The Book of a Hundred Hands (Dover Anatomy for Artists) [Paperback]

George B. Bridgman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Anatomy for Artists | Publication Date: June 1, 1971

The legendary Art Students League of New York teacher offers 100 fine drawings and in-depth instruction in this guide to drawing virtually every aspect and posture of the human hand. He covers it all: the back of the hand and palm, nails, bones, tendons, muscles, the arch, veins, and more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (June 1, 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 048622709X
• ISBN-13: 978-0486227092
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #63,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Art > Instruction & Reference > Figure Drawing
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Art > Instruction & Reference > General
  • #24 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Arts & Photography > Art > Instruction & Reference > Drawing

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent beginning to intermediate book at a good price, January 19, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Book of a Hundred Hands (Dover Anatomy for Artists) (Paperback)

There are two excellent books that I know of that focus specifically on the anatomy of the hand for the artist. I was given this book early in my aspiring art career by my grandmother (an accomplished artist) but lost it some while later. I had forgotten the title and ended up buying Hogarth's "Drawing Dynamic Hands" as a guide after failed attempts to locate this book again. I would actually recommend getting them both, but start with this book first. In the end I got alot out of both, but there were many times using the Hogarth book that I missed "Hundred Hands".

Hogarth's style of illustration in all of his books is much more imbellished by his use of soft shading to illustrate volume. His look is extremely useful but it can also be an obstacle to a beginning to intermediate student since end result is a more stylized appearance. With Hogarth's books, the student can find themselves inadvertently adopting the look of his images in their own style.

Bridgeman's illustrations are much more loose and sketch-like. He uses little or no shading but his understanding of volume and structure rivals Hogarth's. The simplicity of his examples are much easier to get started with. He accomplishes just as much if not more with a few loose lines as Hogarth's vivid shading. More importantly the sketch-like quality can be much less intimidating early on.

While it's true Hogarth's book is definitely nicer to look at, I believe Bridgeman's is a much better learning guide for starters. The price of this book also makes it affordable to use them as compliments to one another if you decide get both.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my Top 3 Bridgman books- great in drawing from memory..., April 2, 2006

By 

"extreme_dig_cm" (Chicago, Il USA, Amazon.com Fan!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of a Hundred Hands (Dover Anatomy for Artists) (Paperback)

Mainly for intermediate-level artists- it's actually *GREAT* for enthusiastic beginners. It has a little bit of *everything* depicting hand construction from memory. It's also great for general improvement; a few tips & tricks- an *excellent* reference for all working artists.
The genius of Bridgman, at least for me, is mainly in his construction of heads & hands. The genius in Bridgman is that he selects important lines & planes: He emphasizes the *essential*. His drawings aren't always eye-poppingly 3-D, and to me, that's actually a good thing. They're mainly simplistic- yet amazingly effective. There's *great* power in this simplicity here! Here's the formula I use: copying Bridgman + photos + my favorite artists= success(!). And this book represents his best work on hands- even *better* than his Complete Guide, which includes much of this material. In fact, this book, *along with photographs*, has enabled me to draw hands completely from memory in an amazing range of angles & views! And it's helped me quicker than any other book on the market; quicker even than Burne Hogarth's incredibly popular Drawing Dynamic Hands. The design & layout here are really among Bridgman's best. If you flip rapidly through these pages, initially you might not be impressed. But if you take the time to look at each page, you'll notice some drawings are a bit better than others. Some of his best drawings are his smallest(!). For instance- In learning to draw from memory, I started by copying smaller hands, working my way up to bigger & better detail. I started by copying pages 119 & 101- it's amazing what just a few lines can teach! Many pages are like this: simple, easy, and effective; for beginners, intermediates & up. In short: My Highest Recommendation- 5 STARS!

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book of Hands, December 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Book of a Hundred Hands (Dover Anatomy for Artists) (Paperback)

This is a fantastic resource for any artist wanting to understand the human hand. Bridgman breaks down the hand to basic shapes and then builds up to the rendered hand showing you along the way how the bones, muscles, tendons and veins relate to the overall shape of the hand. I highly recomend any of Bridgman's books for a better understanding of drawing the human body.