How to Sculpt a Hand

In this video I demonstrate a simple method for constructing a basic hand from four parts - the wrist, palm, fingers, and thumb. Note that there’s a quick reference on how to break down the sections at the end (6:55)
As always, I’m not claiming that this is the best or only method for sculpting a hand. Rather it’s a systematic approach that works well for beginners.
You know the deal! Please like and subscribe! And, if you can, consider supporting this channel on Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=36099181

[@semart8813]

This is so helpful, and surprisingly short for so much information. Very useful video, thank you!

[@intheround8310]

Thank you so much! I believe in information density - don't want to waste anyone's time after all. Some people have told me my videos are TOO dense, so I'm glad you liked it.

[@TheFakeyCakeMaker]

Aspiring cake artist here. Thank you for making this so easy, usually videos are like "take a piece of clay, now make a hand" and you're like oooookay, great when you've got the talent but now I've got a basis to work from I feel I can finally start making some serious pieces. I've subscribed. Please do more videos like this, I appreciate you. PS you should consider voice-over work, when I saw you and heard your voice I thought it was a dub, you've literally got a perfect voice over voice. Amazing.Update, I tried this but it doesn't work in fondant, an all in one method would be great.

[@intheround8310]

Thank you so much! I have so many more videos planned (and even partially filmed), but I've had a crazy busy summer. I hope to be getting more videos up on the channel this fall. I assume the fondant didn't stick together? I wonder if there is a slip equivalent for fondant...maybe just water...? I haven't worked much with fondant. But I think a one-piece hand is a good idea, so I'll add it to the list of videos I want to make.

[@littlewishesbakehouse5491]

you would likely have better success with modeling chocolate!

[@viniciusrafer3055]

The process is simply beautiful.

[@MaruskaStarshaya]

Amazingly simple and looks great, thank you!

[@quodena6527]

Hi, thanks for the clear and informative explanation. As a developing digital sculptor, I find this very useful and easily translatable to my medium. I am hoping to see torso, leg and arm sculpting tutorials as well.

[@intheround8310]

And I’m planning on making all of those and a bunch of others! I haven’t posted a new video in way too long. In part this is due to work and family obligations, but also my computer gets less and less capable of running premiere pro every time they update it. I’ve been wanting to upgrade the graphics card, but there's this whole gpu shortage.

[@rationalowl4867]

This was incredibly helpful, I’m just taking a high school ceramics class so this was super simple for me to follow. Mine didn’t turn out perfect, but I’m still very happy! Thank you so much!

[@intheround8310]

So glad to hear it, and thank you for letting me know!

[@michaelshelbyedwards]

I'm a long time painter dabbling in 3D. The demo is extremely helpful -- its good to know how to draw the hand, but sculpting with a procedure in mind is SO helpful. Did this in miniature to create praying hands for an angel. Thanks!

[@intheround8310]

You're very welcome! Drawing/painting really informs sculpting and vice versa, so it's great when you can do both!

[@samratsingh6708]

I am a beginner, and it helped me a lot thanks for making this video😊😊

[@sondos5715]

I'm so glad I found out your channel Really big help thank you

[@patytrico]

Thank you for the class! Amazing!

[@intheround8310]

You're very welcome!

[@mikeyseviersspookshow5183]

Love you, thank you for this! I plan on making a pair of latex Monster Mits this year and the knowledge from this tute will surely help!

[@dokugz]

this helped a lot, thank you so much !!

[@intheround8310]

You're so welcome!

[@evaunit-0186]

It looks so real

[@intheround8310]

Thank you!

[@SS-oj1jt]

This video was amazing! Thank you!

[@intheround8310]

Thank you!

[@Oliviaismexoxo]

Thank you, learnt so much amazing vid

[@Barbie_All_The_Way]

The In The Round Intro is Awesome

[@Tanoaproductionsfiji]

Thank you for sharing.

[@zainab_1iq]

Thank you so much 🥺❤️

[@denjikamato]

I can't believe the amount of subscribers you have, you deserve to be thousand times more popular, your content is undoubtedly great. I really hope you get more subscribers soon👏❤

[@intheround8310]

Thank you :)

[@BreejuArts]

Very nice work 👌👌👌👌👌

[@briannacrawford5487]

You are very gifted! I made my hand using little supply's I used 1 pound of cotton clay and it turned out pretty cool thanks

[@intheround8310]

Thank you! and I'm so pleased your hand turned out!

[@katarzynawinter1468]

Perfect! 🙂

[@debbiejohnson2789]

Amazing how you can work with the hand standing on the cross section of the arm above the wrist. I guess that’s the best way to work it instead of it lying down.

[@intheround8310]

It can be challenging to work on independent body parts, both because it's hard to know where to stop (everything connects), and because there's no convenient non-sculptural surface. One thing some people do is to use a partial armature to "float" the sculpture. Really this is just a dowel or bar that sticks into the piece far enough to support and lift it into the air, but which can be easily removed after.

[@debbiejohnson2789]

@@intheround8310 that sounds like a good idea & solution.

[@mosseyw]

Thank you

[@crustythewanksock2413]

Beautiful

[@binunavi6921]

thank you

[@nadirnawabi17]

Amazing

[@agoat3557]

hello if you don't mind me asking what clay brand is you useing very good and short to the point video thanks alot !

[@SYgameX]

Nice video

[@adamk1315]

my master :D

[@Szmaglord]

Great tutorial! It is very hard to use for miniatures (especially for fingers) but I will practice that method nonetheless. Regards!

[@intheround8310]

I agree completely. I almost never sculpt small, but when I do, I usually separate out the fingers and thumb from a single piece of clay. That said, I've seen some people who make very impressive small scale figures work in the complete opposite way, sculpting the thumb, palm, and each finger almost fully as individual parts before assembling the hand!

[@Szmaglord]

@@intheround8310 Separating fingers and thumb from a single piece of clay worked the best for me so far - especially for closed hands/fists. Doing fingers separately might end up in messing them up on asembly. Thank you for motivation - looking up for next video, regards!

[@sukantasutradhar9217]

My good guid

[@rachelwarren3020]

Do you have to hollow this our before firing?

[@macabrepod]

What type of clay is best for a beginner to use?

[@williamsteffaunneferrer6704]

This looks great to see by making that hand it's super good looks real i like this making hand you're so good 👍☺️

[@williamsteffaunneferrer6704]

So good 😊👍 i like this hand 😄😁💝😉

[@williamsteffaunneferrer6704]

You are so handsome man i hope your likes get a lot of likes 👍💝😄

[@intheround8310]

Thank you ☺

[@yoshikagekira3929]

So Good

[@hadj332]

Yare Yare Daze....

[@lalighieri8789]

I swear you yourself are a sculpture. You're so handsome.

[@intheround8310]

lol thank you, that's very kind.

[@judebaltazar5150]

I agree. He is angelic.

[@angeloawesomeness8641]

Balls in yo jaw! (Yo jaw!)

[@philonetwentyseven5308]

HANDsome

[@matstan3515]

@@philonetwentyseven5308 oh no no no His HANDsomeness is very HANDy when your ex is around you

[@Its_Jess00]

Would you recommend scaffolding such as malleable wires skewered in each finger for different finger/hand postures ?

[@intheround8310]

I would absolutely recommend an interior wire armature if you intend to cast the piece or if you're just practicing. For fired work, removal of this armature can be more trouble than it's worth. It is possible to insert temporary supports that you leave sticking out of the piece, then pull them as the clay stiffens up (some people use bamboo skewers for this), but I just find them too awkward to sculpt around.

[@Its_Jess00]

Thank you !!

[@marthakaram7738]

OK I am sure mine will look nothing like this if I try but at least I now know how to try!

[@catarinaborges3625]

Hey! What type of clay are you using? I only have access to the supermarket clay, which is more dry, would I have to keep it really wet in order to shape it right? Thank you, loved the video!

[@intheround8310]

This is just a generic midfire stoneware, which you can get from most arts and crafts stores and also can order on-line. When you say "supermarket clay," do you mean a water-based fireable ceramic clay, or an airdry clay? If the former, you should take advantage of the various stages of plasticity that it goes through as it dries, starting pretty wet for construction and blocking, then working towards finer details as it dries. If the latter, well...the materiality will be rather different, and you may have to experiment a bit. I don't know for sure because I don't really use airdry clays.

[@ariadnafernandez7265]

Can you fire this piece of ceramic without it bursting?

[@megangong9081]

This video is very informative, thank you! What kind of clay did you use in this video? Ceramic clay or plasticine clay?

[@intheround8310]

Thank you! This is a generic mid-fire stoneware clay.

[@clayloco.5669]

Buen tutorial, ese truco de colocarlo sobre la esponja nola sabia. :V

[@alexxavier8381]

Great video! can you talk more about the materials.

[@intheround8310]

This is just a generic midfire stoneware. I use a combination of loop and compression tools, & abrasives and brushes to shape it.

[@user-sg4vt9qv7q]

Подскажите что это за материал

[@Waaaallldoooooowhereru_]

Does anyone know what kind of clay he’s using? Brand?

[@Priya-uv3xg]

The fingers keep falling iff my hand as it dries. Do you have any tips? Im trying to make a really light weight hand because i need to attach horizontally by the wrist to a peice of wood and ive been using just regular air dry clay but it dries really heavy and the fingers break off A LOT as it dries

[@intheround8310]

If you're using airdry clay, I would recommend using an armature! It will make everything easier. Armature wire would be great, but you could probably get away with just twisted aluminum foil. Just make sure the armature is strong, and the hand should be too. You could even extend the armature out of the wrist to reinforce the joint with the wood.

[@BelaMardia]

This one is really nice. Do you have any video on how to sculpt a wine glass , sun glass, a book ,pencil in ceramic without using pottery wheel?

[@intheround8310]

I don't have any of those, but with the exception of the sun glasses, the shapes aren't that complicated. You will just have to pay attention to the moisture so you can do the refining and detail work without deforming the underlying shape of each object. For glasses, you might consider making the frames and the arms separately.

[@BelaMardia]

@@intheround8310 thanks i will try making one and will surely share here the link

[@TungstenTater]

Can you still fire this project in a kilm without it exploding?

[@memehome373]

What is this clay name ???

[@TTVModernViking]

How we gonna make the clay rectangular lol. U just cut it, but mine didint come like that.

[@Sydonnewarren]

Do you use reference photos?

[@intheround8310]

Frequently but not always, and I do recommend it as a general practice. Even when you're making a likeness it's good to have references for the various features. It's important to be aware, though, that images are quite deceptive. Small shifts in perspective and lens distortions can give you a false sense of shape and proportion. Sometimes different viewing angles describe the same person very differently.

[@jamesballon580]

What clay do u use??

[@intheround8310]

This is just a generic mid-fire stoneware (from Blick). If you're wondering why it's so shiny at the end, it's because I burnish it with a microfiber cloth when it's hard-leather to bone-dry.

[@wgs4761]

What clay did you use??

[@intheround8310]

it's just a generic midfire stoneware. I often burnish a little with a microfiber cloth when the clay is hard-leather-hard. This is why it's shiny at the end.

[@sezennnnnnnn]

💯👏💯👏

[@Mohammad-wd7kb]

⚒♥️

[@arabellebalbin855]

What kind of clay did you use ?

[@intheround8310]

This is just a generic midfire stoneware, available from most art/craft stores. Something like this: www.dickblick.com/products/blick-stoneware-clay/

[@heroki3542]

Hey nice stuff, can you by chance tell me what kind of clay you used?

[@intheround8310]

Sure! This is just a generic midfire stoneware. You can get it from most art/craft stores or the internet.

[@meseretderibe6381]

Could you send a link from a website. That you got your clay from please.

[@intheround8310]

@@meseretderibe6381 There are countless varieties, but here's one I've actually used: www.dickblick.com/products/blick-stoneware-clay/

[@user-ot6or1ze1y]

What type of clay did you use

[@intheround8310]

It's just a generic mid-fire stoneware 😁

[@heroki3542]

Is it possible to make a Clay Trumpet? If yes can you make a tutorial on one since NO ONE has yet.

[@intheround8310]

Lots of my students are interested in ceramic instruments! One spent all last semester making porcelain flutes. Another made a pipe organ. Lots of percussion too. Instruments aren't my specialty, but look what I found: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXy8aaqPbqhrq6M&ab_channel=GabeTurow

[@aryanmukherjee5659]

Just come to Kumartuli,Kolkata, and see how our clay artisans make the Durga idols

[@cryolophosaurus8839]

Gi-Hun front man!

[@doesbadart13]

feet have been mastered, now i attempt hands

[@intheround8310]

glad to hear it!

[@zoeyyara1531]

Bruh ive been doing this for 3 hours and its still halfway there, how do u do it so fast

[@intheround8310]

Well...in part it's experience and in part its video editing. I'm not sure exactly how long it took me in total (the filming it self slows down the process quite a lot), but it was definitely a couple of hours at least.

[@jackasskids6804]

What type of clay is this?

[@intheround8310]

This is just a generic mid-fire stoneware. I burnish it a little at the end with a microfiber cloth, which is why it's a bit shiny.

[@justis5665]

Can you fire this without it exploding because of trapped air

[@intheround8310]

If you use an appropriate clay body and a careful enough schedule, you can fire up to about 4 inches solid clay, and also trapped air chambers, but it both takes longer and is riskier, so I tend to perforate when I can and try to keep my thickness under an inch (preferably less). For instance, this hand has a hole drilled up the wrist into the palm.

[@fantasyworkshop7448]

HOW to sculpt Master Yoda kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJWqhomprrWtprc

[@naomeestrada7527]

hello,what kind of clay.is.this

[@intheround8310]

This is just a generic mid-fire stoneware. you can find some variation of it at most art and craft stores.

[@ms.presilsportraits7323]

I wish he zoomed in

[@AI-xs4fp]

Sausage fingers here thanks you!

[@shantiseeralan1356]

Where is tendon

[@theone_theonly_diavolo3870]

How much yen for that sculpture? Don't ask, just tell... very meticulously crafted, I'd say.. Work of art, truthfully. But, back on the price.

[@intheround8310]

Thank you! I'm not sure exactly as I made it as a demo (my own sculpture that I sell is quite different). Based only on the time I put into it (as compared to the time cost of my typical work)... hmm, a few hundred usd, maybe (I think that's like, 35-45k yen or so)?

[@Aang_L._Jackson]

He looks like a Roman

[@heyitsjacob1948]

I made a finger I call it my nose picking finger

[@intheround8310]

lol

[@jessekorson7139]

Dude is pissed off at that clay though.

[@intheround8310]

😂

[@fyyfee5779]

ممكن ترجمة مقطع الفيديو الى اللغة العربية؟!..

[@Texicus_Reddicus]

cool. you seem a little robotronic though

[@intheround8310]

Yeah, you're not the only one to have said it :)

[@Texicus_Reddicus]

@@intheround8310 tbh I dont mind. Your videos are actualy amazingly useful

[@intheround8310]

@@Texicus_Reddicus Thank you so much!

[@ameerah6208]

Let me guess You’re here cuz u have nobody to hold hands with 🥲

[@carlip]

TL:DR, just make a hand

[@user-el1bx6fe1i]

Why do I feel this is ai