Drawing Prompt #12

Hands

No one has an excuse this week for not being able to find a subject! This week I would like you to concentrate on drawing hands. It can be your non-drawing hand or it could be a partners/friends/childs hand. I want to see it drawn in graphite pencil and drawn from life - if you wish to try toned paper with white highlights, feel free, but stick to monotone for this study.

When I draw hands I use the 'Block and Cylinder' method. Begining with a few gestural strokes I will establish the largest areas as a 3D block and the fingers as cylinders. I find this the easiest way to get proportions and expression right. An excellent tutorial on this method can be found HERE and I suggest you all read it. Brent Eviston does a great explanation - this image showing the techniqe is a sample from that page:

Fig. 4 Drawing Hands exercise by ©Brent Eviston
BRENTS WEBPAGE

Draw your hand in the most comfortable way you like to draw in pencil. If you wish to only use line then do so. Tonal study gets you extra marks, but I really want you to concentrate of the anatomy, structure and form of the hand and if you find it easiest to do that in line only that's fine.

For your drawing examples this week, I want to show you some samples done by our newest member of these Drawing Prompts to inspire you. CursedGirl has been studying and drawing hands on her own and has done two quite remarkable works graphite pencil line. Both her drawings have good proportions and attention to gesture. 

'Gentle Hands' by Cursed Girl

Lovely expression in this work. The linework says it all.

'Xray' by Cursed Girl

I love the imagination in this work. Slightly creepy as the hand is dipped into acid(?) but it is also a clever way to show the bone structure of a hand. Again in graphite pencil line work, but a little more attention to tonal shading.

I look forward to seeing what you do!

NOTE:

Entries to Prompt #11 'Shell' received this Sunday afternoon will be posted early next week.