How to Create Hands Holding a Plant in Adobe Illustrator From Start To Finish

In this tutorial, you will learn how to use the Mesh Tool in Adobe Illustrator to create a pair of photo-realistic vector hands holding a plant!

1. How to Draw the Hands With Mesh

Step 1

Let's learn how to use Gradient Mesh!

Begin by drawing a rectangle and filling it with #DAA592. Next, take the Mesh Tool (U) and create a mesh grid inside the object by clicking on different spots. 

Bend the object into the shape seen in the screenshot below. Once the shape and the mesh grid matches the image, select the upper left nodes and color them with #F0C1B3.

Continue by selecting and coloring the indicated nodes with the respective colors.

You will need these:

1. #DAA592
2. #F0C1B3
3. #D99F8A
4. #D18F76
5. #CC8A71
6. #C0826B

Step 2

Continue drawing the arm, using Mesh to color the indicated nodes.

1. #C48268
2. #C5846E
3. #C27B67
4. #F5E4DF

Step 3

Finish this part of the arm.

1. #B97A61
2. #CA8972
3. #CE8F78
4. #D69E8A

Step 4

Begin drawing the next part of the arm.

1. #CB8B73
2. #903023
3. #E6BAAD
4. #E3A999

Step 5

Finish this part of the arm.

1. #DA9A86
2. #D18570
3. #C27561
4. #C47E68

Step 6

Align both arm parts together. 

Step 7

Move the parts close enough to put the border nodes on top of each other. Then select each pair of nodes (with the Lasso Tool (Q)) and color them with the same color code to match them perfectly.

1. #C8876F
2. #C8876F
3. #C7866F
4. #C5846E
5. #CB8B73
6. #C27B67
7. #C6846E
8. #C5846E
9. #CC8A71
10. #CB8A72
11. #CB8A72
12. #D69F8B
13. #F0C1B3

Step 8

Draw the finger.

1. #DB9883
2. 
   
3. #F2C7BE
4. #D68372
5. #F4B9AC
6. #E8A897

Step 9

Continue drawing the finger.

1. #E29B86
2. #DA927C
3. #E6A593
4. #ECA592
5. #DD927C
6. #A94A3F

Step 10

Finish the drawing.

1. #C8816A
2. #D4907A
3. #D77165

Step 11

Draw the nail.

1. #E58F8C
2. #FCC1C1
3. #FAD0D3
4. #DF7C77
5. #FECDD1
6. #E89D9A
7. #F984B7

Step 12

Attach the nail to the finger.

Step 13

Attach the finger to the rest of the hand the way we did in Step 7.

1. #EDCEC5
2. #E1AB99
3. #CF917A
4. #CF917A
5. #C9826B

Step 14

Begin drawing another finger.

1. #EBA79A
2. #FCD5D4
3. #DB8776
4. #CE8E79
5. #D69486
6. #DD907F

Step 15

Finish the finger.

1. #D89788
2. #F4BCAF
3. #E69787
4. #FCD5D4

Step 16

Draw another nail.

1. #F0AAA9
2. #FFD9CD
3. #FFB9B8
4. #FCCCCC
5. #FAA69C
6. #FDC0B5

Step 17

Draw another finger.

1. #DE9D8E
2. #EEADA3
3. #F0BFB6
4. #C77863

Step 18

Finish the finger and attach the nail to it.

1. #DB8C7B
2. #E7B2A5
3. #CE8D76
4. #D89782

Step 19

Draw the last finger of the first arm.

1. #E2A998
2. #D18B76
3. #D79987
4. #E5B8AA

Step 20

Draw the second arm.

1. #DB8C7B
2. #E2B9A9
3. #D28F76
4. #CD8F7A

Step 21

Draw a finger for the second arm.

1. #DC9F8A
2. #DA7D68
3. #EBC0B6
4. #D78F76

Step 22

Finish the drawing.

1. #E6A591
2. #E49587
3. #D38F7D

Step 23

Assemble the hand out of the parts we made.

Step 24

Match the node colors just like before.

1. #CE8E79
2. #CE8E79
3. #CF8F7A
4. #CF8F7B
5. #D3937D
6. #D99984
7. #D59680
8. #D1917A
9. #E0AD9D
10. #E6B9AC

2. How to Draw the Leaves and the Soil

Step 1

Draw a green mesh base (#638F35), and then add some mesh nodes colored with #5F8730 to the middle of it.

Draw an #ADAD4D outline, place it on top of the mesh, and then draw an outline for the leaf. Place it on top of both elements we made before, select everything, and use Make Clipping Mask after right-clicking on the image.

Step 2

Draw a stem for the plant and fill it with a Linear Gradient (#331408 - #6F9700 - #6F9700).

Step 3

Draw another part of the stem with Mesh.

1. #759334
2. #679134

Step 4

Make the left edge of the object completely transparent.

Step 5

Create a copy of the leaf we made before and proceed to Edit > Edit Colors > Adjust Colors, using these settings:

• Red: 7%
• Green: 8%
• Blue: -43%

Step 6

Assemble the plant.

Step 7

Draw an outline of soil and fill it with #2D2115.

Step 8

Place the soil and the plant into the vector hands.

Awesome Work, You're Now Done!