Tracing your hand is a way to ground you in the moment, connect you with your body and warm-up the drawing and sensing parts of your brain. You can do it in 5 minutes or let yourself loose track of time, adding details, color and shading.
Mapping Your Past, Present & Future
This is my go-to drawing exercise to start the watercolor hikes and workshops I lead in Zion National Park. Our hands are uniquely ours, our fingerprints, one-of-a-kind.
On the walls of caves and rocks, the people who lived here before us left petroglyphs and pictographs of their hands.
Tracing your hand is a way to ground you in the moment, connect you with your body, and warm-up the drawing and sensing parts of your brain.
Many of the people I work with in my art workshops don’t think of themselves as artists and are afraid of drawing. Tracing is a tool that artists have used for centuries and a great way to get started and build confidence in your drawing ability.
I also love this exercise as a journaling tool and use it all the time with the writing prompt questions you’ll find in the variations section below.
ingredients
your hand
pen, pencil, crayon, marker
piece of paper
optional: watercolor and paint brush
recipe instructions
Step 1: Position your hand on top of a piece of paper. Your hand can be in any position you like (some positions will be harder to trace than others, but that doesn’t matter, experiment and play around.)
Step 2: Trace your hand slowly in whatever position you’ve chosen. Take your time. Close your eyes if you’d like. Feel your hand on the paper and listen to the sound of your pencil or pen movement as you draw.
Step 3: Don’t lift the hand you are tracing from the page, just move it slightly so that you can see the tracing underneath.
Step 4: Now, stare at your hand, notice the lines and shadows, the veins and nails. Start filling in your tracing with some of these details, as much or as little you’d like.
variations
Reflect on your past, present & future. Write an answer to each of these questions, either in your traced outline or in the space around it: (1) What is a memory from your past you want to hold on to? (2) What is something you are grateful for today? (3) What is a hope you have for your future?
Ask a question and fill in the hand with your answers: i.e. what are five things that matter the most to you right now?
Fill your traced outline with collaged images.
Draw your feet, or other parts of your body.
Close your eyes and draw what you feel rather than what you see. This is how Austrian artist Maria Lassnig painted her “body awareness” paintings. See the “Additional Resources” section to learn more.
benefits
Whether used as a warm-up for art activities, a mindfulness practice, or a journaling exercise, this exercise offers a wealth of benefits including:
1. Presence in the Moment
Tracing your hand encourages you to focus on the present moment, providing a break from daily distractions and stress. This mindfulness practice can help calm your mind and reduce anxiety.
2. Unique Mark Making
Just as our fingerprints are one-of-a-kind, the lines and shapes you create by tracing your hand reflect your individuality.
3. Historical Connection
By tracing your hand, you connect with ancient traditions, such as the petroglyphs and pictographs left by people on cave walls. This can deepen your appreciation for the timeless human impulse to leave a mark and communicate through art.
4. Confidence Building
For those who feel intimidated by drawing, tracing is a non-threatening way to begin. It provides a structure that can help build confidence in your drawing abilities, allowing you to explore art without the pressure of perfection.
5. Self-Reflection
Use this exercise as a journaling tool. Incorporate writing prompts to encourage deeper introspection. Consider the symbolism of your hand and the stories it holds.
6. Simple and Accessible. No Special Materials Needed
All you need is your hand, a piece of paper, and a drawing tool. This exercise can be done anywhere and at any time. Plus with endless varieties, you could easily create a daily practice out of it.
additional resources
Utah Pictograph
Read this article to learn more about petroglyphs and pictographs in U.S. National Parks.
Maria Lassnig body awareness painting
Maria Lassnig (1919–2014) was an Austrian painter who focused on depicting the sensations of her own body rather than its external appearance, which she termed “body awareness painting.” Find out more about Maria Lassnig.
Artist SketchbooksDrawing
Author:
Lanell Dike
Lanell leads art workshops & retreats for beginners and experienced artists in Zion National Park and Southern Utah.
Enhance your observation skills by taking a walk without your phone. This is an exercise in noticing what you are drawn to and using your senses to record a memory.
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