Posing and Expression Tips 02 - Hands & Feet

 **Each section has been transposed below in case the text is hard to read on certain devices, or if translation is needed for certain parts. :)
Everything mentioned in this post is my opinion - this isn't a statement on what you should or should not do in your art, it is just based on what I prefer to do and see. 

Also included is a link to the models mentioned, in case anyone wants to check them out!:  https://liardart.com/model-library/ 

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One of the trickier things to pose (albeit one of the most enjoyable for me!) I find is hands.. and by extension, feet. If posed incorrectly they can appear stiff or uncomfortable, and if posed too much (bones rotated too far) they can look claw-like and cramped, or even in pain.

Hands and feet also need to react to surfaces without appearing both flat or as if they’re hovering over the surface, so it’s something of a delicate balance.

For fingers in pin-up pieces or in pieces in which they need to appear either ‘posed’ or gentle I tend to rotate the fingertips outward, pointed as if deliberate by the character. However I do not pose the entire finger in the same way, as that can make them appear unnatural and boneless, far too bendy for any humanoid to accomplish.

Here, just like in most of my pieces, each bone is posed differently to add variety to the posing of the finger. This also helps to create the illusion of boundaries that you might find in your own fingers.

In all of my art I try to pose the hands and feet using most if not all of the bones in the fingers/toes so that there is variety between each finger on a hand, each toe on a foot and I can also check - whilst posing - that nothing is clipping into either the character itself or any surfaces they might be stood/leaning against.

This piece is a good example of what I call ‘pin-up hands’. Posed hands made to look deliberate, as if the character is trying to appear as poised and photogenic as possible. They look both gentle and delicate but also tight enough to hold onto the staff without dropping it.

Feet follow similar patterns to hands, although here I suppose I should touch on hooves as well.

For feet/hooves generally when posed in sex scenes and the likes I like to curl the toes (or ankles if hooved) to make it appear as though whatever is happening is having an affect on the character, assuming they’re involved.

On a personal note I tend to pose hooves rather pointed as to me it looks a little more delicate and visually appealing. 

For all hands and feet, though, the best recipe for success as with any posing is referencing. I often look at my own hands when posing to make sure that the movements I’m having a character make are realistic and comfortable where they should be.

There are lots of resources online to find hand posing references, from things like sketches to real photo references that people have compiled. Beyond that, you could always be your own model!

One thing to note is that the hands/feet/hooves in these images are those found on Liard’s models. The number of bones and rotation points may vary when compared to others as well as the general shape, scale and texture.