Hands

By no means am I any expert on the subject, but I thought I would share some of my current feelings on hands (I say current because every day I seem to learn something new which totally changes my perspective and understanding).

Hands seem to be an area of animation that is frequently overlooked. Hands are just as important as the face. So much of a characters personality and emotion is conveyed through the hands. A well crafted hand pose can convey if someone is nervous, confident, proud, sad, happy, angry, dainty, powerful, weak, squeamish, tense, relaxed, etc. (the list goes on and on)

I've been doing a lot of stuff with hands at work lately, and I thought I would share some of the stuff I find inspirational and useful. Below are many examples of hands, all of them are in very different styles, yet all of them are serving the same purpose; to aid in the acting, to help the audience understand the character a little more, to help get an idea across, to lead the eye within a shot, etc.

For example, lets say a character adjusts his glasses; he could cautiously places his finger tips on his glasses and adjust, he could wrap his fingers around one side and adjust, he could adjust with his index and thumb on the nose piece, he could use both hands in a dainty manner with his pinkies out, the possibilities are endless! The pose you design could be curvy and elegant, or rigid and sturdy. All of this elaborates and deepens the audience’s relationship and understanding of that character.

Milt Hands

Milt Hands cont'd.

Preston Blair Hands

Angus MacLane hands

By the way, if anyone else has any awesome hand drawings they would like to share, I would LOVE to see them!