The most effective means of capturing a realistic hand, no matter what position it's in, is to begin by seeing the exterior shape of the whole. Visualizing the exterior shape is useful for a number of reasons: first of all, it is a simple way of starting the drawing. You have to start somewhere, and

To draw the hand flat, palm facing up, visualize two exterior shapes: the hand wrist to fingertips without the thumb, and that same area with the thumb. You'll find that the first shape is a long, skinny oval attached to the wrist and that the latter is a lopsided egg shape. Divide that shape in half

The exterior shape of the fist may be either a square or rectangle depending on the position of the hand. Observe proportions carefully to determine which best fits your drawing ... ... and don't forget to add the wrist extending off the bottom at an angle. Cut off the corners as shown to make a

Before you can draw the hand realistically, you need to acquaint yourself with the underlying bone structure. There are three types of bones in the hand; phalanges, metacarpals, and carpals. Combined, these bones give the hand and fingers an extremely varied and wide range of motion, such that drawing the hand can become highly complicated.

Begin with two shapes; the shape of the fingertips to the wrist without the thumb and that same area with the thumb. You should have a long, skinny oval for the first area and a lopsided egg shape for the second. Divide the oval in half and mark off four equally sized fingers. The guideline