Entering
How to use the book

CHAPTER 1 Drawing Hands and Arms

Hand and Arm Basics
Hand area / Arm area / Hand and arm balance / Finger shape / Back of hand shape / Finger connection / Elbow shape

Range of motion of hands and arms
Arm range of motion / Arm shape when bending / Wrist range of motion / Arm twisting / Finger movements

Think in blocks
Hand Block Split / Arm Block Split

Let's draw a hand
3 auxiliary lines / Copy/drawing points / Shape auxiliary lines / Silhouette auxiliary lines / Block auxiliary lines

Let's draw an arm
Arm Support Line / Distinguishing Between Muscular and Lean Body Types

Gender? Age? Body type?
Differences between men and women / Baby arms / Differences in physique
Classification by drawing style
Differences according to drawing style

CHAPTER 2 How to Draw Shadows

Shadow Basics
Differences in light source position / Female hand shadow / Arm shadow / Various light sources / Arm shadows by muscle mass

Practical shadow drawing
Simplified shadows / Various simplifications / Drawing shadows using three-dimensional auxiliary lines / Various light sources / Shadows of bones and tendons / Detailed shadowing / Differences in shadows by size

Gradient Shadow Basics
Animated Shadows and Gradient Shadows / Combination of Animated Shadows and Gradient Shadows

Creating various shadows
Various hands / Two hands / Overlapping hands / Marker pen shadows

CHAPTER 3 Drawing the Fantasy Hand

Captivating hand production
Natural hand / Directed hand / Powerful hand / Hand emphasized by composition

natural hands
Basics of a natural hand / Hands with emotion

Directed by a hand
Basic directing / directing using the wrist / directing using the fingers / directing characters

Powerful hands
Expressing power with perspective / Expressing power with touch / Expressing power with shadow

Hands emphasized in the composition
Differences in distance from the camera / Changes in hand position / Differences according to perspective / Various compositions

Animation drawing direction
Powerful movement / flexible movement

Special Appendix
Professional Roundtable
Hand Pose Photo Collection
About special data

Highly recommended by cartoonist Lee Hyeon-se!
Drawing Takahiro Kagami's "Hands" That Ignite Passion

Usually, we look for a character's emotions in their facial expressions, but surprisingly, animation doesn't only show the face.
Sometimes, the state of mind is depicted by switching to a part of the body or the background.
Among them, hands are an important device for expressing facial expressions.
Sometimes we move consciously, and sometimes we move unconsciously.


It is well known that the genius animator Takahiro Kagami poured his special talent and skills into directing 'Hands'.
『How to Draw Fantasy Hands as Takahiro Kagami Teaches』, a book that teaches you the hand drawing know-how of the man who showed overwhelming charisma in [Yu-Gi-Oh], has been published.
The previous work, "How to Draw Hands with Takahiro Kagami," was a bestseller that held the number one spot on Amazon Japan for a long time despite being an illustration guide, and thanks to the overwhelming support of readers, a second volume was published.

This book's hand-drawn illustrations have been further upgraded compared to the previous work.
The scope of expression has been expanded to include the arm area, which was not covered in the previous book.
We also reveal shadow drawing techniques that enhance the sense of three-dimensionality, as well as the secrets to drawing 'fantasy hands' that will instantly capture your heart.
It is easy to understand and highly practical because it explains everything down to the smallest detail.
It is not only full of practical information that is on a different level from other internet or video lectures, but also contains a wealth of practice materials, making it ideal for practicing croquis and depictions.


Above all, this book is filled with the experiences and philosophy of animator Takahiro Kagami, spanning over 40 years.
It is a great joy to be able to learn Kagami's unique drawing technique that strongly brings out the presence of characters, and furthermore, you can feel how much passion and effort he puts into drawing 'hands'.
If you want to know the special hand drawing technique that only Kagami can do, or if you want to draw hands more beautifully, this book will be truly special.


Kagami, an animator with over 40 years of experience
Learn from experience and effort!

Takahiro Kagami's magic covers a wide range of skills, from beginner to expert! About a third of the book covers basic knowledge and how to draw auxiliary lines, making it easy for even beginners to understand, so you can start with confidence.
Going further, the content has become more detailed and professional, including not only hand drawing techniques, but also methods of expressing the character's personality using hands.


CHAPTER 1 introduces the structure of the hands and arms, including the areas that are important when drawing them and the range of motion.
And it explains how to draw a hand using three auxiliary lines, and how to draw an arm using circle and circumference auxiliary lines.

CHAPTER 2 explains how to draw shadows, which are important for expressing three-dimensionality.
We will look at the essential elements you need to know, such as the basics of shadows that are conscious of light sources, simplifying shadows, and types of shadows.

CHAPTER 3 explains techniques for drawing fantasy hands, which is also the subject of this book.
By understanding the four types of hands - 'natural hands', 'directed hands', 'powerful hands', and 'compositionally emphasized hands' - you will discover the joy of freely directing hands according to your intentions.
We will also learn about the fantastic hand expressions in animation.

Is it possible to express frustration with only hands, without showing your face? How can you create a sense of urgency through layout? As you follow the book, you'll naturally develop an eye for expanding your range of expression, learning how to emphasize or, conversely, conceal what you want to reveal.

Here's a special reader benefit for all time! Watch Takahiro Kagami's "Tool Introduction and Line Drawing Process" and "Shadow Drawing Process" videos, complete with commentary.
You can also download the line drawing data introduced in the shadow rendering section of the text and use it for practice.
A whopping 114 hand pose photos are also provided for free.
Let's download it and use it as a reference when drawing hands.