Inspiration for "Hand"

Drawing this hand, with all its wonderful creases, brought the orangutan even closer to me... it seems so human-like, and yet of course is very specialised for the grasping and swinging needed for arboreal locomotion. Its four long fingers are curved at rest, creating a readymade hook to grip instantly, and without using its thumb it can lock the tips of its fingers against its palm when holding onto small diameter branches. So walking on the ground, which it seldom does, means walking on its fists, whereas gorillas and chimps are knuckle walkers. The orangutan is very dextrous, and uses both hands and feet to build intricate nests, complete with mattress overlays, pillows and sun or rain shelters; it uses tools for extraction of termites from holes, and for extraction of fruit or nuts from outer coverings. Catch some David Attenborough YouTube clips to see how well they watch us and then use our tools!

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