Recently I gave you some points on how to draw hands. It appears many of my students devoured these points and ask now for more. Particularly they demanded me to go into the details of drafting hands. So let us look at it.

When drafting hands, the biggest obstruction are the dimensions of all the digits and little details. In this article I'll reveal you the most important details you ought to pay attention to for best drawings.

When drafting an unstrained hand,  imagine the palm as a square and then sketch the digits accordingly. In this case the middle finger is about as long as the palm (with slight differences depending upon the individual hand's proportions and its posture -  remember the "magic trick" in my last article on drafting hands).

As longest finger the middle finger makes also a great reference for understanding the dimensions of all other digits:

The little finger is about two thirds to three-fourths  of the middle finger

The ring finger and the index finger are ever lengthier than the small finger and littler than the middle finger.

Only the exact sizings vary - some people’s ring digits and index digits are evenly long, some have longer ring digits, others have longer index digits. I have even heard of people making fun out of inferring capacities from the length ratio of index finger and ring finger. Fortunately my are both equally long so I am on the safe side ;-)

Thanks to the different lengths of the digits the fingertips form a c-shaped curve when lying adjacently.

Somethingwn similar is true for the digits' roots: the index finger's and the middle finger's root are upmost, the other digits' roots are a bit lower so the finger roots form a arch that curves downwardly, too. And the knuckles build the same curve, naturally.

Now that we've sketched every single of the digits, let us look at the thumb. Different than the other digits it is attached to the side of the palm. Its root inhabits the lower half of the hands side. Having only two joints it contains also more muscles, volume and strength.

Using these directions you're able to draw the primary structure of any hand you want to draw. But once completing this first draft, please remember: altho I wrote of squares and lengths etc., the hand's shape  isn't accurately geometrical.

There can't be any firm edges or direct lines in your drawing. The muscles and anatomy on the hand's bones build bent and voluminous contours. Heighten these shapes by introducing substantial shadowing. Look where darks form on your hand and add these shadings accordingly.

Significant: The thinner a hand is, the fewer mass the drawing should have. So adapt the level and darkness of shadings accordingly. Also you need to correct the shading if the hand is very athletic (e.g. hands of bodybuilders or sportsmen) and for overweight hands that have only few lines and crinkles in the skin.

Hope these guidelines help you to draft better hands from now on.