Page:Drawing for Beginners.djvu/69

 chances to one the artist has paid too much attention to minor things. He has tried so hard to give the nails the right shape; but what attention has been paid to the knuckles, to the base of the fingers, and firm shapes between each joint, to the joints themselves, all of which are a great deal more important? The ring on the finger the watch on the wrist, is eagerly depicted, for it is 'jolly interesting.' So it is. But if the metal is beautifully and intelligently drawn, and the finger, or the wrist, looks feeble and patchy, what then? And the wrist is often neglected. It is the link between the arm and the hand, as the ankle is the link between the leg and the foot and both shapes are fascinating studies for the artist.

We must try to 'get at' the framework. Once we have the bony structure in our minds we shall find the outside shapes less baffling.

Not that I would advise you to begin by drawing the skeleton.

Start drawing freely.

Only, when you feel yourself becoming confused, give a thought to the bones; they are a wholesome check. Seek out shapes. Don't be satisfied with pretty curves and dimples, cushioned palms and tallow-candle fingers. Move the fingers to and fro. Twist and turn the wrist. Never be afraid of losing a position. You will gain something of far more value than which you may lose.

The bones of the hand are small but fairly easy to understand. They have no cup and ball or rotary movements like those of shoulder and forearm; neither are they shrouded in huge muscles like those of the ribs and back. Moreover, they are plainly seen in the hands of the very old criss-crossed with big blue veins.