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Author: Leslie_Pz, Contributing Editor
 | INTRODUCTION My name is Leslie Pease and welcome to my demonstration on hands! I hope this demonstration is helpful and more importantly, is clear! Doing the best I can, I conceed I am not a writer. I am going to try to make this as brief as possible, but hands are complex to paint; especially when they are the dominant subject. BUT certainly hands are not impossible and in this demonstration, you will see how I attempt to paint them. KEEP IN MIND There are a few things to keep in mind, before painting hands: Are the hands the subject of the piece? Are the hands as important as the primary subject of the painting? The way the hands are portrayed is important. If they are to be gently placed on the lap of a child, then the hands probably won’t need as much detail. If it’s a painting of hands holding something significant, or the hands themselves are the subject of the painting, then the detail should be more distinct. Anatomy is another thing that is extremely important to remember. What happens under the skin is what determines what happens on top of the skin. There’s no need to remember all the ligaments, muscles and bones by name, but it’s important to realize they do exist underneath and are the form and volume of the hand. It helps you understand why a wrinkle or a shadows happens “there” as opposed to “there”. The images shown are from “Gray’s Anatomy”, an excellent book that lists the entire body, including the hand. The wording is small in the images I’ve posted, but you have the idea of what is being shown. |  |
| SKETCHING After looking at the anatomy of a hand, you must sketch! it’s a good way to practice hands and you are always with a model! Waiting for the bus? Draw your hand! Someone’s late for an appointment, another good time to pose your built-in model! You know when you’ve got the free moment! With something to draw and a drawing surfacce, you are never bored and staying in condition! PROMISE TIME! Before you go any further, it’s promise time... It’s very important to keep in practice. Sketch books are a great journal and a way to not only keep in condition, but it’s also a good reference book for future ideas! So, please promise to keep a book and sketch often! Also, exercise the brain... look at something and draw it, with one continuous line AND without looking at your paper! Now, that’s a brain-twister and also a good way to learn to “trust” what you see. Eventually, you will be surprised at how accurate it can be! |
| THE COLORS It’s time to address the subject of palette (colors). Here’s where I break your heart. There’s no such thing as a skin tone recipe! There are so many factors to consider - lighting, reflected color, skin tone, etc. A good example would be to take a white ceramic or porcelain cup (dish, bowl, whatever's on hand) and walk around the room, holding it up to different objects. You will see colors reflected onto the white surface. So, if you read this article (or scan to my palette) and try the colors on your painting and it doesn’t work, it’s probably because the colors in my palette are different from the colors you are using. You have to find the colors that are actually on the subject which you are painting to obtain “accurate” skin tones. |  |
 | GETTING STARTED Now, with the information provided, it’s time to pick a subject! There are MANY great subjects in the reference library from which to choose. So, please (!) go through the reference library, and sketch, draw, scratch or paint away! For my image, I have selected from the collection of hands I recently uploaded; a photo of my daughter's hands. |
| THE UNDER-DRAWING For my very first layer, I apply lots of layers of gesso. My painting style tends to be quite thin; therefore, the canvas texture shows through a bit too much. Once the gesso is completely dry, I start the sketch. In this case because of time restrictions, I didn’t appy the layers of gesso. You can really see the bite of the canvas, in the last photos... I’ve selected an 8x10 inch canvas board and decided to paint the hands, “portrait style” (vertical), instead of “landscape” (horizontal), because the image is so powerful - the gentle touch of sister's hands. Because there is such weight of love between those gentle fingers, I wanted a lot of space above them. Also, it’s better not to cut the composition in “half”, so placing the hands below the halfway point keeps the painting’s composition strong. Also nice is the way the left hand flows into the hand on the right, where the flow is stopped by the open hand. Equally as fun is the weight the brightness gives to the right hand; the area where the subject of the painting is centralized. |  |
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