How to draw a hand holding a flower. How to draw hands, draw a person’s hands and fingers step by step

The human hand seems to be the most difficult to learn to draw, as it can take many shapes and express different emotions. Animation is no exception. You will have to learn to draw hands in different angles so as to show them in dynamics and attract the viewer’s attention to them. Don't underestimate the power of a well-drawn hand in animation - it will save your work from monotony!

What you need to know

In the comments to my courses, I was asked several times how I draw characters in different poses and with different expressions. The point is that with experience you will begin to develop own style drawing. Without other people noticing, you will have your own little tricks. These tricks are the poses and expressions you'll use more often than others, as well as certain hairstyles and clothes you'll be best at drawing. This is quite common and professional artists resort to this secret all the time!


However, this is very difficult to achieve in hand drawings! Let's take the head as an example. The only moving part there is the lower jaw. We can change facial expressions, but the eyes, nose and mouth remain in place (at least in real life!) With the hand everything is different. With any new movement of the brush, everything changes radically. In fact, in a scene with dialogue, the facial expression may barely change, but the hands will move very actively and under different angles.

The goal of this activity is to turn a human hand into a cartoon hand, so let's not waste time learning the names of the bones and muscles of the hand. (On the Tuts+ platform, by the way, you will have extensive opportunities to learn this too). We, in turn, will try to find a simplified way to draw a hand in a way that is practical and effective.

1. The hand in its most simplified form


"Mom, hi! I'm on the Internet!"

The hand is made up of a variety of bones, especially in the fingers. This means that all fingers are of different sizes and can bend in different ways. different directions. For this reason, it is important that you learn to draw a hand in the most simplified way possible and be able to look at it like a small puzzle with a few key pieces. Let's try to divide it into blocks:

Step 1

Let's start with the back of the hand. Let's draw a simple semicircle:


Step 2

Now let's draw a triangle that is attached to one of its sides. Like this:


Calm down: we are not drawing a cup of tea!

Step 3

Above the triangle we will draw something resembling the tip of a knife.


Step 4

It's time to draw the fingers. IN mirror image draw the first shape at the top. "Puzzle from the hand" is ready:


Step 5

Great! All that remains is to fill in the missing details with soft contours:


Circuit thumb the trickiest one is that it needs to be gently combined with the center of the palm.

Note that the fingers have different formats due to differences in their sizes.

2. At a glance

You need to know a few more details of the palm. Let's take a look at them:

Step 1

Again we repeat the process above, following the basic pattern:


Step 2

Something new appears - the palm now looks a little more complex, and there is a characteristic differences that need to be taken into account. Fortunately, a few simplified forms are enough to show it.


Step 3

Now we can add outlines to complete the drawing with the necessary details.


Please note that we end the sketch with soft, rounded lines. Think of the palm of your hand as a delicate sculpture.

Profile view

When the hand is turned in profile, we can see the prominence of the muscle at the base of the thumb.



The more “childish” your drawing style is, the simpler and smoother your lines will be. Here are my little secrets that helped me understand that hands can be drawn based on simplified shapes. The most important thing is to strive for a style that will reflect personality and dynamics in the drawings at the final stage.

3. More shapes and a 3D hand

Now you can draw a flat hand for the rest of your life, right? If you want to draw hands with convincing depth, use the same technique above, just change the camera angle! Play with this technique until you feel confident.



To form your fingers, imagine them as cylinders stacked on top of each other. This technique will help us draw fingers from different angles, because with its help it is easier to “see” the hand in space.


Hand or robot?

The shapes into which a human hand can be formed are countless. When the palm is open, the same rules apply; when closed - others! The same thing happens when the hand holds an object, and it must adapt to its shape.

Let's learn how to draw a fist. A slightly different process, but in the end you will see that it all comes down to a simplified drawing of the main geometric shapes.


Step 1

To begin with, we simplify the bend of the little finger, draw something similar to the letter “u”.


Step 2

We kind of “wrap” the little finger around the letter “y”. Don't forget to highlight the curve that goes from the little finger to the wrist.


Step 3

We continue to draw fingers in space. This time we draw only three fingers. I'll explain why later.


Step 4

Lastly, draw the thumb and the protruding muscle at the base of the thumb.


Step 5

Fine! In a few steps we have completed a simplified drawing of a fist on one side. See how the shape of a fist can be roughly depicted using “boxes” different sizes.


Notice how you can fit the outline of a fist into three-dimensional rectangular shapes in space.

Obviously, if we try to simplify each hand position using various techniques, we will get tired quickly. So remember that real secret How to simplify a hand drawing - these are observations from life.


View from opposite side: simplified drawing.

4. The Fab Four

It is common in animation to draw characters' hands with only four fingers. This allows, in addition to enhancing the character’s dynamics, to make the artist’s life easier. This way he doesn't have to worry about too many details.


Hands with four fingers of different styles and sizes.

Note: When using this technique, you will need to adapt your knowledge of a five-fingered hand to a four-fingered one. Concepts need to be adapted to achieve suitable and interesting result.

It is worth paying attention to your fingertips. In animation, the more rounded and movable the fingertips are, the more interesting and dynamic they are. When you create characters, think of their hands as if they were individual characters!


See how this hand has its own character?

Another good reason to draw hands with four fingers: in this case, you have the opportunity to increase the size of the fingers, which means making them more expressive! Whole line famous cartoon characters able to stand out thanks to this technique: The Simpsons, Bugs Bunny, The Flintstones and Mickey Mouse.

The Mystery of the Little Finger

One of the most big secrets The design of such a brush is to make maximum use of the little finger! If you place it at a different angle in relation to the other fingers, you will break up the monotony in the perception of your hand.




Highlight the position of the little finger in the frame. See how the nature of the action changes with this technique. The viewer's attention is now focused on the main subject in the frame, and the character's personality is given a special twist.

5. Talk to your hand

When we need to express emotions in an animation drawing, the role of hands is irreplaceable! Look at the images below: the hands visually support and echo the characters' facial expressions and body language.


  1. "I have an amazing idea!"
  2. "How do I look, honey?"
  3. "I can't believe...I'm being awarded an Oscar!"
  4. “I don’t understand anything... he was just here!”
  5. "Ahhh! My head is pounding!"

No matter how strange it may seem, hands have their own character! Not only do they maintain facial expressions and body language, they can express own emotions!


Do you see the greatness in these gestures above?

However, you will often find yourself in a situation where your hands should not distract attention. In this case they should be minor character. Characters in action scenes tend to be exaggerated more than characters in quiet scenes.


Notice that in the dramatic scene there is little movement. There is no room for exaggeration here. Hands should emphasize the feelings of the characters - this is one of the most complex processes in design.

6. Test of knowledge

I have prepared a short test to test your powers of observation. Analyze the pictures below and try to determine what feeling the best way describes each. Can you guess everything correctly?


Can you guess what the hand expresses in each of the drawings?

Raise a hand!

Now you know all the secrets of the art of drawing cartoon hands, Congratulations!



Although hands are a very fun part of the body to draw, the ability to create hand designs in different styles is not so simple, and only with the help of hard training can you achieve natural results. Even if your goal is to draw for animation, it doesn't hurt to buy a good anatomical atlas to understand how the muscles and bones in the hands work. There is no need to memorize each one in detail. It is enough to understand how the hand works in motion. Remember that a character's expressions are much more important than what's underneath the skin.

One last tip: when you need to draw hands, place your own hands in front of a mirror, or just watch your hands. One of them will remain stationary while you draw (unless you've learned to draw with both hands at the same time!)


This lesson is related to "How to Draw a Person" and if you look in more detail, in this lesson I will tell you “ How to draw a hand»

First, we should pay attention to our hands. They consist of three parts: the shoulder, forearm and hand. Each of them can be depicted as ovals, or you just need to learn how to draw a hand right away. If you are depicting a lowered hand, then the fingertips will reach the middle of the thigh, and the elbows will be level with the waist.

So we looked at the method with a simplified hand shape, now let’s improve it so that it looks more natural. When you draw hands, you don't want to draw them too straight. We start with the shoulder, it has a smooth bend, near the elbow the arm narrows a little and widens again in the place where the biceps is located.
The elbow will be somewhat difficult to draw, because it is not just a bend, it is a connection, a hinge.

Next is the brush. Let's imagine each of the segments as a cylinder, and now turn your hand over, palm up, and you will see three almost identical segments on each finger. Well, because all the fingers are different in length, the pads and folds that are between them do not line up in one line.

Let's get started draw a hand from the joints of the fingers from the bones. The first joint is the largest of all three. The second joint is located between the two (in the middle), it is smaller and shorter than the first, but longer than the third joint - the tip of the finger. It is not possible to draw all fingers using this method, since each finger has a different length.

On top of the phalanges of the fingers you need to draw straight lines, and on the side of the palm - rounded.

But let's not forget that a man's hand is slightly different from a woman's. A man's hand is more massive and more sinewy. There are three options for drawing a hand: Muscular, toned and weak hand.

What conclusions can be drawn from this lesson?! There is only one conclusion: draw a hand not as difficult as it might seem at first glance

The human body has many parts. As we have already discussed with you here on the site, drawing the body and its individual parts correctly is not so easy. To do this, you need to study and know the basics of anatomy and physiology. Very often children draw parts of the body and the figures themselves in a very simplified, one might say amateurish way. We want to teach you how to draw elements here human body correct, primarily from an anatomical point of view. Arm yourself with a pencil and eraser, grab an album and start the lesson. By following our tips, you will gradually learn the basics of this wisdom.

Stage 1. Draw the caracal lines of the person’s hand. First we will teach you how to draw a person's hand from the elbow to the fingertips. We build a straight line.. On the upper part we mark a point from which we draw five segments, from which in turn we draw five more segments connected at an angle to the first. This is the basis of the future hand. Then, along the main straight line, we begin to outline the line of the elbow and the forearm of the hand (this is the part of the arm from the hand to the elbow). The forearm widens from the elbow bend, then thins and passes into the hand (the widened part). After this we begin to draw the fingers. First the little finger, then the ring finger. We draw them along those lines from point 1 of the same stage.


Stage 2. Now we draw the middle and index fingers of the hand. Along auxiliary lines We give contours to the phalanges of the fingers. The hand is slightly bent, as if the person wants to take or hold something. Then we’ll draw the last, thumb. And further. On the fingers and palms we will show irregularities in the skin, depressions and tubercles, skin folds.

Stage 4. Now let's try to draw a person's hand separately. We build additional initial frame lines like this. Select a point on a piece of paper. From it we draw three features in different sides. At the end of the third line we put a point, and from it we draw segments connected to each other. It's like a skeleton of future fingers. Outline the hand itself smooth lines around these straight lines to the finger area. The hand is bent down. Then. Let's draw the thumb. First, we will show its thickened part, then the phalanges of the finger itself and the line of connection with the index finger. Then we draw forefinger and the middle finger of the hand, outlining the skeletal lines of the starting point of this drawing.

Stage 5. Finishing the drawing ring finger and little finger. They are barely visible due to the front toes. We show folds on the skin, tubercles, bulges and irregularities on the hand. Then we delete all the sketch lines and leave only the necessary ones. We paint the hand, shading some areas (play of light and shadows). We hope you learned this lesson well and were able to draw human hands.


What You'll Be Creating

Many people think that out of all the body parts, the hands are the most difficult to draw. We all have stories about how early stages When drawing, we hid the hands of our heroes behind their backs or in their pockets, avoiding drawing them whenever possible. And paradoxically, they are our most accessible part, visible every minute of our lives. With just one additional accessory - a small mirror - we can view our hands from all angles. So the only real problem is the complexity of this amazing composite organ. It's almost like drawing a small figure on a larger one - it's hard to know where to start.

In this guide, we'll break down the anatomy of the hand and make it easier to understand so that when you look at the hand, you can understand it as a group simple shapes, which are easy to put together.

Use the following finger abbreviations:

  • BP - Thumb
  • UE - index finger
  • SP - middle finger
  • BezP - Ring finger
  • M - little finger

Brush Basics

Here short review structure of the bones of the hand (left). Blue The 8 carpal bones are marked, the 5 metacarpal bones are purple, and the 14 phalanges are pink.

Since not all of these bones are movable, we can simplify the basic structure of the hand. On the right is a diagram - everything you need to remember.

Note that the actual base of the fingers (the joint that corresponds to the knuckles) is much lower than the visible base formed by the adjacent skin. This must be taken into account when drawing bent fingers.

Based on the above, a simple way to draw a hand is to start with a basic palm shape - a flat (much like a steak, but more rounded, square or trapezoidal) with rounded corners, and then attach the fingers:

If you have trouble drawing fingers, draw them as a stack of three cylinders. Cylinders are easy to draw from any angle, eliminating the need to draw fingers in perspective. Please note that the bases of the cylinders are exactly the folds that need to be drawn in the bent fingers.

This is important: finger joints not aligned in a straight line, and fall on concentric arches:

Also, fingers are not straight, but slightly bent towards the space between SP and BezP. Showing this even slightly in the drawing will make it more realistic.

Don't forget about your nails. You don't have to draw them all the time. They actually show up at a certain degree of detail that only looks right when the hands are seen close enough, but we're not usually taught how they should look, and because of this I, for one, for a long time couldn't make them look normal. A few notes for painting nails:

  1. The nail begins in the middle of the first phalanx.
  2. The line at which the nail separates from the flesh varies: for some people it is entirely at the edge of the finger, for others it is very low ( dotted line), so in their case the nails are wider.
  3. The nails are not flat, they are more tile-shaped with varying degrees of curvature - from strong to very weak. Study your hand and you will find that this curvature is different for each finger, but fortunately we do not need this level of realism in painting.

Proportions

Now, taking the (apparent) length of the UE as a structural unit, we can roughly outline the following proportions:

  1. Maximum opening between BP and UP = 1.5
  2. Maximum opening between FP and BezP = 1. SP can be closer to any adjacent finger, this does not affect the overall distance.
  3. Maximum opening between NoP and M = 1
  4. The maximum angle between the BP and M is 90º, taken from the very base of the BP joint: the fully extended M is aligned with it.

I wrote “approximately” because... It's different for everyone, but remember that deviation from the norm may not look right on paper. When in doubt, these settings will always look correct.

Details

The basic shape is only one complex aspect of the hand; the next one is detailing the folds and lines. Who hasn't been frustrated while painting with a brush when it's difficult to get all those lines right? Let's look at the fold lines and some measurement details:

  1. The intended continuation of the inner wrist line separates the thumb from the rest. A small tendon line may mark the junction of the wrist and hand.
  2. When the fingers are closed as shown above, the BP is slightly hidden under the palm.
  3. UE or BezP are often as long as SP.
  4. The folds representing the joints are elliptical or parentheses-like, but when the hand is spread out as shown above, they are not pronounced (unless one has prominent knuckles, which is often the case on overworked hands) and can be drawn as simple dimples.
  5. The folds on the knuckles show an elliptical shape, but they disappear when the fingers are bent. They are shown by parallel lines on the side of the palm, but are more pronounced on the lower knuckle - usually the upper knuckles are not indicated by two lines.
  6. WITH reverse side the lines of the fingers continue to the beginning of the palm, so they look longer on the back of the hand.
    WITH inside the lines are shorter because The upper part of the palm is voluminous, so the fingers look shorter.
  7. The lines where the fingers end are tension lines (short horizontal strokes) on both sides, and on both sides these tension lines point away from the SP.

Also note that in the diagram above the nails are not fully drawn, but only lightly outlined, which is consistent with the overall level of detail (which is much higher than necessary to show all the lines). The smaller the brush, the less detail you need to specify unless you want to make it look old.

I didn't mention the hand lines above, so I'll go over them in detail here:

  1. The most visible lines on the palm - the so-called heart, head and life lines - are the folds of skin where the palm curves. As long as you are not drawing in a realistic style, there is no need to draw other lines - it will be redundant.
  2. Don't confuse the life line with the thumb outline, which becomes visible at certain angles, as shown on the right. The life line is almost concentric with the outline of the thumb, but notice how much higher it starts on the palm - in fact the (true) base of the UP.
  3. From the outside, the pad at the base of each finger looks like a series of curved, parallel bumps.
  4. These fold lines are partially wrapped around the fingers. They are emphasized when the fingers bend.
  5. On the extended finger there is a small bulge formed by folds of skin. It disappears when the finger is bent.

So what do we see from the side when the arm is extended?

  1. From the outside, the line of the wrist curves into the base of the palm, so the transition between them forms a gentle convexity.
  2. The bottom of the hand appears flatter from the outside than from the inside, although the base of the thumb may still be visible.
  3. From the outside, the last joint of the BezP is completely visible, because M is shifted towards the hand.
  4. From the inside, little or no SP is visible, depending on the length of the SP.
  5. On the inside, the line of the wrist is blocked by the base of the thumb, so the transition is sharper and it is important to show the convexity.

Note also that when viewed from the outside, another new one is shown on the palms. contour line. It comes from the wrist and, with a turn of the hand, connects to line M until it covers the base of the BP:

Range of motion

Detailed articulation implies movement, and the arms are constantly moving. We use our hands not only for practical purposes (holding a mug, typing), but also to convey our words expressively or respond to emotions. So it's no surprise that drawing brushes correctly requires an understanding of how your fingers move.

Five fingers

Let's start with the thumb, which moves independently. Its real base and center of movement is located very low on the hand, where the hand meets the wrist.

  1. With a natural relaxed position, there is space between the BP and the rest of the arm.
  2. The BP can fold in such a way that it touches the base of the M, but this causes tension and leads to pain.
  3. The BP can stretch to the width of your palm, but this also leads to tension and pain.

The other four fingers move slightly laterally and mostly bend forward, parallel to each other. They bend at a certain autonomous angle, but not without influencing neighboring fingers; try, for example, bend one joint venture and see what happens to the rest. Only the power supply is completely independent.

When the hand is clenched into a fist and all the fingers are curled, the hand takes on a dome shape, as if it were resting on a large ball. The ball (shown in red) becomes smaller and the curvature increases.

When the hand is fully extended (right), the fingers are either straight or slightly bent back, depending on their flexibility. Some people's fingers bend at a 90º angle when pressure is applied to them.

Let's take a closer look at a fully clenched fist:

  1. The first and third folds of a fully bent finger touch, forming a cross.
  2. The second fold is a continuation of the finger line.
  3. Part of the finger is covered by a flap of skin and the thumb, recalling that the entire structure of the thumb is closest to the outer edge. You can move the UE outward and cover a flap of skin with it, this is anatomically possible, but this is not natural way fist formation.
  4. The joint's knuckle protrudes the most, and the other knuckles gradually descend from the joint's level, so that at the angle shown here the parallel fingers are seen from the outside rather than from the inside.
  5. The first and third folds touch and form a cross again.
  6. The BP is bent in such a way that its last phalanx is shortened in perspective.
  7. The skin fold protrudes here.
  8. When the hand is clenched into a fist, the knuckles protrude and “brackets” are visible.

Brush as a whole

When the hand is relaxed, the fingers are slightly bent, and when the hand is pointing upward, they are bent more due to gravity. In both cases, the UP remains extended, while the others gradually curl up, and M is the most bent of them. From the side, the sequence of finger placement makes the 2 or 3 outermost fingers visible between the UP and BP.

The M often "runs away" and is placed slightly away from the other fingers - another way to make the hands more realistic. On the other hand, UP and SP or SP and BezP will often go in pairs, sticking together while the other 2 remain free. This will make the brush look more alive. The BezP-M pair appears when the fingers are slightly bent.

Since the fingers are not the same length, they always represent a sequential transition. When the fingers are squeezing something, such as a glass, the SP (1) is visible most of all, while the M (2) is only slightly visible.

Holding a pen or something like that, SP, BezP and M bend back relative to the palm if the object is held between the BP and UP (take a pencil and watch). If you press harder, the joint venture is connected and straightened, because presses on the object. Maximum pressure causes all fingers to point outward, as shown here.

As we can see, the hand and wrist are exceptionally clear, each finger almost has a life of its own, so drawing hands usually baffles the novice illustrator. But when the brushes start to turn out well, we, as a rule, fall into the opposite trap - we start drawing brushes too rationally: the fingers carefully take their places, parallel lines, careful alignments. The result is stiff and simply too dull for a part of the body that can speak as expressively as the eyes. This is suitable for certain types characters (for example, those whose personality expresses rigidity or insensitivity), but most often I would like to draw lively, expressive hands. To do this, you can go one of two ways: add attitude (i.e. add drama to the gesture, resulting in a moving hand position that is probably never used in real life) or add naturalness (observe the hands of people who do not monitor their gestures in order to see the accidents that I mean). I can't show every hand position, but below you can see examples of restrained and natural/dynamic hand:

*Note for specific case - trained fighters Always will keep their fingers parallel during impact (as shown in the restrained position), otherwise they may break their knuckles.

Differences

Each person’s hands are individual, as are their facial features. Men are different from women, young are different from old, etc. Below are some existing classifications, but they do not cover the full range of characteristic features that a hand can have. Characteristic sign- the right word, because brushes should be painted as if they were characters with their own character: subtle, soft, dry, calloused, rough, etc. (See Practice Time)

Brush shapes

The proportions of the fingers in relation to the hand matter:

Finger shapes

Even not everyone’s nails are the same! By nature we are given flat or round nail bases, and people already artificially give their nails different shapes.

Practice time

  • Watch your hands different people. Firstly, in order to understand anatomical structure: how the fingers look different positions, how lines appear and change, how certain details depend on tension, etc. Secondly, in order to understand the differences: how men's hands differ from women's. How do they change with age? What do they look like depending on a person’s weight? Can you recognize someone by their hands?
  • Make some energetic sketches of any hands - yours, other people's, from photographs. Don't worry about getting the proportions right, don't even look at them too much - we just want to capture the expression.

    Joumana Medlej is a Lebanese calligraphy artist, trained by a master in Beirut and now living in England. Her body of work encompasses drawing tutorials, graphic design, illustration, comic books, digital games and children's literature.

The image of hands, or rather hands, is quite a difficult task. Even many successful artists, with craftsmanship and landscapes, avoid compositions involving hands. Therefore, having set yourself the task of learning to draw hands correctly, you should understand that this is a long and painstaking work. First of all, you need to study the structure of the palm, the physiological basis - the skeleton. Most The best way for this purpose it is drawing from life.

Many people refuse to learn to draw. Fears that they will not be able to overcome difficulties, that they are not talented enough, prevent them from even trying to master basic drawing skills. They are looking for reasons and culprits, because it is easier to give up on an idea than to sweat a lot. And it's really sad. After all, you should understand that the learning process will not be easy. Some lessons are easier and it only takes a few hours of practice to get satisfactory results. And some aspects cannot be studied “at once”; you need to work long and hard before the first positive results appear. Both in life and in drawing, it is easier to give up obstacles than to stress and move on.


In order to start drawing you will need: regular drawing paper, HB and 2B pencil, eraser. The first sketch is best done with a subtle HB pencil, and to further add tone and detail we use the 2B markings.

Step-by-step instructions

Turn the paper over horizontally and divide it in half. Place your hand on one half and start drawing on the other. Imagine that your fingers are cylinders, your hands and wrists are geometric shapes. Thus, we can imagine the volumes that make up a human hand.

First, let's draw several straight lines repeating the axes of the fingers. Then we will install the top of the middle finger, little finger and thumb. Between extreme points draw a connecting line along the axes of the thumb and little finger to help calculate the distance and make it easier to evaluate in further calculations of the distance between the joints.

The sketches made may seem like nonsense, and you may have a question: “How will a hand come out of these lines and dashes?” Remember that even great things begin from small things, and it is impossible to correctly build a palm without referring to the physiological structure.

Draw the thickness of the fingers along the marked ellipses so that thin cylinders are formed.

Erase the dark construction lines and smooth the image and add small parts such as nails, folds and wrinkles.

Then, using an eraser, select light tones and shades, erase the excess lines that remain from the sketches around the hand.

Remember that the attitude with which you start work determines the success or failure of your venture.