Hands Graphite Drawing

The lifelike shading of toned paper drawing set it apart from most other drawings using the same drawing utensils. Being suited for realistic subjects, the self-portrait of hands proved to be a bold venture. The subject of value becomes ever pertinent, as there are two stages of drawing between shading and highlights. The composition remains relatively contained with all of the hands in full view and identical sizes. The variety within the piece comes from the different poses of the hands, which each evokes a different mood.

The continuity of the piece is achieved by the line of motion on the bottom third of the image moving horizontally. There is a nice diagonal line of motion created that runs concurrently by starting at the peak of the composition on the left and slants down to meet the horizontal bottom line. The image remains relatively balanced by counteracting the amount of negative space with that of the subject.