For many artists (myself included) drawing hands can be the most challenging aspect of figure drawing. The hand is an extremely complex area and drawing it is a subject of study all by itself. There are many great books devoted to this topic and I highly recommend that you explore them.
I”ve gathered what I have learned over the years, and narrowed it down to 5 Critical tips to keep in mind to produce a more realistic hand. The items in this list are actually quite simple (and they were meant to be) but many beginners still miss them. If you just keep these details in mind while you work, your sketches will show immediate improvement.
Here we go:
1) Hands are NOT made up of straight lines”fingers are NOT parallel to each other, knuckles DON”T line up in a row, and the edges of the hand are NOT straight and parallel. Instead the finger tips and the knuckles form an arch across the hand. Also the figures bend slightly toward the space between the Middle Finger and the Ring Finger. This subtle detail will add life to your drawing.
2) The palm of the hand consists of 3 meaty parts: 1) One is at the base of the thumb, 2) the other lies at the base of the pinky. 3) And the third takes the shape of a row and sits just underneath the knuckle
3) The skin web between the fingers should be a “U” shape instead of a “V” shape or a flat line.
4) Even when the hand is relaxed, the fingers are never in a straight line, they always curve slightly towards the palm no matter how gravity is pulling on them. This is how the hand naturally behaves; be sure to capture this in your drawings.
5) When drawing the back side of the hand, always remember to include these 3 things:
“the knuckles
“the veins
“the wrinkles at the joints of the finger
I”ve done my best in this article to outline in words the things that you should pay attention to when drawing hands. But the truth is, drawing hands (or anything for that matter) is a visual exercise. You have to see examples after examples in order for this to really sink in. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.