Hand

Preview:

A study about the proportions, shapes, and range of motion of the human hand, by Jassim.

Synonyms: ~~manus~~Manus; Fingers; Palm; Phalanges; Knuckles

Summary

The hands are two intricate and multi-fingered body parts located at the end of the arms, both in humans and primates.

Basics

In humans, the hands are made up of a broad palm (metacarpus) and five digits. The hand is attached to the arm with a joint called the wrist (carpus).

While human hands are designed for things such as carrying things, grabbing, pushing, hitting, tapping or petting; they also play an important function in communication: body language, sign language, calculation, symbolic gestures, communicating affection, etc. As such, they are great tools in art as well: the human hands can convey moods, emotions, and even information about a characters' backgrounds and personality.

Proportions

The human hand usually has five fingers (four fingers and a thumb).

Generally speaking, the palm and the fingers are about the same length, both being 1/2 of the hand. When the fingers are spread, the thumb is in the same half as the palm.

The hand is mainly made of bones, 14 of which are the phalanges that each finger is divided into, going from longest at the base of the fingers to shortest at the tips: these are the proximal phalanges, the middle phalanges, and the distal phalanges. Note that the thumb doesn't have a middle phalange.

(The palm covers part of the proximal phalanges, but we can see them at the back of the hands where the knuckles are.)

The fingers are not cylinders: drawing them as such can make the fingers look uncanny. Instead, remember that the fingers have curves and bumps. It is encouraged to look at many different references to truly see the differences between each individual's hand, as this can also be good for character design.

Shapes

Although it doesn't always seem like it, the knuckles form a curve together. A good way to remember this is to picture the palm as a pentagon and place the fingers on top of it: they naturally curve, from the base to the tips, with the middle finger being the tallest one.

The knuckles forming a curve is also relevant for drawing a fist, and it is also convenient to remember that each base knuckle has its own shape. The middle finger's knuckle is typically the tallest and sharpest, similar to a triangle. The ring finger's knuckle is less sharp and more rounded, and the two other knuckles (pinky and index) are flatter, like squares or rectangles.

Advanced

Beyond the basics

Range of movement

Typically, the hands can lean on each side at about 40°; this varies wildly depending on each individual, some having particularly flexible wrists while others have particularly stiff wrists.

(Note that the range of motion for the extension and flexion in this picture is implying the hand is not using anything to push the hand further: if the hand is pushing against something, the angle can be about 90°.)

Other things to remember

- The fingers are all connected and the way they move tends to creates a somewhat predictable, harmonious curve. The index finger tends to lead, and the other fingers follow one at a time, even when the fingers are separate. The fingers seem to flow together.

- To allow movement, the skin on the hands is designed to be able to fold and stretch. Such movement creates folds in the skin, both in young and old individuals.

Reference Pictures (for study only)

Reference pictures. Source: ~~wikimedia~~Wikimedia, Reference.Pictures

credit to: Reference.Pictures