telophase | (no subject)

I really really really need to work on not holding the stylus (pen, pencil, etc.) so hard and not pressing it down on the tablet (paper) so hard. Not only is it limiting my ability to control my line, but it makes my hand hurt like HELL.

Not so bad when painting, but when doing comic-type linework and cel shading...? OW OW OW OW OW. And my first finger hurts really bad, too, right at the tip, where it presses against the stylus.

Of course, I haven't the slightest idea how to do that, because every time I try to lighten up, either my tablet doesn't work right*, within five seconds I've completely forgotten about my hand and it goes right back to normal heavy pressure**, or, more likely, both.

*whine*

--

* Yes, I know, you can adjust the sensitivity. I am completely incapable of drawing with the right pressure to hit the sweet spot no matter HOW the damn thing's adjusted.

** Potentially an ADD thing. I get focused on the art and don't realize how hard my hand is pressing on the tablet until, literally, hours later when it's sore like this.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

as with everything, it just takes
practice. good luck!!!

I have an Amazon notification right next to your comment notification that says Silver Phoenix is on the way! :D

Edited 2009-04-27 13:48 (UTC)

(deleted comment)

I may try that and see if it drives me nuts to be interrupted that much. :D But it's probably a good idea to stretch before and after art, anyway. I should look up aikido wrist stretches - they were recommended to me back when I first got the RSI in my wrist.

I used to have that problem, but mine was solved by fiddling with the sensitivity until I had it to a place I liked. It helped because if I started pressing harder then my lines would get significantly thicker and darker and it clued me in that I was pressing too hard again. It did take some practice to get used to it though, it was weird to get lines appearing where I didn't necessarily want them because I wasn't as conscious of where my pen was resting, but that's because beforehand I was practically engraving everything on to my tablet :)

Of course you said that you've tried that before, so I can't really suggest anything else useful from my experience.

I should probably also change my nib - it never occurs to me to do that and especially with my pressure issues, it wears down. Which *might* also contribute to my problems. Maybe.

I also have the very bad habit of resting my hand on the tablet as I draw, which constrains my range of motion and probably contributes a great deal. I tell everyone else not to do that - I should follow my own advice. :)

Oh yeah, changing the nibs definitely help. I never notice how worn they get until I change them and then the next time I draw it's like a fairy has waved a magic wand of awesome over everything. :D

I used to have this problem as a kid and teenager. It got so bad that I had a permanent dent in my middle finger and a huge callous on my first finger. For me, I had to switch pen types for everyday writing. You know how some kinds (like ballpoints) require pressure to write? Yeah, I can't use those for very long and the hardest lead I use in my mechanical pencils is B. I also learned to draw with arm, that helped a lot.