How to draw hands: master gesture sketching with this professional process

To draw hands accurately, you need to look past the complexity of their anatomy and recognise simple rules that will help you draw from a model, or even your own imagination. Although they're notoriously tricky to get right, there are some sketching tips and tricks you can use to get them just right.

In this first of three short tutorials portrait painter Kate Oleska breaks down the process for creating a quick sketch into four simple steps. She starts by exploring the structure of the hand, and then looks at how to translate this into a drawing.

You can follow along below and if inspired I'd recommend reading our guides to the best pencils for artists and best pastel pencils; don't forget the advice here can be transferred to using the best digital art software too.

01. Consider how hands work

(Image: © Kate Oleska)

The most important thing when drawing hands is to understand their anatomy. Look at your own hand – it (usually) comprises a palm, thumb, index finger and the three remaining fingers that, even though they can be moved separately, work together when it comes to grabbing objects. Move your hand and notice how your fingers and thumb bend and move, and what happens to the palm in the process.

02. Find the right gesture

(Image: © Kate Oleska)

Before you start drawing a hand, make sure you pick an interesting gesture. Try to experiment a lot at this point. A well-drawn gesture can communicate more than 100 words. Why not be your own model and actor?Perform a gesture and notice what happens to your hand, then try to emulate those gestures in some fast and loose sketches.

03. Construct your sketch

(Image: © Kate Oleska)

Once you choose the gesture you want to draw, start sketching it in a more precise way. Ask someone to pose for you or observe your own non-drawing hand. Start off with bigger shapes, but don’t focus on small wrinkles or fingernails yet. A sturdy, well-constructed sketch will go a long way. Observe how the elements of the hand work together and what happens to the skin and muscles.

04. Work in the details

(Image: © Kate Oleska)

When you’re happy with the first sketch, begin refining it. Enhance the lines that are important and erase those that aren’t. Add wrinkles, fingernails and veins if they’re visible. When drawing fingernails, remember that they aren’t pasted on top of the fingers, they are well embedded in the tips of the fingers. Drawing them correctly is important.

This content originally appeared in ImagineFX magazine, the world's leading digital art and fantasy art magazine. ImagineFX is on sale in the UK, Europe, United States, Canada, Australia and more. Limited numbers of ImagineFX print editions are available for delivery from our online store (the shipping costs are included in all prices).