Exercise 43 Results: Hand Gestures Step by Step

Check out the Exercise and Download the Step by Step Guide HERE.  

And here is the practice worksheet for this exercise HERE.  

Artist: Tim Von Rueden (vonn)

Hands are perceived as being tough to draw, and initially they are. Don't psych yourself out, take your time to understand the forms that hands are composed of and then analyze the details. Once you get into the habit of drawing them again and again, you begin "seeing" subtle details such as webbing in between the fingers, how fingertips and knuckles are typically a more flush color, or the proportions between each finger.

This takes time and practice, there is no way around it. And don't expect your first attempts at hands to be near the reference or close to it looking realistic. Just know it will take multiple, multiple attempts until you start noticing how to fix areas and improve the overall look of the hand.

Below is a small guide and step by step on how to paint the hands digitally. These are typically my general steps on drawing/painting hands BUT it's not a exact guide on the only way to paint hands. There are many ways to go about it, just experiment and find what works for you!

1. Rough out Shapes - Be loose and quick with your line but with purpose. Draw out helpful shapes or guides to help create the overall shaping and proportion of the hand.
2. Refined Outline - With a more refined eye, create an outline that uses the initial foundation to create a clean line from. It's good to include "imply" line details such as a wrinkle or a knuckle line to help when laying out color.
3. Base Color - Start with a solid foundation color on a neutral grey background when starting the coloring process.
4. Block out Colors - Block out colors NOT the details. Use reference and see where there are more "fleshy" tones such as red or magenta in areas such as the knuckles and fingertips.
5. Remove Outline and Detail - This is where some artists get stuck but be confident when removing the outline and start detailing.
6. Final Polish Pass - This is when you can add those highlights or surface details like the refined wrinkles on the palm of your hand. As a extra challenge try not using white for the highlights or any black for the shadow areas!