Getting the hands and feet right can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful figure drawing. The torso can be in proportion, the face a recognisable likeness, but clumsy digitation will be the first thing a viewer notices. This is a straightforward book that uses an approach more often found in manuals for the beginner. There are simple exercises, diagrams and demonstrations that guide you through all the techniques you'll need.
Eddie Armer makes light of what is always a tricky subject, even for the most experienced artist. Perspective and proportion are the main keys and Eddie includes examples and lessons that show hands and feet at rest, in action and from virtually every angle. Simple drawings that use just shading to depict form keep the work simple and avoid complication. This is a really thorough guide that cuts through the mystique and is a genuine aid to success.
* The Artist *
There's more, of course, to figure drawing than just the extremities, but hands and feet are notoriously difficult to get right and errors here can mar an otherwise successful piece of work.
Eddie's method is to proceed by way of examples and exercises, with plenty of diagrams and blocking outlines along the way. Instead of contemplating what appears to be a mountain - the sheer complexity of digitation, for instance - you start with simple shapes and work from there. Breaking the problem down to a series of what become much simpler stages suddenly makes it manageable and the possibility of understanding it more reasonable.
A lot of books on figure drawing include what amounts to a basic anatomy course. While this is undoubtedly useful, it can be daunting and, if this is something you feel you don't need, the lack of it here should give your heart an immediate lift. This is art, not physiology. There's plenty of guidance on perspective, which is most definitely something you need to get to grips with, as well as hands and feet from different angles and in different poses.
At 96 pages, this is a concise guide, but there's no sense of anything lacking or of corners being cut and it should provide all the information you need.
* Artbookreview.net *
This book is an answer to getting hands and feet looking realistic. Beginning with description of tools it moves on to the essential basics of the internal parts of hands and feet. It progresses quickly to drawing and getting the proportions and perspective correct. The author makes the subject easy enough for most to follow and certainly has improved my efforts. Unlike other books I have seen, this one also includes things such as adornments and gesturing. Definitely a good buy.
-- Marion Mashiter * Customer review *
Drawing Hands & Feet is a very interesting book, showing the structure of the bony skeleton of both plus muscle arrangement. Plenty of drawings of all types of hands and feet, some very good tips for when you are drawing. I have always found this a difficult subject to paint or draw, but I'm sure, with the help of this book I will now be able to accomplish a far better picture.
-- Trevor Gilbert * Customer review *
Hands and feet
The challenging subject of drawing hands and feet is tackled by expert teacher, Eddie Armer in his new book, Drawing Hands & Feet. This comprehensive course guides the artist through each stage of creating accurate portraits of hands and feet, both at rest and in motion. Building on the anatomy of the subject, Eddie looks at the drawing materials, mastering proportion, perspective, light and shade, with tips and advice along the way and exercises and projects for you to put what you've learnt into practice.
* Leisure Painter *
