Hands.

Hands.

That monster, feared by artists worldwide.

Beginners and experts united by a common enemy.

Performing all sorts of tricks to avoid drawing a hand.

But why waste such a powerful source of expression?

Simplification and Mnemonics

You're probably asking yourself.

What does toast have to do with drawing expressive hands?

This simple shape helps us visualize the form of the hand from different angles and perspectives.

To simplify the internal structure of the hand, the palm, we only need a chicken drumstick and a piece of toast in underwear.

As a result: we even get the central hollow .

 

Furthermore, it helps us see the difference in plane position. The thumb is not located on the same plane as the palm.

Next step: determine the position of the other fingers.

 

For this, we draw a bean from side to side of the toast, slightly tilted.

We divide its space into four. Starting from the center.

 

In each section, we draw a circle, which will determine the thickness of the fingers.

Now we can:

a) Draw straight lines.

b) Draw the outline, working with a block, a whole. Then divide it into the different fingers.

 

 

You can find countless methods and ways to simplify the parts of the hand.

By practicing them, you will find the ones that best suit you.

Whether with circles, arcs and cylinders, or with a piece of toast… The point is to find the simplification method that helps you draw hands quickly from all perspectives.

 

 

Volume, Let's Be Friends.

The next thing is to achieve volume, or rather, to understand it. So it's easier for us to interpret it using color or line.

 

It helps me a lot to imagine that each part of the hand is “touching glass”.

Like a pressure map, guiding us in the use of lights and shadows .

Fingers

Perhaps, one of the parts that tends to twist the most

Well, it's not common for us to consider that each finger and joint has a limit in its range of motion (ROM).

Range of Motion (ROM)

Let's superficially understand finger movements:

 

1) Abduction. Spreading the fingers apart.

Occurs mainly at the knuckles (MCP joint)

It varies for each finger, between 20º-30º

 

2) Adduction. Bringing the fingers together.

Simple 0º, until the fingers touch.

 

In this case:

The middle finger acts as the reference axis for the hand.

Therefore, it has less lateral movement (abduction)

 

The range of motion (ROM) is greater with straight fingers. When flexed, the ligaments greatly reduce movement.

 

 

a) Extension, when you open your hand and straighten your fingers, moving them away from the palm.

b) Flexion, when you close your hand or grasp something, bringing your fingers closer to the palm.

 

This movement occurs in the different joints of each finger.

The example is simplified for better understanding.

In reality, the movement occurs in a chain.

The finger bends like a domino effect.

Imagine it like a claw closing.

 

Knowing these concepts will help make our hand drawings more natural and expressive, avoiding rigid or robotic fingers, for example.

You can explore in more depth, thanks to the Clip Studio 3D model. In the menu:

Advanced tool settings > Pose > Joint angle limit.

Most important:

·Hands do not move in isolated parts, but as a whole.

·Fingers tend to curve towards the middle finger.

·The thumb functions independently (it does not follow the aforementioned rules)

 

And remember, each hand is unique, with its peculiarities. But it's good to know the rules, so you can break them wisely.

 

 

Index Finger and Thumb

A useful detail to keep in mind is that both the tip of the thumb and the index finger are usually flatter than those of the other fingers. These, on the other hand, have a more rounded or slightly pointed shape, which directly influences how they capture light and are perceived in the drawing.

 

 

Parts of the index finger - Transverse view

a) Basic shapes b) "Joints" c) Volumes d) Line e) Color

The index finger is the most “theatrical” finger (points, denies, indicates…)

I recommend practicing its different variations, and those of each finger.

This will make your brain assimilate different data.

Making the process easier each time.

 

For example, if we work with circles and cylinders, we can clearly visualize the knuckles.

The thumb has two main joints, unlike the rest of the fingers.

When flexed, it tends to look wider due to compression (skin folds appear) and the change in perspective.

 

Its structure and orientation are key: if positioned correctly, even a simple hand will work.

The type of nails says a lot about our characters' personalities.

Someone coquettish will keep them clean and polished.

A nervous person will barely have any nails.

In Search of the Lost Valley

This negative space can sometimes get complicated; a simple way to draw the union between the fingers is :

-At greater distance. There is greater opening. It will be more curved, open. Like a U

-At shorter distance between the fingers, the union will be more angular. Like a V.

The union in this "valley" acts similarly to the fingertips. It is an important detail when applying color, especially when it receives direct light.

Don't obsess over making the spaces perfect and symmetrical. In a natural pose, they rarely have equidistant separations.

 

 

3D Model

The best reference you have is your own hands. And Clip Studio makes that very clear.

But before we put the icing on the cake, let's delve a little into the available functions and manipulators.

The first step is to import our 3D hand model onto the canvas.

Choose one from the wide variety available, or customize it directly to your liking.

Advanced Tool Settings

Let's start by better understanding the advanced tool settings.

Remember, for them to appear, you must select:

Tool > Operation

 

The first three options, as the icon indicates, are camera movements.

You just need to click on the blank space (stage) and drag until you get the desired perspective.

The following blue icons allow us to move the model.

Above you can see an example on an Android tablet. It works the same as on a computer.

There are different methods to make the same adjustment. In the following image, they are grouped by color.

This happens with most available settings.

Use the one that feels most fluid with your workflow.

Remember, your great ally in 3D layers is the Operation tool.

If we switch the type of handler, new options will appear as shown in the video.

On the other hand, we have all the options available in the window:

Tool Settings > Wrench icon

[Open advanced tool settings to access more settings ]

Here we can choose: Light sources, color, type, poses... Among many other things.

All of this will be very useful for conducting hand studies. You can duplicate your model as many times as you need, changing its angles and perspectives.

If you want to change the light source individually, I recommend duplicating the 3D object layer, instead of doing it within the object list.

This way, only the model on the layer you are working on will be affected.

On the contrary, if you do the same with the one inside the object list, you will alter the light of all objects contained within.

Let's Get Our Hands Moving!

Cheer up! We've overcome the most tedious part. It's time to have fun and draw.

 

You can do different types of practice:

·Draw your favorite characters. Add a new hand position each time.

·Deep studies. Start by carefully observing the hand posture.

Something that made my work improve exponentially is careful observation. Remember to frequently check your reference, because sometimes, investing more time analyzing the object in detail will save you drawing time (and erasing, and drawing…)

Look for patterns, such as: the tip of the thumb aligning with the base of the index finger.

·Speed sketch. Doing studies with a time limit was a game-changer for my practice results. If the same happens to you, this technique will help you focus on important details when sketching.

Once your sketch is finished, you can carefully analyze the weak points to reinforce.

·Model dissection. Simplifying the model after sketching it from different views will help you understand it much better.

If you want a higher level of difficulty, dim the light source or even remove it. This way you will only have a silhouette to work with.

From 3D Model to Drawing.

Another very useful option is to trace the line based on the model.

Then add the color.

We can:

-Fill the line with a flat color and work on it.

-Or paint directly on the 3D model.

We need to create a new layer, and clip to layer below.

Have fun trying different techniques and styles.

The first two hands are colored on the 3D model. The others are based on a flat color.

Real-time Model

And now, let's analyze the Hand Scanner tool.

On a tablet, you can use both the front and rear cameras, as well as their respective flipped, mirror-style versions.

 

The interpretation time is immediate; there is no delay or lag in the model.

After tinkering a bit (or rather, when editing the video), I noticed that the application itself asks you to orient your palms directly to the camera for better detection. Otherwise, it will happen like in the video, where it goes crazy trying to understand the hand posture.

While the hand scanner is running, you cannot move the 3D model's view. Once you pause or cancel the scanner, you can move the object again without problems.

Final Tip

When you have to study a subject that you find tedious, difficult... Look for a connection with something you're passionate about.

 

For example, I love solving puzzles, human behavior, and body language. So, let's put on our Sherlock Holmes hat to add some excitement to learning.

Observe how a simple change in hand position completely alters the energy conveyed.

a) Insecurity d) Nervousness g) Absence of fear

b) Cold e) Aggression h) Disinterest

c) Rejection f) Control

 

This is just from reading a couple of articles; imagine everything you can discover by combining several of your passions.

You can reflect how a thought weighs down, eventually leading to boredom, simply by changing the hand posture.

Our hands are extremely expressive; they are a language for deaf people, they help tell stories, or reveal our deepest thoughts.

 

There are countless methods to make learning interesting; you just need to find the formula to motivate yourself.

 

 

Farewell

I hope some of these tricks help you diminish the "monster" hand.

And as a reward, and thanks for making it this far, an extra tip.

Sub View

Since discovering this gadget, I've been using many more reference images.

Being within the program, you can: flip, scale, and even open the image in a new canvas.

Once imported, they remain registered, and you can switch between them with a click.

 

To use it:

Window > Sub View

 

And remember, practice makes perfect.