Be aware of the structure! How to draw three-dimensional hands and feet

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Human limbs have a complex structure, but let's think about once by roughly disassembling the foot parts and replacing them with simple shapes. It becomes easy to draw with various angles and poses. This is a tutorial by illustrator miyuli that has a lot of useful knowledge for drawing hands and feet!

Basic hand proportions

Surprisingly, it's easy to make mistakes, but the basic hand shape doesn't consist of perfect squares or parallel lines.

When you open your hand, all fingers point in different directions.

This is because the base and length of the finger is different for each finger. Finger joints do not line up.

Also keep in mind that your thumb moves in a different direction than your other fingers.


To make it easier to bend your fingers, the joint skin is relatively loose and thin.

The fold on the palm side does not necessarily match the joint position.

These lines may not be drawn with simplified line drawings such as deformed shapes, but knowing where the joints overlap and where the skin overlaps can help you draw a picture with your fingers bent.


The skin can be treated like a pleated cloth. Add creases if you want to draw more details.

These creases increase with age, so do not draw too much with the hands of young people.

Child's hand drawing

The shape of a child's hand is a little different from that of an adult.

All baby flesh creates wrinkles around the finger joints and joints.

Over time, the dimples on the finger joints of the back of the hand disappear, but instead, the bones of the finger joints become more prominent.

Be aware of straight lines and curves

The back side of the hand is usually straight and stiff for use in combat and defense. The palm side is soft enough to hold tools and touch objects.

Simplify your hand shape with thick lines and curves to make your hand movements more dynamic and expressive.

The more you can see the palm side, the softer the overall shape. However, it may vary depending on the angle and hand shape.

Drawing nails

The nails are not flat. The nail grows so as to wrap the shape of the finger.

Let's be careful about how to get into the skin. Nail shape may vary slightly from person to person.

Long nails do not grow in a straight line and bend down gradually as they get longer.

Steps to draw hands

When sketching a hand, it is recommended that you start with a simple glove shape that is easy to imagine in perspective.

You may not know the details of various parts of the hand, but you can complete it later.

Regardless of what style of hand you draw, it's better to keep it simple at first.

By doing so, you can express your hands with a clearer silhouette without distractions.

Later, you can apply perspective and anatomical knowledge and start looking for helpful material.

The best reference is to look at your hand using a mirror or camera.

Basic foot proportions

The soft part of the sole of the foot (or the back of the toe) is on the outside of the sole of the foot to increase stability when walking.

Since the outside of the foot is lower than the inside, it leaves a footprint when walking barefoot.

Also, the toes are not aligned. The thumb toes are slightly higher.

The ring and toes of the foot tend to be sharper and bend slightly more than the rest.


The position of the inner ankle is higher than the outer ankle.

Imagine that your toe is pushed up by the inner ankle, and that's why it gets higher.

The lower limb is connected to the lower leg by a curve, not a straight line.

Draw toes

The big toe has one less joint, so it doesn't become as round as the other toes.

In addition, the bulge on the heel side of the sole and the bottom of the base of the toe is conspicuous when viewed from the side.

Be aware of the direction in which your foot joints bend

The legs and toes are not only stacked in a cylindrical shape, but also engage in the ankles for easy movement.


Because the toes are short, they do not bend as much as the fingers. Also, the toes do not reach the heel side of the foot.

This is because we don't need the ability to grab things with our feet and are usually in contact with the ground.

Child's feet

The child's legs are small, soft and curved.

In particular, baby feet have not walked much yet, so the thick part of the soles of the feet looks soft and large.

Because of the meat that covers them, the ankles are almost invisible, and noticeable creases and wrinkles can occur.

How to draw legs step by step

Just like when you draw your hand, it ’s easier to understand if you break your legs into simple shapes.

Because the legs are used when standing or walking, the movement is more restricted than the hands.

You can find dynamic poses by considering your toes separately from other fingers.

The sole of the foot may be a little difficult to draw depending on the angle.

The inner part is high and hardly touches the ground.

When drawing a perspective leg and leg, be aware of how these two parts engage.

The toes or fingertips that are lined up can often be represented by a curve, which makes the gesture more expressive and stronger.

Try to emphasize gestures as much as possible.



I hope this tutorial is helpful.

Cre: Miyuli

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