So you decided to take the hands out of the pockets.
Now what?
How big should they be? A typical hand is as long as the distance from the chin to the center of the forehead.
So it depends on the size of the head you are carving.

It is best to start a hand by drawing the hand inside a mitten.

Once you have that done, the first set of knuckles is layed out half way between the wrist and the end of the hand.

On a open hand it can be almost a straight line across the hand. Â*If the hand is holding something, the line slants. (just make a fist and look at it.)

The next set of knuckles is half way between the first row and the end of the fingers. Â*Here is where you should actually look at your own hand for a clearer example.

You should layout these lines and cut flat cuts between them.

Then layout the fingers by dividing the finger area in half and then dividing the remaining two areas in half.

That should make four fingers, if you made your mitten correctly, there should be a thumb there also.

Using a small V-tool, cut between the fingers using three straight cuts. Â*One cut between each set of knuckles and one from the last knuckle and the fingertip.

Next turn your V-tool perpendicular to the fingers and use the V to slightly separate the ends of the fingers. (You will need to clean these cuts up with a knife)

There is much more to learn, and many ways to carve hands, but this is a good start. Â* Â*Have fun, Rick

good tips Rick, keep them coming!

Rick: Thanks for finally bringing your classes to So. Cal.
Ken

Thank God for printers, cause there's no way I'd remenger all that.

[KimHoJo]

Two questions:

1. Rick is teaching classes in SoCal? Where can I find more info on these?

2. Who else read Rick's first post with their hand over their face? (And, yes, my fingers reached right to the middle of my forehead.)

LOL Kim - I just read the post, and my hand went up to my face in the first paragraph and never came back down til I read your response!

Thanks, Rick :-)

Teri

Kim,
Sorry, no So Cal, at least not for a few more years.

[AlArchie]

Geez,either my head is small or my hand is big; it goes from my chin all the way to my hairline, and then some! then againn neither those one size fitz-aalbaseball caps nor xxxl gloves fit me. I'd make a heck of a caricature, huh?

Al

Al,
Not to worry, the hairline will eventually move to the correct spacing.

[AlArchie]

Boy, can't argue with that logic!

Al