Hand study 1: Feb 24

The colors and details in this artwork are great! But there are also some errors.

1. There seem to be some issues with the anatomy.

The 2nd knuckle of the thumb appears to be bent, but the thumb top points as if it were straight. Next to the 2 tendons in the middle of the wrist there is a dimple extending across the tendon if this dimple was meant to show muscle definition the tendon should still be visible as the skin would normally be pulled taut around it.

These issues can be fixed by studying anatomy diagrams.

2. Some of the proportions are off.

The thumb is a bit too long, as a general rule the thumb top should sit just below the 2nd knuckle of the index finger when placed in a line with the other fingers. Additionally the main pad of muscle surrounding the 1st thumb knuckle is too large, there is usually a bit of less muscled skin there that is in line with the central palm tendons. The tip of the ring and pinky fingers also appear to be slightly too large or the back of the ring finger is not defined clearly.

These issues can be fixed by studying anatomy diagrams, and using your own hands as reference, when studies anatomy I would specifically pay attention to the areas where the palm muscles connect. I would also suggest laying out the proportions and large shapes of the image before adding detail.

3. Finally there appear to be some issues with perspective.

The forearm appears to curve towards the viewpoint, and the thumb tip does not follow the thumb.

You can fix these issues by laying out the large simplified blocks for the main parts of the scene and then lining them up in perspective, for example you could use sets of blocks with 2-3 segments for the fingers, a block for the hand, and a block/cylinder for the fore arm. After you lay out the foundation you can add details.

In conclusion I like the color and detail you use in this piece, but I feel like the foundation it was built on could have used a bit more work. the foundation is the most important part of a piece of art, if you can build simple ,compelling shapes and keep them in perspective then you have already done 80% of the work.