The hand, wrist to the tip of the middle finger is about the height of the face.

To find the last joint in each finger, take the length from the middle joint to the top of that finger and divide it in half.ħ. The little finger barely reaches the top knuckle of the third finger.Ħ. The third finger is just slightly longer than the index finger.ĥ. The first finger almost reaches the fingernail of the middle finger.Ĥ. The length of the middle finger from its tip to right before the knuckle is equal to the length of the hand.ģ. The first joint of each finger is equal to the last two joints of that finger in length.Ģ. I think that at least at the beginning they can be very helpful, but I am confident that with time you will refer to these less often.ġ. With that said, here are some formula-type proportion statements to memorize when drawing the hand. Further, there are many variations in proportion in life, and you may want to express that in your drawings. This is because as you practice drawing from reference, over time you will develop a better eye for proportion. Consider Proportions When Drawing HandsĪ small caveat: I am not big on memorizing proportions in a way that can be expressed as a formula.

Now lets add some more information to your visual library by looking at important landmarks. Keep the above pointers in mind regarding the shapes when drawing hands. When clenched into a fist, the thumb does not stretch beyond the second finger. Notice that the palm of the hand has a hollow in the middle, forming a sort of a spoon-like shape, especially when the thumb is brought close to the hand.ĥ. The palm has an arch to it pointing inward to the knuckles. Incorporate this backward curve when drawing hands with fingers flaring out, or the drawing will not look natural.Ĥ.

When fingers are extended, their shape has a backward curve to it. The middle finger is the longest and is at the apex of an arch created by the fingers when they are extended.ģ. These masses shift, the palm folds, but the changes are minimal compared to the movement of the fingers.Ģ. There are two main masses to deal with when drawing the hand: that of the palm and the one of the thumb attached to it. Keep the following in mind when observing the shapes you are drawing:ġ. Look at good reference and try to carefully observe what goes into the shape outline of the hand, what features are visible? Study the shape of the palm and build the shape from there. This is a good section to start discussing the drawing process:ĭraw the contour shape of the hand first, before getting into the details of what goes inside of the shape.

Middle finger to draw