Draw Real Hands! (Discover Drawing) [Paperback]

Lee Hammond (Author)

Book Description

Series: Discover Drawing | Publication Date: October 15, 1997

Step-by-step instructions reveal the key to drawing hands that are descriptive and life-like, with tips on making hands look old, young, feminine or masculine and ways to use light and shade to create depth and interest.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books; 1st edition (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891348174
• ISBN-13: 978-0891348177
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #504,109 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A professional artist and art instructor for more than twenty years, Lee has authored seventeen North Light books. She owned and operated the Midwest School of Art in Lenexa, Kansas for six years and now has a studio in Overland Park, Kansas where she teaches. She conducts drawing seminars, gives school lectures and mentors nationwide. Also a certified police composite artist in the Kansas City metro area, she has worked with “America’s Most Wanted.” A contributing writer for The Artist’s Magazine, she is also licensed with many of NASCAR’s racing teams to produce art. Her work is seen online at www.leehammond.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book, January 5, 2002

By 

Monica (MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Draw Real Hands! (Discover Drawing) (Paperback)

If anyone has trouble drawing hands, I definitely would suggest this book. My older sister, (a very good artist, by the way) purchased it at amazon.com used. While she thinks a very few of the hand's positions look unnatural, she is impressed with the book.I've had trouble with hands, so I'm eager to dive into this book. Her other books have always helped me. By the way, on reason some people have trouble with Lee Hammond's techniques are simply because they don't buy the supplies she lists! These supplies are very important towards improving your work. The money will be worth it. In fact, I would suggest ALL of Lee Hammond's books. I've seen most of them. If you interested in drawing people, I would suggest How to Draw Life-like Portraits from Photographs the most of all her people books. It covers more than her other book, has everything. The results are amazing. And the techniques you learn here will help you in all future drawing!!!

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Draw real hands? Not really..., June 17, 2005

By 

JL - See all my reviews

This review is from: Draw Real Hands! (Discover Drawing) (Paperback)

The title of this book should be "Do realistic shadding with a pencil". While the images shown are well drawn, and the artist certainly has talent, most of the instruction in the book concerns shading the hands realisticly, rather than actually telling you how to draw them. Drawing hands by using the references provided in the book or from life is easy. As is drawing just about anything from reference. However, that's not being able to draw real hands. That's being able to copy real hands. The book does not cover the proportions of the hand very well at all, and without that you will still have trouble drawing hands in any position without reference. The book also doesn't discuss the underlying skeletal structure or muscle groups very well at all, and that lack of information also makes it hard to draw the hand in any position without reference.

In short, if you want to know how to do realistic shading with a pencil and some other tools, this book is ok. If you want to really learn how to draw hands I recommend you read the 10 or so pages on hands found in The Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist. You'll find more truly useful information there than you will in the 79 pages of this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Work, December 27, 2001

By 

Gerardus Haegens (Oakden, S.A. Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Draw Real Hands! (Discover Drawing) (Paperback)

I have found books by Lee Hammond to be second only to Betty Edwards. I have learned many techniques to take my work from rough outline to photo quality. This book has covered my most troublesome area of drawing and improved my results substantially. More power to Lee. I recommend it as essential reading for all budding artists. I wish I had it twelve months ago.