I used to avoid drawing hands.  When rendering portraits, I would place them behind people’s backs or in their pockets.  When I finally conquered my fear, and learned to draw what they really looked like instead of what I thought they looked like, I was amazed at the expressive characteristics of each persons hands.  They tell everything the viewer needs to know about the subjects and their relationships.
 

by J. D. Hillberry
Information supplied by: http://www.jdhillberry.com