Drawing a Handshake: Step by Step
When it comes to drawing a perfect handshake, the devil really is in the details. Whether you’re looking to immortalize a business transaction, a meeting between friends, or a tearful goodbye, a strong, confident handshake can be a powerful symbol.
Fortunately, drawing a handshake isn’t as complicated as it may seem. With a few key tips, you’ll be drawing a convincing handshake in no time!
Focus on the Fingers
The key to a good handshake is strong, confident fingers. If you focus on drawing the fingers correctly, the rest of the handshake will virtually draw itself.
When depicting fingers in your drawing, make sure they’re angled in a natural way, with the knuckles appearing slightly rounded. To give your handshake the look of strength and confidence, the fingers should be reaching out aggressively toward the other hand.
To give your handshake a slightly more relaxed feel, you can draw slightly bent fingers. Just be sure not to make them too curved or the handshake will look limp.
The Role of Expression
When drawing a handshake, it’s important to pay attention to the expression of the characters. Depending on the context and meaning of the handshake, the facial expressions and body language of the characters can convey a powerful message.
It can be helpful to think of a handshake as a conversation between two characters, which includes more than just the actual gripping of hands. Internal emotions and attitudes will often be reflected in the positioning of eyes, mouths, and even feet.
Where are the eyes looking? Is the character smiling or frowning? What kind of posture is the character taking? All of these elements can help tell the story behind the handshake.
Focus on Emphasis
Once you’ve got the basics down, you can use emphasis to take your handshake to the next level. Just like in real life, the handshake should be the primary focal point of the drawing, so be sure to draw attention to it accordingly.
Draw the hands firmly, with detailed fingers and visible pressure from the grip. You can even add wrinkles to the hands in order to illustrate tension and power.
To further accentuate your handshake, you can even consider giving it a texture or color. Giving the hands different shades of gray or blue, for instance, can give the handshake an added feeling of reality.
Be Creative
The best way to draw a realistic-looking handshake is to be creative, and to really get into the characters involved. Each handshake will naturally have its own style and look, so instead of following the same rules for each one, expose the characters involved and let the story of your drawing shine through.
Don’t be afraid to take risks and use your imagination. A good handshake drawing should have a life of its own, and be unique and full of personality. Use exaggeration and emotion to get your point across, and most importantly, have fun!
