How to Paint Pinkies

A little finger is not difficult to paint on its own, but making sure it's in proportion with the other fingers can be.

For an artist, fingers are among the most difficult things to paint, along with the human face and figure. Individually, fingers are not so difficult to paint. Collectively, though, there is little margin for error, when trying to paint fingers in proportion with the other fingers and thumb. Painting the smallest finger will be good practice for when it comes to painting the whole hand. When painting a little finger, the artist will also be made aware of how much detail there is to paint. Getting this detail right is not a quick process, but, when an artist does, it will be beneficial for their future work painting the human hand, face or body.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Paper
• Paintbrush
• Watercolors

Instructions

1. Sit down at a table and place your closed hand flat on the table directly in front of you. Sketch the form of your pinkie life-size and sketch the nail. No other details are required for what is essentially a sketch which sets up the drawing, then the painting.

2. Draw the pinkie from the base of the finger, where it joins the webbing. Move upwards to the tip of the finger and then work down to where the little finger joins the main part of the hand. Next, draw the nail of the finger. Finally, draw in the main creases of the finger.

3. Use a light wash of your natural body color to begin your painting of your finger. But don't apply the wash on the fingernail.

4. Paint the fingernail from the quick of the nail upwards. Leave any white tip of the nail as it is, but paint up to it.

5. Vary the shade of the finger using a medium sized brush. Move from the bottom of the finger back to the tip. Begin by working on the lighter areas of your finger. The darkest areas should be painted last.

6. Finish your painting by firstly painting the main creases of your little finger with a 00 numbered brush. Study your finger carefully and paint in the smaller creases also.

Tips & Warnings

• Adjust your sheet of paper to display the pinkie in different positions during your painting. This will help you to judge further how accurate your painting is.

• Leave enough space next to your painting to allow room to paint the rest of the hand if you so wish.

• The three most important aspects of painting a finger are getting the fingernail, flesh tones and creases right. The painting will not look like an accurate representation of a human finger if this is not achieved.