Hands & Feet

Trouble drawing hands and feet? This is the workshop intensive for you!

Hands and feet are famously complicated structures that when done well can seriously elevate figurative work. They are independently interesting subjects that represent our most primordial and refined relationships to the world around us.

In this class, students will run through a series of hand and foot drawing exercises designed to emphasize and combine the anatomical, expressive, and individual qualities of the extremities. The goal is for students to leave with a fresh and highly practical understanding of how to both capture and feature these fundamental body parts.

Friends Miles Lewis and Miles Yoshida have made the construction and expression of these extremities a focus in their work. While sharing technical foundations, their approaches differ and overlap in ways that broaden the perception of this core subject.

The workshop will be structured around drawing the nude model.

The Workshop will include:

I. INTRODUCTION (~ 20 min.)

Both instructors will present their work as well as examples of where hands and feet are especially well-used in art of all kinds.

II. HAND DEMO (~20 minutes)

Miles Yoshida will do a hand drawing demonstration for 10 minutes. Miles Lewis will do a hand drawing demonstration for 10 minutes.

III. Ten 2-minute gestures (~20 minutes)

Students will draw gestures of the hand from the model.

IV. Four 5-minute hand expressions (~20 minutes)

Students will draw expressive hands with a focus on capturing the anatomical underpinning and structural lines of the form.

V. Two 10-minute hand portraits in context (~20 minutes)

Students will draw expressive hands in the context of a full bust portrait of the figure.

VI. One 20-minute hand anatomy (~20 minutes)

Students will draw hands as anatomical forms in order to solidify a three-dimensional understanding of the subject.

—- BREAK —- (~10 min.)

VII. FOOT DEMO (~20 minutes)

Miles Yoshida will do a foot drawing demonstration for 10 minutes. Miles Lewis will do a foot drawing demonstration for 10 minutes.

VIII. Ten 2-minute gestures (~20 minutes)

Students will draw gestures of the foot from the model.

IX. Four 5-minute foot expressions (~20 minutes)

Students will draw expressive feet with a focus on capturing the anatomical underpinning and structural lines of the form.

X. Two 10-minute foot portraits in context (~20 minutes)

Students will draw expressive feet in the context of a lower body study of the figure.

XI. One 20-minute foot anatomy

Students will draw feet as anatomical forms in order to solidify a three-dimensional understanding of the subject.

PIECE SELECTION AND CRITIQUE (~20 minutes)

Students will collect their favorite few studies and we’ll look at and discuss them collectively.

Materials:

Any drawing materials will do but pencil, pen, and paper are highly recommended.