Hands and feet Michel Lauricella rockynook Sysique soy AWojyeue OHasOnforeword Drawing the extremities—the hands and feet—is a common source of frustration for artists. Much practice should help you overcome the diffi- culties, and | believe the lessons on. morphology in this book will provide you with a foundation and under- standing that will lead you toward success in your art. To help you on your journey, | have gathered together some of the drawings that were previously pub- lished in other books in my Morpho: series. However, in this book, you will also find many new drawings, specific details, new postures and Perspectives, and, in particular, a presentation of the venous system of body’s extremities. The routes the veins take are ac- tually somewhat random, especially at their most detailed level. There- fore, in this little volume, we will fo- cus on a simplified cartography of the veins that is meant to address the mnemonic needs of drawing from your imagination. The veins, as they carry blood back to the heart, become dilated with effort and can become extremely distinct and ex- Pressive on muscular bodies that undergo regular, sustained effort. In- cluding such veins is the hallmark of a lively, dynamic figure drawing.introduction The goal of this book is to facilitate your drawing from imagination; there- fore. you will find a review of human proportions and a simplified presen- tation of shapes. We first will consid- er the skeleton, using bone markers. Then comes the musculature, along with the movements it allows. Next comes the skin, along with the layer Of fat that is always present, at least ‘on the bottoms of the extremities, and which develops along with extra weight on the tops of the extremities too. Finally, to truly complete our fig- ure, we will discuss the inclusion of the veins. To review the skeleton and mus- culature, we need to go back to the forearm and lower leg segments. These overviews of the limbs will also allow you to reacquaint your- self with the proportions in order to reconstruct the connections of the extremities as accurately as possible and to maintain a sense of the com- plete figure. In addition to studying this book, | suggest that you also pur- sue drawing from life. Keep in mind that the upper and lower limbs are built along sim- ilar lines. Once the basic forms are established, it is interesting to look deeper for the distinctive character- istics and fine details of each.Hands The hands are quite flexible and they form into the shapes they grasp. In addition, the hands accompany speech, punctuating it and truly il- lustrating it, when they don’t replace speech altogether. Above all, a hand is a pincer. We can find similar pre- hensile limbs, adapted for grasping, in a variety of animals. A koala’s ‘in- dex fingers” (actually claws) are as- sociated with the human thumb for this function. The same is true for the chameleon, which also has two “fingers” on each front foot that are opposed to the other three, and it has the inverse arrangement on its back feet. The most common challenge in drawing a human hand lies in the orientation of the thumb. It is often easier to first draw the shape of the object being grasped and then draw the hand that is grasping it. like a true pincer. | will revisit this idea in greater detail later in the book. introduction - 7The forearm has a conical shape near the elbow and then flattens out near the wrist. Following the forearm is the back of the hand in a curved or “tiled” shape. Here you will want to pay attention to its nuances, because the back of the hand is flexible and can become flatter or rounder with movement. Each of the four fingers contains three phalanges. On each finger, the first phalange, which is connected to the back of the hand, is equal in length to the next two phalanges together. The thumb has ‘only two phalanges, but its great- er mobility starting at the wrist joint means its metacarpal is independent 8 | morpho - hands and feet from the fingers and, therefore, gives the thumb the appearance of having three mobile segments. Bones of the Hand The forearm contains two bones that make it possible for the limb to flex at the elbow and also for the hand to rotate in movements called supi- nation (supporting) and pronation (grasping). The bones in the fore- arm—the radius (rad) and the ulna (uln)—are either parallel or crossed, by rotation. The hand's movements of flexion, extension, and lateral tilt- ing are initiated at the wrist.Eight small bones make up a base at the wrist (Fig. 1) where the tendons of the powerful flexors are kept in place by a bracelet of ligaments. The whole takes the shape and function of a hair barrette, whose clasp corre- sponds to the ligament. These eight bones are arranged in two rows, curved along the sides. The curved form of the back of the hand begins here. This arrangement of jointed surfaces is what gives the wrist its flexibility. The entire system, togeth- er, is called the carpus; it is jointed with the radius and, therefore, ac- companies it in its movements of pronation and supination. The edges of the carpus can be seen under the skin and make up the shape of the heel of the hand. The thumb is jointed almost perpendic- ularly to one of these edges, while the other fingers are aligned along its principal axis. The metacarpals come next. The metacarpal of the thumb is posi- tioned below the carpus through the intermediary of a single joint called a saddle joint (Fig. 2), which allows movement along two axes The thumb’s perpendicular orienta- tion causes it to be opposed to the fingers, and it can easily bend into the hollow of the palm. The bases of the metacarpals of the four fingers present flat surfac- es, one right next to the other. Their movements are restricted. At the far ends of each of these four metacar- pals are spherical joints, which make the fingers’ movements possible. These joints are clearly visible under the skin when the fingers are closed into a fist. introduction - 9The fingers are each composed of three phalanges. Pulley-shaped joints restrict movement to flexion and extension. The last phalange in- cludes the fingernail and, in order to receive it, is in the shape of an arrow- head. Musculature The musculature of the arm includes a set of muscles that is connected at the top of the forearm, at the end of the humerus at the elbow. These are the (more powerful) flexors and the extensors, which begin on both 10 | morpho - hands and feet sides of the end of the humerus and are separated along their length by the ulna on one side and the bra- chioradialis on the other. Along with the brachioradialis (which flexes the forearm at the elbow), the entire muscular system of the forearm serves the purpose of moving the hand and fingers. The second set of muscles, which completes the system, is contained entirely within the hand. Most im- portant, it allows the thumb and little finger to work in opposition, bringing them together.Fat There are two types of fat at the ex- tremities: subcutaneous and viscer- al. The subcutaneous fat that can develop with added weight lines the skin and is usually thickest at the root of the limbs. The fat layer be- comes thinner as it approaches the hand. Fat causes the formation of dimples on the back of the hand, at the knuckles, and tends to mask the appearance of the veins. The fat that can be found under- neath the fingers, from the heads of the metacarpals to the ends of the fingers, and on the palm of the hand, is present in everyone. It acts as a shock absorber, and allows the hand to mold itself to the shapes of ob- jects and to adhere to them introduction - 11Feet The feet are constrained by our bi- pedal stature and, therefore, main- tain a more constant shape than do the hands, regardless of pose or an- gle of view. The feet support the weight of the body and absorb the repeated shocks of walking, running, and jumping. The feet also absorb the weight of loads we commonly carry in addition to our own weight. The role our feet play is, therefore, to establish a zone of balance and to cushion impact 12 | morpho - hands and feet | find it much easier, morphologi- cally speaking, to organize the draw- ing of the foot around the vault of the plantar arch. The summit of this arch is in line with the body's center of gravity when in a classic standing position. The empty space under the foot allows it to flatten or collapse like a damper blade. You will find, later in this book, drawings of feet that are more and less dymanic, in- cluding flat feet. The various shapes will allow you to give your drawings character.Simplified Shapes Like the forearm, the lower leg is more or less conical, and narrows to- ward the end. Once again, the fleshy masses are positioned higher up on the limb, and the tendons become more prominent as we go down the leg. The top of the foot, too, is curved, and it also tilts toward the outside. Think of the imprint a foot leaves on the ground: You see a continuous connection along the outside, but it is broken underneath the plantar arch ‘on the inside. To complete its arc, the arch has to be extended behind the ankle joint by the sturdy heel bone. We find the same number of seg- ments in the toes as in the fingers, including one fewer for the first one— the thumb and the big toe, respec- tively. Here, our drawing is simplified by the alignment of the five toes as they rest on the ground. introduction - 13Bones of the Foot The lower leg, like the forearm, is composed of two bones: the tibia (tib) and the fibula (fib). These bones remain parallel and are not able to cross as with the rotation of the forearm. Together, they make up the ankle joint, which corresponds to the “pulley” of the talus, the first bone in the tarsal series, which they com- plete by descending along its sides. Next are the bones that make up the top of the arch. In shape and function, they mimic the blocks you'd find in an architectural arch. The keystone of the arch is the na- vicular bone, which can be seen underneath the skin on the inside of the foot. 14 | morpho - hands and feet We distinguish between two parts of the foot here. The first is the dy- namic, arched’ part, which includes the talus, the keystone, and three small cuneiform bones that corre- spond to the first three metatarsals. The second is the static part, used for support, which rests on the ground along its outer edge. This is made up of the calcaneus bone (the heel), the cuboid bone, and the two outer metatarsals. Finally, the phalanges of the toes present the same character- istics as the phalanges of the fingers, and here again, there is one fewer phalange on the big toe (correspond- ing to the thumb).Musculature As is the case with the upper limb, the muscles that are inserted higher up on the bones of the leg are what move the foot and the toes. They work in relay with the foot's own muscles. One muscle deserves par- ticular attention: the abductor hal- lucis. | have emphasized the plantar arch and its role as a shock absorb- er. The ‘string’ of the arch’s “bow’ is the abductor hallucis muscle, which gives it elasticity. This muscle starts at the heel and connects with the first phalange of the big toe. It can be seen on the inside, underneath the arch. introduction - 15.Fat Once again, we find the same log- ic in the shape of the foot as in the shape of the hand. Subcutaneous fat lines the skin, and its thickness var- ies according to a person's weight. It mostly modifies the shape of the top of the foot, causing the heads of the metatarsals to appear at the bottom of a series of depressions, or dimples. An important cushion of fat ‘on the bottom of the foot protects the muscles and the bones, reinforc- 16 | morpho - hands and feet ing the foot's properties as a shock absorber while also increasing the foot's adherence to the ground. Veins Only the superficial veins, visible un- derneath the skin, are of interest to us here. The route they take is largely random. | present a “cartography” of ‘only the most important veins, but note that this formulaic representa- tion cannot entirely match reality.The veins vary in volume from ‘one individual to the next, and even within the same individual. They di- late with the influx of blood, and they can become larger with regular and sustained exertion. They can take on a knotted look as they fold back upon themselves. They often com- municate with each other and they form a web that contains uneven meshes. The veins are particularly visible at the extremities, which is why we deal with them in this book. Because | didn’t discuss veins in the earlier ti- tles of this series, | will briefly present the most important veins that are visible on the head and the torso, as well. In the area of the head and the “neck, you can often see the tem- poral vein, which connects to the external jugular by cutting across the path of the sternocleidomastoid. From the angle of the jaw, it then slides into the depression behind the collarbone. In the torso, we will deal with only one vein that is sometimes vis- ible. The superficial epigastric vein starts at the lower abdomen and cuts through the crease of the groin to join the internal saphenous vein. introduction - 17On the upper limb, the veins climb from the tips of the fingers and forma series of archways on the first phalanges, below the heads of the metacarpals, then they come back together on the back of the hand. There, they connect with each other and form an inverted archway. They then produce two branches that frame the forearm along its length, meeting at the hollow of the elbow. At their beginning, on the fin- gers and hand, the veins are numer- ous and seem to follow a random course. As they climb toward the shoulder, they become more volu- minous but fewer in number and are simpler in their appearance From the back of the fingers and hand, the veins twist along the sides of the forearm to connect at the in- 18 | morpho - hands and feet side of the elbow. They then follow their climb on either side of the bi- ceps in two venous lines. On the inner arm, the basilic vein disappears into the hollow of the armpit. On the outer arm, the cephalic vein slides between the deltoid and the pec- toral to disappear into a depression beneath the collarbone. On the lower limb, we find a sim- ilar pattern where the veins start on the back of the toes and the foot, form an archway, and then converge into two main venous lines. The long saphenous vein on the inner leg continues as far as the hip joint, following the path of the sartorius muscle along the thigh, while the external short saphenous vein stops at the back of the knee.drawingshandsFig. 1: The elbow joint is halfway between the top of the shoulder and the end of the back of the hand (the knuckles) Fig. 2 and 3: The back of the hand, measured from the end of the ulna (the bony protrusion on your wrist, on the little finger’s side), is equal in length to the longest finger. Fig. 2.and 4: The first phalange of each finger (except for the thumb) is the same length as the next two phalenges combined. 22 | hands - proportionsaN, FACS file AS The back of the hand is flat: at rest, it is slightly curved. This part remains flexible and can become flatter or rounder. Each finger contains three phalanges. The thumb has only two, but the greater mobility of its metacarpal, which is independent starting rom the wrist joint. gives the impression that the thumb, too, 1s made up of three mobile segments. le A hand is a pincer. In order to make that work, the thumb is naturally oriented in such a way that it is opposed to the fingers. At rest, the thumb can be drawn perpendicular to the index finger. The index finger and the ring finger compete for second place in the category of longest finger. proportions - hands | 2324 | hands - simplified shapessimplified shapes - hands | 25simplified shapes - hands | 2728 | hands - simplified shapessimplified shapes - hands | 2930 | hands - simplified shapesFig. 1: Detached thumb, to be repositioned on the fat of the hand. simplified shapes - hands | 3132 | hands - simplified shapesFach object has first been reduced to its simplified shape The hands are drawn next in such as a way as to make them best embrace the forms and to understand the hand in perspective simplified shapes - hands | 33fig. 4: The fingers have been removed in order to make the fleshy mass at the base of the thumb visible. Fig. 2: In a closed fist the little finger finds its place in the palm of the hand, while the other fingers, hampered by this muscular thickness, ride up closer to the thumb 34 | hands - simplified shapes