Week 12: JD, MP & K.

Getting Handsy

So great to see some of you embracing the challenge. Hands are fun, if a bit tricky. Starting us off this week is:

JD

Using her left hand as her model, JD has used a combination of Faber Castell and Staedler graphite pencils in 2H/HB/B/2B and 4B on Winsor Newton 200gsm heavyweight visual diary paper. She has also used her paper stump to blend the tones into an even skin tone.

JDs drawing is very good, it shows an attention to detail and proportions. The nails are nicely done. Small things like the swelling on the first joint of the first finger, pronounced knuckles and wrinkles make this the drawing of an individual. I think it is quite well done.

JD asks me if she has blended too much - I don't think so - the range and contrast is good. She also asks me if she should have added more tone in graphite fill - again, I don't think that is needed. The blending with the stump has created the tonal variation she needs with enough darks to create form. Well done.

'Hand' by JD

MP

MP has also drawn her left hand and has used Faber Castell HB,2B & 4B on Canson 220gsm drawing pad paper. She says she made a few attempts, and this final result is quite creditable. Attention to detail and shapes is very good. The use of tone has a lovely textural feel. Also, she has not shied away from showing the character of her hands wrinkles. The only thing I see that I feel is an issue is that the forefinger is quite long. The middle finger of the hand is the longest finger, but in this drawing the middle finger is considerably shorter - even taking perspective into consideration. That being said, this is still a good drawing of your hand and very well rendered. The thumb and forefinger areas are quite well drawn, but I can see you have struggled a bit with the proportions of the final three fingers. The cast shadow is a nice touch, creating the feel of the hand sitting above the page.

A good effort.

K

K is left handed, so we get to see a right hand drawing! She has used F, 2B & 6B pencils on Canson 220 drawing pad paper.

This is another well observed study in graphite pencil. She suffers from a touch of arthritis and you can see this displayed here in the slightly swollen joints. A few well considered lines demonstrate wrinkles and age. The 'kink' in the left pinky finger makes this a hand drawing individual to K. She has concentrated on tone to create form and avoided too much outline around the hand and fingers. This drawing also shows off her nicely manicured nails! Well done, K.