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Topic: Lending A Hand Q For JB: (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Rick Senger
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Posted: 18 July 2012 at 10:40am | IP Logged | 1  

In another thread ("Stick Figuring") I find myself studying your fingers and hands on covers and I've come to believe you are one of the very best at accurately and dynamically portraying them in the widest variety of positions / poses.  Do you have any secrets or tips?  I wish I could see your process of drawing them!

Title edited... I was thinking of the technical term for musicians, but happy to avoid any danger of a bad Byrne story!


Edited by Rick Senger on 18 July 2012 at 10:54am
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Matt Reed
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Posted: 18 July 2012 at 10:42am | IP Logged | 2  

Unfortunate choice of subject title!

Awkward!
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John Byrne
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Posted: 18 July 2012 at 11:26am | IP Logged | 3  

Gee, I wonder what the title was originally?

Anyway, Al Milgrom once said there's no excuse for drawing hands badly, as most people have at least one at the end of each arm!

I used to look at my own hands a lot, when drawing. Fortunately, I have internalized most of what I needed. But, especially in comic art, it comes down to the same thing as for trees and fire and hair and all the other things that can be tough to draw. Find a stylization that works for you, and go for it!

I'll add this, tho, which I first posted years ago:

In the basic shape of the hand, the three middle fingers come straight out of the wrist, with the thumb and pinky hanging off the sides. In profile, there is a "ramp" of tendons that drop across the back of the hand from the wrist bones to the knuckles.

Good luck!

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Dave Kopperman
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Posted: 18 July 2012 at 11:43am | IP Logged | 4  

How about feet?  Those are the really tough ones...

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John Byrne
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Posted: 18 July 2012 at 11:50am | IP Logged | 5  

You know the old saw about how everybody has 10,000 bad drawings in them, and the trick is to keep drawing and drawing and drawing until they're all out?

That's how it works with feet.

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Bill Guerra
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Posted: 18 July 2012 at 1:04pm | IP Logged | 6  

Back when I was taking my Figure Illustration classes, I quickly noticed how everyone in class seemed to dislike drawing hands and feet. I made it a point to always draw them so I could stand out a bit from the crowd. It ended up working, as the teacher pointed out that I was doing a good job.

Its gone on to help over the years. I do have to admit to being envious of how JB draws hands. I remember tracing them when I was a kid. All these years later and I'm still envious!

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Rick Senger
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Posted: 18 July 2012 at 1:34pm | IP Logged | 7  

Thanks for the tips, JB!  It pleases me that you used to use your own hand as a model... that often seems the best way I can draw one close to representational.  I will definitely keep in mind the three middle fingers and pinky/thumb distinction, which helps.
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Robert LaGuardia
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Posted: 18 July 2012 at 2:42pm | IP Logged | 8  

JB have you ever considered a dedicated thread to art tips and answering questions about art techniques?
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Peter Martin
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Posted: 18 July 2012 at 2:59pm | IP Logged | 9  

 it comes down to the same thing as for trees and fire and hair and all the other things that can be tough to draw.
-----------------------------------------------------
Fire is really tough... I find myself shamelessly aping the Byrne flame effect when I draw fire.

Edited to add: I should say, try to draw fire. Needless to say, I don't do it as well as JB.


Edited by Peter Martin on 18 July 2012 at 3:01pm
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Ronald Joseph
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Posted: 18 July 2012 at 3:28pm | IP Logged | 10  

 I should say, try to draw fire. Needless to say, I don't do it as well as JB.

But you do draw excellent (and creepy!) Cybermen! 

:)
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Peter Martin
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Posted: 18 July 2012 at 7:43pm | IP Logged | 11  

Thanks! :)
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Matt Wieringo
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Posted: 18 July 2012 at 8:19pm | IP Logged | 12  

I remember reading on one artist's web site (Mike Manley, maybe?) that he would pick a body part that was giving him trouble (hands, feet, ears) and just practice drawing them over and over, all day, from different angles until he thought he had it down. 
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