From Stick figures to masterpieces!
Tuesday How-To’s: From Stick Figures to Masterpieces!
Welcome to Tuesday How-To’s, the day we turn daunting drawing tasks into fun, manageable steps. Today’s focus? The one thing every artist fears and yet can’t avoid—hands.
Hands are amazing. They wave, gesture, and tell stories all on their own. But let’s be honest: drawing them can feel like solving a Rubik’s cube blindfolded. The good news? You don’t have to start with perfection; you just need a method.
Here’s my go-to trick:
1. Start with the palm. Think of it as a mitten or a slightly squished square—simple and approachable.

2. Add fingers as stick lines. This is where your hand starts looking more like a claw, and that’s okay.

3. Flesh it out with ovals. Give each finger some shape, remembering to keep proportions in mind. Fingers aren’t identical soldiers—they’re unique (and slightly unruly).

4. Detail the joints and knuckles. These little tweaks give the hand its lifelike feel.

When you’re done, don’t forget the thumb! It’s the star of the show, making your hand drawings truly human.
💡 Your Mission (Should You Choose to Accept It): Draw three hands in different poses:
• Open hand: Fingers stretched wide, ready to high-five or stop traffic.
• Closed fist: Perfect for hero poses or dramatic punches.
• Holding an object: A sword, a pen, or even something silly like a banana (because who doesn’t love a good banana joke?).
Bonus points if you make the hands part of a mini story. Maybe the open hand is waving goodbye, the fist is ready for action, and the banana… well, I’ll let you decide its role. In fact, attached here is a PDF template for mini comic pages from a single 8.5”x11” paper that you can use to tell that story!!
Hands are tricky, but they’re also a lot of fun once you stop stressing about them. Remember, every artist’s sketchbook is full of awkward hand attempts—it’s how we learn!
These two days set the tone for your week of creativity. Manga Mondays bring the drama, and Tuesday How-To’s give you the skills to make your art shine. Keep sketching, keep experimenting, and most importantly, keep having fun. See you tomorrow for Work in Progress Wednesday!
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