Books like Drawing Dynamic Hands

tl;dr Not the best artwork as examples, with little variety. But nice explanations and information, for the most part. Borrow if it's an option, otherwise the internet has better (free) tutorials.Not tl;dr:Hands are notorious for being difficult to draw. So of course, wanting to master them is something many artists want to achieve. (That, or avoid them. But you know, I wouldn't be checking out this book if that was the case for me, haha.)I don't recall exactly what pointed me in the direction of this book, but it's certainly, well, an option. My biggest turn-off with this book was the artist's style. It's quite exaggerated, to the point where it looks inaccurate. Much of the joints are bulbous and, well as someone I know described it--swol. Needless to say, these fingers work out.Ignoring that aspect though, this is certainly not a bad reference. Just like with any other reference material, you want to grab from multiple sources, and not just stick to one. Along with that, it is a missed opportunity that the artist didn't include a wider range of examples. Don't get me wrong, there are LOADS of examples in this, but all of the same hand. More feminine hands, smaller, older/aged, thinner/fatter, etc. There /is/ one small section towards the back with baby-elderly, and a couple feminine hands ("well cared for, with a certain grace of gesture and figure movement that suggest a cultivated or privileged background"), but it would've been nice, in general, to have a wider range of options throughout the entire book.Also including a photo or two might've helped make this book stronger, so you aren't left with just the artist's stylization of what they see hands as. I appreciated that Andrew Loomis did that in his figure drawing book. I think it's a nice subtle touch to help see real life versus art.I appreciate the additional explanations and notes on each page. They don't just leave you with the drawings. This is something I think Loomis's book lacked. In addition to that, this author REALLY cares about the minute details of the anatomy. Even if the artwork is, well, not the best, the attention in the literature explaining the effects of certain poses and how that changes the hands--raises or hides the tendons, stretches the skin, etc., was really nice to see. This was a big frustration with me with Loomis's book, as he put almost every single female figure in heels, which he never drew in nor discussed how that changes the posture and muscles of the body.I do think the chapter on "Communication and Gesture" was, uh, awkward, to say the least. Where the author felt the need to describe what various hand gestures meant in the (though not exactly specified) Western world. And the part about Ancient Rome was, as far as studies have shown, historically inaccurate. He even mentions sign language, but then doesn't clarify the number three, which is different in stereotypical (hearing) American signaling versus sign language. I feel like this chapter would've been better off with just the hands and no text. >_>One more little issue is the lack of showing his process. The artist clearly has some foundational work in these sketches/drawings, but never is it shown or explained. The structure of the hand, bones, etc., are talked about, but not really any actually /drawing/ itself. I don't mean for this book to be a step-by-step sort of deal, but at least giving some guide to how he starts I think would greatly help any beginners approaching this book.I did like that the author mentioned tracing and that the author is an advocate of it. He mentions it periodically throughout the book as a useful tool to take advantage of. As I am a huge fan of it myself, I was glad to see someone in a position of authority reference it as something people should do. (He didn't go into as much detail as my ideal, but the fact that it was brought up at all was impactful enough.)I know I'm nit-picking a lot, but otherwise, this book isn't /that/ bad. I think if you're struggling, this will definitely help you out. Just like I said, I would use a LOT more than just this book as a guide. It's a nice companion to have alongside photo or life references. I'd recommend it if your local library has it, but otherwise, there's honestly better free information (and drawings/references) out on the internets.