Hand Drawing Tutorial #4: What to Do When Everything’s Going Wrong

November 19th, 2010

I’m no sailor but I know that when you’re on the open seas and using the wind as your driving force, the problem isn’t going into a headwind – even energy going opposite to your desired trajectory can be channeled in a useful way. The problem is when there is no wind, no motion….  You can’t leverage stagnation, but a gust in any direction can help you discover what you’ve been looking for all along.

“Be the Wind: What to Do When Things Aren’t Working” by Nicky Hajal, Tumble blog

Final sketch for this week's drawing tutorial

I was not a happy camper while drawing today.  Nothing was going right.  It was a classic autumn day alternating dark clouds and  bright sun, so the light I need to photograph my sketches kept changing.  I couldn’t get my tripod positioned right.  Once I started sketching, I felt that I had begun wrong and should start over.  I fretted that this choice of hand position (right) was inappropriate for your fourth drawing tutorial.

So did I stop and start over?  No, I kept moving forward, trying every trick in my bag to get the drawing back on track.  And eventually it did improve – thanks not to a single brilliant insight, but to dozens of small steps as I slogged ahead.  I won’t be showing this drawing at the Metropolitan, but it works fine.

I’ve learned over my years of doing art that when things aren’t going well, I simply need to keep working, moving forward.  Eventually the drawing will get better.  It’s a matter of time and determination.

A few weeks ago, I read the sailing analogy quoted above and immediately resonated with it.  It’s absolutely true that sailors can move forward using wind in any direction, even a headwind.  The real problem is when they’re becalmed, when there’s no wind at all.

So, too, when you’re drawing: each line you make will help you figure out what you need to do next.  Even if that line turns out to be wrong, making it will help you understand where the right one should be.  If you make five or ten wrong lines, use each one to learn what the right one is.

Rough position of my hand for this sketch. The photo was taken in somewhat different light than when I was sketching my hand.

Materials you need and setting up your work space

Please refer back to the relevant sections of Hand drawing tutorial one for this info.

Positioning your hand

This hand position is somewhat similar to last week’s.  The main difference is that I’ve raised my forefinger so that it appears to cross over the middle finger (of course it doesn’t actually cross over).

My goal here was for you to try a hand pose that doesn’t have the series of small negative spaces between the fingers that we’ve had in every tutorial till now.  For this reason, this position will be more challenging than the first three we’ve sketched.

The many little steps I took to make this drawing work

I think it will be easiest for you to see how I worked on this drawing if you go through the time-lapse video while reading my commentary.  I’ve numbered each frame so you can easily match it to my description (beneath the video) of what I was doing.

You may want to open a second copy of this post in another window so that you can place video and text side by side.

{"numImgs":"35","constrain":"height","cvalue":"450","shellcss":"width:335px;padding:4px;margin:14px auto 0;"}

Frame #1: In earlier hand tutorials, I haven’t drawn this particular negative space – the flattened triangle formed by the edge of my finger and hand – till after sketching the spaces between each finger.  But in Demo #4’s hand position, the negative space between fingers is much larger, hence not as easy to draw.  So I start with an easier shape: the one at the left edge of my hand.

Approximate hand position for this sketch, in different light

There’s no rule about where you “should” start a drawing.  Just start it wherever you notice an easily-drawn shape.

Frame #2: I begin sketching in the negative space formed by the pinky and forefinger at either end; an imaginary line connecting these two fingertips at the top; and the two bent middle fingers at the bottom.

Frame #3: It’s hard to judge the correct size for a negative space this large.  So to check the size I sketched in frame 2, as a measuring device, I sketch in a few lines of the middle fingers.

Frame #6: By this time, it’s clear I’ve gone off somewhere.  The base of the hand I’ve drawn is much too wide.

Frame #7: So I check both sides of the hand and decide it was my Frame #1 triangle that was off.  I erase the old left side of my hand and sketch in a new one.

As I’m checking proportions, I realize I’ve also made the base of the middle finger too wide.  Compare my sketch with my actual hand (photo above right).  This error is in the very center of the drawing.  To correct it, I would have to erase either the entire left or the entire right side of the hand I’ve drawn.

Arghhh!  Should I chuck this drawing and start over?  How can I publish a drawing that’s this incorrect when I’m trying to teach the right way to draw?  But I’ve been having so much technical difficulty with the sun and camera equipment – it’s that part that I don’t want to struggle again with.

I decide to experiment with continuing this drawing.  It’s not going to be perfect, but I realize that you may learn as much from how I handle a somewhat out-of-whack drawing than how I handle a better one.

Frame #8: Rather than agonizing more, I move on to shading the drawing as it stands.

Frame #11: To help disguise my “fat” middle finger-base, shading will be key.  I’ll be paying close attention to it over the course of the rest of this drawing.

Frame #13: That darn bright sun suddenly appears from nowhere, sending a shaft of bright light across the middle of my sketch!

Frame #18: Here I make another mistake, which I didn’t notice till after I finished the drawing (so it’s still there in the “finished” sketch).  I didn’t trust my initial drawing of the length of the pointer, which I had made accurately in Frame #3.  Here I lengthen it slightly, and it gets too long.  Oh, well!

Frame #20: I erase the guidelines I drew early on to help me determine the relative length of the various fingers – or, more accurately, the shapes of the negative spaces between the fingers.  At some point during the shading of a drawing, these lines always become distracting, so I erase them.

Frames 21-35: I continue to try to make all the other proportions – wrist, thumb, middle finger tip – very accurate, to distract from that fat finger in the middle of everything.

I also work on fairly detailed shading, with a full range of darks to highlights.  This gives a sense of 3-dimensionality, hence reality, that can fool the viewer’s eye into overlooking awkward proportions.

*    *    *

So sail on, artists!  Keep moving through as many practice drawings as you can.  Over time, this “wind” is what will get you to the destination you seek.

Your feedback on most and least useful elements of these tutorials

Are there particular parts of these lessons that you find really helpful?  Others that you find a waste of verbiage?  Let me know what you’d like more and/or less of by leaving a reply or comment below.

339 Responses to “Hand Drawing Tutorial #4: What to Do When Everything’s Going Wrong”

  1. Dave Carlson says:

    I’m a beginning artist and used your sketch of the hand. I liked your writing while you taught art. Nice

  2. Anne says:

    Thank you so much, Dave! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.

  3. Nasteraft says:

    Today, these three products constitute the first-line treatment of ED with symptoms ranging from mild to severe buy liquid cialis online

  4. ritBruisk says:

    best site to buy priligy In the darkness, zhu hengyu had a dream

  5. kectDwews says:

    tadalista vs cialis 8 which is a welcome change for many people

  6. JosephDes says:

    Gultekin Ben Gultekin Ben

  7. abrardy says:

    It would then continue redirecting you to other questions until the patient answers all the relevant questions cialis pills for sale Tadalafil Cialis may cause side effects including stomach cramps or diarrhea in some people

  8. broorry says:

    Nolvadex works to control the amount of estrogen that is produced to allow your body to start producing testosterone normally again. buy clomid online next day delivery

  9. Waynearili says:

    Когда вы боретесь с расстройством, связанным с употреблением алкоголя, вам может казаться, что конца не видно, но вы не должны страдать в одиночестве. Сегодня существует множество вариантов лечения, которые помогут вам излечиться от алкоголизма и вернуться к здоровой и полноценной жизни.
    Различные факторы, такие как история болезни, система поддержки и личная мотивация, могут сыграть свою роль в успехе вашего выздоровления. Лечение должно проходить под наблюдением группы медицинских специалистов в реабилитационном центре. По всей стране в центрах лечения алкоголизма работают профессионалы, которые проведут вас через все этапы процесса выздоровления – от детоксикации до жизни после реабилитации. Считайте их своей круглосуточной системой поддержки, которая будет радоваться вашим успехам и вместе с вами преодолевать любые трудности.
    Помните, что преодоление алкоголизма – это процесс. Менее половины людей рецидивируют после достижения одного года трезвости. Это число уменьшается до менее 15% после пяти лет трезвости. Чтобы получить наибольшие шансы на долгосрочную трезвость после завершения стационарной или амбулаторной программы, вам следует участвовать в местных группах поддержки и продолжать консультации. Лечение алкоголизма – это инвестиция в ваше будущее. Оно изменит к лучшему не только вашу жизнь, но и жизнь окружающих вас людей, таких как члены семьи и друзья.

    https://www.trn-news.ru/digest/105915

  10. prieshige says:

    Or maybe take it the two weeks when I am not using the progesterone cream. nolvadex for sale The in vivo biological activity of follitropin alfa has been calibrated against the first International Standard for Recombinant Human Follicle Stimulation Hormone established in 1995 by the Expert Committee on Biological Standards of the World Health Organization.

  11. Всем рекомендую этот обменник биткоин для обмена криптовалюты в России! Процесс обмена биткоин происходит от 5 до 15 минут.

  12. Nalsarene says:

    Join us at the American Pets Alive. doxycycline used for

  13. On this site u can buy all known nft monkey for very good price!

  14. winning slots on facebook home old vegas slots facebook free casino games scatter slots topless

  15. On this site u can buy all known BLCK SPEARMINT for very good price!

  16. On this site u can buy all known KILLA FLASH 4mg for very good price!

  17. buying paper says:

    best custom paper writing service paper writing help online writing services for college papers buying paper

  18. write my papers discount code college paper
    writers can someone write my paper for me some to write my paper

  19. some to write my paper do my paper for money write my paper for me buying college papers

  20. writing paper help pay for paper will someone write my paper for me buy paper online

  21. academic paper writers paying someone to write a paper write my business paper english paper help

  22. do my paper for me pay for someone to write your paper where to
    buy college papers write my apa paper

  23. On this site u can buy all known KILLA COLD MINT for very good price!

  24. On this site u can buy all known killa snus for very good price!

  25. On this site u can buy all known Killa Dry Cold Mint for very good price!

  26. On this site u can buy all known Killa for very good price!

  27. professional paper writing service custom handwriting paper college papers help write my paper in apa format

  28. On this site u can buy all known monedigo for very good price!

  29. help writing a college paper best college paper writing service paper writing services for college students college paper writing service

  30. On this site u can buy all known ACTIV GENERATION for very good price!

  31. write my paper cheap someone to write my paper for me where to buy resume paper help with writing a paper

  32. buy cheap papers online need someone write my paper buy a college paper online buy dissertation paper

  33. On this site all known monedigo and very good and trust!

  34. Great website portfolio tracker crypto Recommend it for viewing!

  35. Great website portfolio tracker stocks Recommend it for viewing!

  36. Luaneexica says:

    bitcoin up bitcoin up app bitcoin up app

  37. On this site buy pouches all known PURE ICE FRESH MINT very good and trust taste!

  38. Отличный хирург! сойфер владимир валерьевич отзывы рекомендую зайти на сайт и ознакомиться с отзывами!

  39. Doftome says:

    Conflicting reports exist for an association with epilepsy, but antiepileptic drugs do not present an increased risk buy cialis online usa NSAIDs ibuprofen, naproxen Ibuprofen and naproxen are available as a liquid, and the lack of sedation renders these very helpful for daily use

  40. Отличный хирург! владимир сойфер отзывы рекомендую зайти на сайт и ознакомиться с отзывами!

  41. Отличный хирург! сойфер владимир отзывы рекомендую зайти на сайт и ознакомиться с отзывами!