I’ve always admired James Frederick’s graphite drawing, “The List”. The wrinkles and veins on the weathered hands tells untold narratives about the main character without seeing any other descriptive characteristic. However, when giving tips about the drawing of realistic hands, James told me that when drawing hands, details such as wrinkles and fingernails  should be drawn in at the end, and should be done with care.

When you are drawing or painting hands into your picture, it is important to remember that hands help define a figure’s character almost more than anything else. They can speak pages about a person’s life and age, almost as much as the face.

Many artist’s consider the portrayal of hands problematic, as well as do I. However, as problematic as they may be, there really is no mystery; consider the gesture first. If you concentrate on what the model is doing with the hands, you will notice the hands will fit the action. If the model is relaxed in motion, so will be the hands. If the model is stressed, so will be the hands.

Tip: Draw the shape of the hand and concentrate on the contour. Plan the size and make sure it is correct in relationship to the rest of the body. Be sure to leave a touch of flesh around the fingernails. Many artist forget this very important step.