Drawing Illustrations With or Without a Hand

Choose the presentation, not a different drawing

The hand setting changes how the drawing is presented. It does not recover the illustrator's actual gestures or prove how the source was made. Speedpaint plans a reveal from the image, so describe the result as a generated drawing animation.

A visible hand gives viewers a moving point to follow. A no-hand reveal leaves the artwork unobstructed. Neither is inherently better: compare them at the size and duration you intend to publish.

When a hand helps

A simple portrait or character can leave enough room for a hand to move without covering essential detail. The right- and left-hand options change the displayed grip orientation. Size choices change the overlay, not the dimensions of your source image.

A hand can temporarily cover small labels or dense linework. Watch the export rather than judging only its poster frame. When readability matters more than the drawing gesture, use the no-visible-hand option.

When no hand is clearer

A diagram, a multi-panel illustration or an image with many small parts may benefit from an unobstructed reveal. The drawing still appears over time; turning the hand off is not a static-image export.

Review the final frame as well as the movement. Pace and composition matter even when the overlay is absent. If a short reveal is hard to follow, try a longer duration instead of assuming a larger hand will solve it.

Keep attribution honest

You remain responsible for the source image and its permissions. Do not imply that a generated hand animation is footage of the original artist. For commissioned illustrations, agree on attribution and reuse with the creator before publishing the video.