Getting That Image Right
So, I had this idea kicking around in my head for a bit. Just this picture, you know, two women, their hands just touching. Simple, right? Yeah, famous last words. Getting it out of my brain and onto the screen, or canvas, or whatever, that’s always the tricky part.
First thing, I just sat down and tried to sketch it out. Rough stuff. Didn’t even really draw the full figures at first, just focused on the hands. And let me tell you, hands are the absolute worst. Seriously. Trying to get the fingers to look natural, especially when they’re interacting? Nightmare. Spent ages just fiddling with the angles, the way the fingers would slightly bend or rest against each other. Erased more times than I can count.
I needed references, obviously. Scrolled through a bunch of pictures, not necessarily of the same thing, but just looking at how hands connect, the little details. Skin texture, knuckles, all that jazz. It helps, but sometimes it just makes you realise how much you’re getting wrong.
- Tried a few different poses for the hands. One was too stiff, looked like mannequins.
- Another was too dramatic, wasn’t the vibe I wanted.
- Needed something kinda soft, maybe a little hesitant, but definitely connecting.
Then I started thinking about the “artistic” bit. Didn’t want it looking like a straight-up photograph. Played around with some styles. Tried a sort of blurry, dreamy look first, but it lost the detail in the hands, which was the whole point. Then went for something a bit more painterly. Found a brush setting I kinda liked, gave it some texture without being messy.
Working Through It
Color was another headache. What colors say “connection” or “emotion”? I dunno. Messed with warm tones, cool tones. Ended up going for something fairly simple, maybe a bit muted, so the focus stayed on the hands and the point of contact. Added some subtle lighting to make it pop a little, highlight the knuckles and where the skin touched. That part took a while, just tweaking shadows and highlights bit by bit.
Honestly, there were moments I almost gave up. My software decided to lag right when I was getting somewhere, typical. And sometimes you stare at something for so long you can’t even tell if it looks right anymore. Had to step away, walk around, come back with fresh eyes. That usually helps. Sometimes.
Eventually, after a lot of fiddling, erasing, re-drawing, and probably too much coffee, I got to a point where I thought, “Okay, that’s kinda it.” It’s not like, museum quality or anything. But it felt like the image I had in my head, more or less. The feeling was there, that quiet moment of connection. That’s what I was aiming for anyway.
So yeah, that was the process. A lot more messing around than you’d think for something that sounds so simple. But that’s how it goes, right? Glad it’s done, though. Onto the next thing.
