How to Draw Hands: Guide to Palm and Finger Structure

The reason hands are hard to draw, besides having many fingers, is that each finger has its own direction, length, and articulation.

When the palm rotates or the fingers bend, it also produces a large amount of occlusion and foreshortening.

Therefore, it is not recommended for artists to only trace the outer contour; instead, they should first understand where the palm is facing, where the joints are located, and how each section of the fingers connects.

We will use the palm of an adult's hand as a base model for the rest of the presentation.

Palm proportions:

The distance from the wrist to the base of the middle finger is approximately equal to the length of the middle finger (refer to the large diagram on the left), and the width of the palm is approximately 3/4 of its length.

The length of the fingers varies, with the middle finger being the longest, the index finger and ring finger being shorter, and the ring finger usually being slightly longer than the index finger, but of course, the index finger is also longer.

First, view the hand as a "palm block + fingers".

Corresponding to the open hand at the top left of the demonstration image.

1. The palm is not a flat rectangle.

You can first summarize the palm into a thick trapezoid or wedge:

• Narrower near the wrist
• The area near the base of the four fingers is wider.
• The palm can be slightly concave.
• The back of the hand is relatively prominent.
• The thickness is different on the pinky side and the thumb side.

Intuition easily makes hands look like thin cardboard, so it is emphasized here:

Even when viewing the palm from the front, you must draw the side and planes of the palm block to give the hand a sense of thickness.

The rectangular cutaway at the top left of the sample diagram can be used precisely to illustrate the orientation of the palm and the volume of each finger joint.

The palm of the hand can be simplified as a quadrilateral shape that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, with the fingers attached to an extension of the palm.

First find the four finger base joints; it is not recommended to draw the fingers directly.

Corresponding to the diagram on the lower left with joints marked by dots.

The index finger to the little finger do not start from the same horizontal line. The four metacarpophalangeal joints form a slightly curved arrangement, and their height gradually decreases.

Remind readers to distinguish between two positions:

• true finger base jointthe junction of the fingers and metacarpal bones
• the gaps between the fingers as seen from the outside: Affected by skin and web tissue, usually closer to the fingertips than true joints.

This is a very important point. Many people start measuring finger length directly from the web of the fingers, resulting in fingers that are drawn too short.

Can this be summarized into a single sentence:

First find the joints on the skeleton, then cover them with the skin shape, and do not mistake the gaps between the fingers for the starting point of the fingers.

Each finger has three joints, and the thumb is unique in that it has only two joints, which determine the direction and angle of the finger's bend.

● The rise and fall of the hand:

Referring to the right side of the first picture, use geometric shapes that look like building blocks to make it easier to understand the turns of the finger surfaces.

How do I draw my hand?

1. Observe and trace shapes:

- First of all, observe the similar shape and length/width ratio of the palm of your hand. For simplified parts, you can refer to the bottom part of the picture, and break the hand sheet into three parts for easy understanding, draw the basic position and length of the fingers, and pay attention to the relationship between the distance between the fingers and their lengths.

2. Add palm shading, structural lines:

- Add joints and structural lines to the palms and fingers. While drawing, observe the areas where shadows are created due to shape transitions, as seen in the large front and side views on the left.

3. Tracing of palm detail:

- Trace the details of the fingers and the palm of the hand, noting that some of the lines will produce lines of pre and post relationships because they are blocked.

Want to learn how to draw human parts and what to know? Read more

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I hope this step-by-step description can help you recognize and understand how to draw the palm of the hand, if there are any subjects you would like to see or drawing methods you would like to know, welcome to leave a message or private message me, I wish you a happy drawing!

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