Sketches and the study of the Human hand

To really observe and study the hand I began drawing it in different positions and angles. I felt this helped me a lot when it came to creating the finer details of the hand in 3ds max. It gave me a feel of which fingers are bigger than others and positions that thumb often stays in when holding hands, shaking hands or waving. I have some detailed drawings and I also decided to do lots of little quick drawings, giving myself 30 seconds to draw the hand. Many people would believe that they know exactly what a hand looks like from memory but it’s not until you begin to really study the hand from actual references that you find out the subtleties in one. For example the many creases that are created at the joints, where these joints are, finger size and shape. Note that the hand creates an arc shape. I can use this as a guide when it comes to building the hand.

After studying the positioning and look of the hand, i felt it was important not just to know what it looks like when it moves but how it moves as well. I began by studying the bones. They are a lot simpler than first anticipated. Knowing the different bones and there job within the hand helped me make sense of how and where to rig the hand in 3ds max. The finger bones are known as the "phalanges". From top to bottom there are three bone sections to the finger, starting at the top with "Distal phalanges" moving into the middle "Intermediate phalanges" and finally at the base of the finger you have the "Proximal phalanges". The actual hand is made up of "Carpals" which are a group of bones joint at the wrist. These bones are attached to the "Metacarpals" and allow for movement of the palm. The "Metacarpals" look similar to the phalanges however are bigger and also aid in the movement of the palm and fingers. Here is a diagram I drew of the bone structure to the hand.