BRIEF ANATOMY AND GENERAL PROPORTIONS

THE HAND

The human hand is anatomically complex. In a healthy individual it consists of 27 bones, 27 joints, 34 muscles, over 100 ligaments and tendons, numerous blood vessels, nerves and soft tissue. The bones of the hand and wrist can be divided into 14 phalanges, 5 metacarpals and 8 carpals. To emphasise its complexity, the total number of bones in the hands and wrists combined amounts to 54 bones out of the 206 human bones in the average adult skeleton. Although it is not necessary for an artist to memorise all the names of each component, it is certainly helpful to understand the proportions and relationships between these numerous parts. Having an appreciation of how the hand is constructed and how it moves and operates will enable the artist to draw this part of the human body with much more accuracy and deeper understanding. In other words, to be able to draw a hand, or indeed any part of the human body accurately, one should investigate the underlying muscular and skeletal structures that create its shape and enable the complexity of its movements.

Osteology of the hand

Traditionally, most medical publications present anatomical illustrations of a hand pointing downwards. Such orientation is referred to as an anatomical position. The following figures demonstrate the structure of the hand in multiple views, exemplifying skeletal and muscular structure not only in a traditional pose, but also during its movement, demonstrating flexion in wrist and fingers.

The front, or palm of the hand, is referred to as the palmar side.

• Bones are hard tissues that give your body shape and stability.

• Phalanges are the finger bones.

• Metacarpals are the middle part of the hand bones.

• Carpals are the wrist bones.

• Joints are places where bones fit together, allowing movement.