learn to draw hands. This tutorial will guide you through the process, step by step, making it as simple as possible. Gather your materials and let’s get started!
Materials Needed:
1. Sketchbook or Drawing Paper
2. Pencil
3. Eraser
4. Ruler
Or Stylus and Digital software for Digital art !
Step 1: Â Let’s understand the basic form of a hand. A hand can be broken down into simple shapes: a rectangle for the palm and elongated ovals for the fingers and thumb.
– Draw a rectangle in the center of your paper. This will represent the palm of the hand. Use your own hand as a reference for size.
– Draw four elongated ovals at the top of the rectangle for the fingers. Make sure to vary their lengths for accuracy – generally, the middle finger is the longest.
– Add another elongated oval on the side of your rectangle for the thumb. (Tip: Always start with light strokes as you will be erasing these guiding shapes later on.)
Step 2: Next, we will add the joints on the fingers.
– Divide each finger into three segments by drawing two lines across each one. These lines represent the finger joints. The segment nearest to the palm is the longest.
– For the thumb, only add one line since it has one visible joint.
Step 3: Now that we have our basic structure, let’s outline the hand.
– Start at the wrist and follow the rectangle’s length, curving your line slightly to suggest the shape of the palm.
– Outline the fingers following the ovals, but make sure to add a slight bend at each joint line.
– The thumb’s base is a bit wider, so remember to adjust the shape accordingly. (Tip: Look at your own hand or a reference picture to understand how the fingers curve and bend.)
Step 4: Now that we have our basic hand shape, erase the guiding shapes (rectangle and ovals) carefully. Be careful not to erase your hand outline.
Step 5: Now to the fun part, adding the details !
– Draw slight lines at the knuckles and joints.
– Add oval-shaped nails at the top of each finger. They should follow the curvature of the finger.
– You can also add lines to represent the folds of the skin. (Tip: The details make your drawing look more realistic. However, avoid drawing too many lines as it can make the hand look older.)
Step 6: The final step is shading, which gives depth and realism to your drawing.
– Observe your own hand or a reference picture to see where the shadows fall.
– Generally, the areas under the fingers, around the knuckles, and the side of the palm have shadows.
– Use a lighter touch for subtle shadows and press harder for darker shadows.
Woohoo ! You have learned how to draw a hand. It’s okay if you didn’t get it right the first time practice is key and helps improve your skill ! Keep drawing, and you’ll see improvement. See you in the next tutorial !
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