This paper discusses computer generated illustrations and animation sequences of hand gestures. Especially the animation of gestures is very useful in teaching the sign language.

We propose algorithms for rendering 3D models of hands as line drawings and for designing animations of line drawn gestures. Presentations of gestures as line drawings as opposed to a photorealistic representations have several advantages. Most importantly, the nature of line drawings emphasizes the essential information a picture is to express and thus supports an easier cognition. Especially when line drawings are rendered from simple 3D-models (of human parts), they are aesthetically more pleasing than photorealistic renderings of the same model. This leads us to the assumption that simpler 3D-models suffice for line drawn illustrations and animations of gestures, which in consequence facilitates the 3D modeling task and speeds up the rendering. Another advantage of line drawings include fast transmission in networks, as e.g. the Internet, and the wide scale-independence they exhibit.