| Most pieces of artwork start with an outline drawing | | | | calluses that you have portrayed and the observer |
| whether you are going to do a watercolor painting, | | | | will visualize that the hand is tanned and callused. You |
| portrait, pet portrait, landscape or seascape. Outline | | | | can show the highlights and the shadows making the |
| drawings are used as an effective tool to start | | | | hand look rounded and curved. |
| simple sketching, cartooning, can be used for the | | | | As you look at your own hand, move your fingers, |
| beginning stages of a detailed realistic drawing for a | | | | look how the skin wrinkles, where are the deep |
| fine art piece . There are several ways to start an | | | | creases, where do the shadows start and end. How |
| outline drawing, you can free hand the drawing or | | | | are the muscles and the bone structure formed? |
| use a grid if you are confident to free hand. | | | | Here is an easy exercise to help you start seeing like |
| Whether you are free handing a drawing or using a | | | | an artist sees before doing a drawing. Let your hand |
| grid you have to see the whole picture of what you | | | | rest comfortably on your leg, table or counter in a |
| want to draw. The best way to see the whole | | | | well-lit area. Sit and focus on your relaxed hand |
| picture is to visualize what you want to draw. With | | | | thinking what is the first step to drawing my hand. |
| visualization you start to train your eyes to see what | | | | What do I see? How many lines can you see on |
| is really there, not just what you think is there. You | | | | your thumb, how do they curve, bend, now look at |
| see, feel and understand the whole package of what | | | | the rest of your hand and count the lines. Look for |
| you are drawing. | | | | the shadows and highlights. Do you see more lines |
| The question you have to ask yourself is do you | | | | than you ever anticipated or are the smoother than |
| want a flat one-dimensional drawing or would you | | | | you thought? When you think of drawing your hand |
| rather have a drawing that portrays curves, texture, | | | | you may have not envisioned the hundreds of small |
| and feeling with character? | | | | lines, the hard edges and the soft edges that make |
| Take a piece of paper and trace your hand like you | | | | up the form of our hand. Look and see the object |
| did when you were young. You are seeing a hand, | | | | not the hand that you are so familiar with, look for |
| right? Is that hand flat and is it just one-dimensional? | | | | the story that your hand tells. Now that you are |
| Does that traced hand show the years of wear and | | | | seeing the lines, shapes and structure, you stopped |
| tear, the wrinkles or is it a young hand that has just | | | | thinking about your hand and started seeing the lines. |
| started out experiencing life? With out lines, shadows, | | | | Another exercise is to look at a piece of fabric that |
| highlights and details there is no story to that drawing | | | | is lying on a table or on the back of your couch. That |
| so your drawing is lacking the pull and the energy to | | | | fabric has curves, folds, bends and contours. It is not |
| keep someone's interest. When you draw you need | | | | a flat object just lying there. When you go to draw |
| to tell a story, you need to pull the observer into the | | | | that piece of fabric, you need to sculpture it to the |
| drawing. If the observer is looking at the hand you | | | | lay of the land, the form of the object up against, |
| sketched, that observer needs to feel the pain or | | | | the shadows and the highlights that make it look |
| the softness of that hand, is it a farmer's hand that | | | | realistic. Try taking a photo of the fabric, and then |
| has tilled the soil and is weathered from the years in | | | | use a grid to redraw the fabric using a graphite pencil; |
| the sun? With just a simple drawing you can show | | | | you will be amazed how realistic your drawing will |
| the entire story that goes with the hand you are | | | | become. |
| drawing. | | | | Learn to see the makeup of the piece you want to |
| If the sketch of that hand is done with a graphite | | | | draw, visualize the object, get your head inside the |
| pencil, the observer is not going to see the coloring | | | | object and now put the lines that you visualize down |
| of the hand and whether the hand is tanned from | | | | on paper. You will be amazed at what you are |
| the sun. But they can see the wrinkling, scars and | | | | drawing. |