We’ve all been there. You’ve worked for what seems a lifetime on a painting only to discover your subject’s hands and feet look like a group of microwaved Corn Dogs or the subhuman claws of some monster from the deep. As any artist will tell you, people will always ignore the good parts of your painting and zone in on the mistakes, so hands that resemble processed meat products will always stick out like a sore thumb!

There’s no denying it – hands and feet are super difficult, but with practice and a few handy pro techniques, we’ll help you understand how these parts of the body are constructed and how to get them looking right. So, where do you start?

Learn How to Draw Hands – Grasping the Basics

What You’ll Need:

• A decent image of a hand – why not download the one above?
• Pencil and paper or a graphics tablet
• A little patience!

As with other parts of the body, learning how to draw hands and feet begins with breaking everything down into simple shapes.

A good way to start is to draw the hand as if it was encased in a tight mitten with no fingers.

To help you understand how the hand is constructed, take a look at this anatomical graphic on the left. Here, you can see how all the bones in the hand are connected and how they sit in relation to one another.

Always try and keep the underlying skeleton in mind when drawing any part of the human body – it will really help you achieve a realistic, anatomically correct result.

Don’t be afraid to sketch in some rough lines to indicate where the bones are if this helps – getting this right will make all the difference to your finished painting and help you avoid the ‘Corn Dog’ factor!

Draw the palm of the hand first, and then draw additional shapes that follow the line of the fingers. Finally, sketch in the lines for the joints of the fingers. You should end up with something like this:

Next, draw some lines for the fingers to give you a good structure to work from. Think about the direction of the lines and how they follow the form of the hand. Try and think of the fingers as cylindrical shapes –like a can of your favorite drink – and draw through the form to give you a 3D shape.

Take note of which fingers are longer than others – the middle finger is always the longest, while the first (index) and third fingers are usually about the same length. Eventually, your drawing should look a little like this – of course, you can use any colors you like!

You now have the basic framework of the hand. Finish off your sketch by adding the lines on the palm – there’s no need to read your fortune here, just trust us it will turn out fine! Rub out any lines you don’t need and once you’ve mastered this, try drawing hands in a variety of poses using the examples below or any others that you like:

Think about how perspective comes into play and makes the cylindrical shapes of the fingers appear narrower as they move away from us. Placement of the wrist is also important – think of this as another cylinder attached to the hand. Pay close attention to the space and shapes between the fingers (often called ‘negative space’) as this will help you get everything correct –we’ve indicated this in the third picture on the right.

Try drawing hands as often as you can and take advantage of the great resources out there. Google ‘how to draw a hand’ and you’ll find an endless amount of hands drawn in every kind of pose to help you. Why not try tracing these initially as you find your way around the form of the hand and learn to understand it better?

While there is certainly a consistent formula for drawing hands, you’ll notice how everyone’s hands differ quite a lot. Take good note of these individual quirks – they’ll help you achieve the realism you’re looking for.

How to Draw Anatomically Correct Hands

Take a look at Laurie B!’s series on how to draw hands and feet on Pencil Kings, where she takes you right from the early thumbnail stage through to a finished piece. Another great resource is Dynamic Figure Drawing by famous artist, Burne Hogarth, where the esteemed illustrator and fine artist breaks everything down into shapes and helps explain anatomy in incredible detail.

You should be able to find excerpts and images from this book online without trying too hard, so don’t worry if you can’t afford the whole book right now. Every great artist has practised drawing hands throughout their careers, so you’re definitely not alone in your search for perfection!

Learning How to Draw Feet – First Steps

In many ways, feet are even more difficult than hands to draw. Let’s face it – they look kind of strange with their squished toes, different shapes and other inconsistencies!

However, unless you’re planning to always draw people wearing shoes (a little tricky if you’re painting a beach scene), it’s important to understand how the foot is constructed.

Basically, the foot is a kind of steep wedge shape which rises sharply as it meets the ankle, with the toes spreading out from the widest end. As with the hands, try and see this as a 3D object and draw through the form to give you a better idea of its construction. Take note of the arch between the heel and the toes on the inward-facing side.

This anatomical drawing shows how the bones in the foot are constructed. As you can see, the foot is quite different to the hand, so understanding where all the bones sit in relation to one another will really help you to draw or paint this part of the body successfully.

The main points to note are the arch on the side of the foot and the way all the bones of the toes curve into each other. You’ll also notice how the big toe has a smooth upwards-facing curve, while the other toes face down at quite a sharp angle.

Take a look at your own foot and see how it compares to these illustrations – no two pairs of feet are the same, yet they all follow the same underlying bone structure.

As with the hands, don’t be afraid to sketch in the bones underneath if this helps you.

How to Draw the Soles of the Feet

This illustration shows how the soles of the feet are formed. Notice how the vertical dotted line joins the heel and the big toe in each example? You might also find it helpful to draw some lines which follow the curves of the toes.

Learning how to draw feet will also help you draw people wearing shoes – even though the foot is hidden, its shape will still be visible in the curve and form of the shoes.

So, there you have it – the PencilKings guide to how to draw hands and feet. Why not try drawing some of your own and uploading your work to our awesome new community site? Here, you’ll be able to swap tips, take part in drawing challenges and make new friends – see you there!

Everyone loves eye candy, but have you ever wondered how to draw or paint a perfect pin-up? This can be a great way of getting your art seen by millions, so read on for some tried and tested techniques from the pin-up pros!

Ever since prehistoric man picked up a piece of slate and drew an attractive girl on the wall of his cave, pin-ups have played an enduring part in popular culture.

From the posters of Betty Grable on every GI’s locker during World War II, through to Marilyn Monroe and latter-day eye candy such as Megan Fox, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, the power of the pin-up remains stronger than ever.

By learning how to draw pin-ups, you stand a good chance of your work being shared by lots of people online and getting your name out there, so where do you start?

By following a few simple steps on how to draw a perfect pin-up, you could soon be creating eye-catching portraits of the people that float your boat!

Make your pin-up art sexy, not sleazy

Take a look at history’s greatest pin-ups and you’ll see what we mean. True, the subjects are super-hot and usually in fairly provocative poses, but they always fall on the right side of sexy without being lewd.

Less is definitely more when it comes to pin-ups – a fact acknowledged by pin-up professional, Laurie B!, in her definitive tutorials on Pencil Kings.

According to the Art History Archive blog, a pin-up is defined as: “A woman whose physical attractiveness would entice one to place a picture of her on a wall.”

Nowadays, of course, men are just as likely to be viewed as pin-ups as women – just take a look at the Justin Bieber posters on your younger sister’s wall if you don’t believe us!

So, the first thing to decide upon is which celebrity to draw – do you go for a personal favorite or choose someone who’s flavor of the month? The choice is yours – all you have to do next is learn how to create a good composition.

Great compositions for perfect pin-ups

A good way to do this is to work to the famous ‘rule of thirds’. Using this method, you’ll learn how to divide your drawing up into a grid made up of nine parts – the point where the lines intersect will usually draw the viewer’s attention, so experiment with some different ideas using thumbnail sketches until you find the one that works best.

Once you’ve got your composition, you can then begin sketching out your pin-up. If you’re new to art or just need to brush up on our skills, you’ll find a great variety of free lessons on our site. And, once you’ve completed your initial drawing, you’ll find a whole host of great art resources for traditional and digital media on Pencil Kings, too – whether you work in watercolors or Photoshop, you’ll find we’ve got it covered!

How to get your pin-up art seen by the world

So, you’ve worked hard on creating a perfect pin-up, but what do you do next? How do you get people talking about your art?

Thanks to the internet, it’s easier to reach millions of people worldwide than ever before – why not tell us about it via our Facebook or Twitter pages? You could also create a gallery on other popular social media channels, such as Pinterest, Deviantart or Behance.

Are you wondering where your creative side has gone? Do you feel guilty about those boxes of pencils and art materials sitting gathering dust in a drawer? Don’t let your talent become a distant memory – we’ve got some handy hints that’ll have you dusting off your drawing skills and enjoying your artistic talent in no time!

Picking up a pencil is one of the first things any child does. The desire to create is with us from an early age and drawing and painting are an essential part of everyone’s development.

However, as we get older, those pencils and paints sit gathering dust as many people outgrow their creative side and focus on other subjects instead. In fact, even many of those who study art at college often abandon it altogether after finishing their studies.

When did you stop drawing? Do you want to get your creative streak back and start creating once more? Making art can be hugely rewarding, whether done as a hobby or with a commercial goal in mind, so it’s no surprise that in later life, many people want to re-ignite the spark of creativity they enjoyed so much as a child.

It’s not always so easy to get started, though. College work, lack of time, careers, and family life are just some of the reasons people give themselves for not getting back into drawing, but if you’re serious about becoming an artist, it’s time to take action! And, that’s where Pencil Kings can help, as we give you some helpful tips for getting back into art.

Where Does Inspiration Come From?

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working” – Pablo Picasso.

This quote from the famous Spanish painter probably sums it up best – in order to feel inspired, you need to be creating!

One of the reasons many people give for not exploring their creative side is lack of inspiration, yet it’s probably easier to be inspired now than ever before.

Take a look through popular sites such as Pinterest, Behance and Deviant Art and subscribe to as many art-related blogs as you like through Feedly or other RSS feeds.

These will provide you with a limitless source of inspiration in every category under the sun and should help get those creative juices flowing once more.

Can 15 Minutes a Day Really Make a Difference to my Art Skills?

It may sound like a dodgy sales pitch, but trust us on this one – setting aside 15 minutes each day really can make a huge difference to your creativity!

So, what are you waiting for? No matter how busy they are, everyone can spare 15 minutes, right?

Begin by just making marks on the paper and let your mind flow freely. We’re not talking perfection here – just let your ideas develop and make these sketches as rough as you like. This is a great technique to help free the mind and release the creative side of you that’s been hiding for too long!

Try this technique for a week and see how you get on. Our hunch is that your creative ‘itch’ will return and inspire you to carry on making art.

Retail Therapy – Invest in a New Sketchbook!

How about using some retail therapy to kickstart your creativity? Invest in a nice new sketchbook and make sure you only use it for drawing in. Doing this will help you see your drawing as a special part of your life – something uniquely yours that you can take real pride in.

Perhaps you’ll choose a nice Moleskine number or a hardback sketchbook with a funky cover – either way, treating your new sketchbook with pride and care will really help get those creative juices flowing. So, head out to your nearest art or stationery store today and treat yourself – here’s one good example of how retail therapy really can work!

Learn How to Fall in Love With Art Again

Remember the first piece of art that made an impression on you? Wouldn’t it be great to feel that inspired again? Well, a great way to do this is to visit galleries and learn to open your eyes and your heart to art once more. Try visiting a gallery in your lunch break or take a good look at images you see around you – you’ll soon find your love affair with creativity has been rekindled!

We hope these tips have helped you pick up your pencils. Why not take a look at some of our free tutorials for some more artistic eye candy? See you soon for more creative awesome sauce!

Return to the Fernando Melek Comic Penciling Lessons Page

Return to the Fernando Melek Comic Penciling Lessons Page

LESSON TITLE	DIFFICULTY	LENGTH	PUBLISHED
Comic Penciling | 01 | Sketching	Intermediate	0:17:36	03-06-2013
Comic Penciling | 02 | Rendering	Intermediate	0:18:32	03-06-2013

Return to the Pencil Queen Lessons Page

Return to the Pencil Queen Lessons Page

Return to the Pencil Queen Lessons Page

Return to the Pencil Queen Lessons Page