Brian W.
Junior Member
permanent inking
Posts: 71
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Post by Brian W. on Dec 4, 2009 10:38:11 GMT -5
Hello all
I was sitting down at the table the other night and about 45 minutes in, my hand stated getting the shakes pretty badly. I was using a brush at the time. I looked at what was happening to my lines and I can see the same types of lines occurring in other pages I have practiced. So apparently I have hand shaking problems consistently. Any advice on how to hold the brush and pen to help avoid this? I tend to hold my hand and wrist very still and use my entire arm to ink...I think it may be too much pressure when hold ing the pen/brush.
I know I am fairly heavy-handed and when I draw with a pencil I tend to really squeeze the pencil...I have since worked through that when drawing for long periods. Can the same techniques be used for pen/brush?
Any help is appreciated!
B
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Post by bobalmond on Dec 4, 2009 14:37:09 GMT -5
I also have a tight hold on my brush and I learned early on that I needed to cut caffeine from my life (which was rough as I'd been a real Mountain Dew drinker). This made a big difference for me and I try to stay away from things like waxing my car which will leave my hand/wrist shaky after. Sometimes I get a bit fidgety but it doesn't last long and the fact that I do a lot of my work with markers and less with brush makes a difference. Some folks just accept the limitation like George Perez who uses pens because he's too shaky with a brush.
Maybe someone else will have a more practical tip for you. But I hope that helped.
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Post by clockwerkj on Dec 4, 2009 18:01:42 GMT -5
Relax,
practice holding the brush so lightly that it falls out of your hand on occasion. your tennis elbow & carpal tunnel will thank you after a while.
I have a hard time taking days off, because if I go a single day without re0inforcing that on myself I am in horrible pain & a little shakey.
Caffiene has very little impact on my situation. I tried that first.
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Post by freeman on Dec 4, 2009 19:14:11 GMT -5
I also try and take breaks every hour or so. Get up stretch walk around for 5 or 10 minutes and then go back to work. It really helps to rest my hand and my eyes as well as give my legs and back some activity.
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Post by justice41 on Dec 4, 2009 23:36:51 GMT -5
Maybe you just have a hitch in your arm motion. A limitation or a snap. I have that. I can twist my wrist only so far before I have a hiccup and the lines go all loopy. I tend to use my elbow as a fulcrum and use my wrists more when doing long lines. I try to plan and practice the stroke a few times before commiting.
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Post by TomParrish on Dec 8, 2009 5:58:18 GMT -5
I've wrapped all of my brushes in tape and foam to create a cushion where I normally grip the brush - It makes it a bit chunkier around the top of the ferule and sits in fingers nicely. I find it stops me gripping too hard, as I had the same issue when I found I was concentrating so hard on straight lines I was gripping the brush really hard which would add up quickly after an hour or so!  Also, stupid as it seems, the big one for me is eating before I eat. Sometimes I jump in first thing in the morning before breakfast and I'm all over the place because my blood sugar level's low and I get a bit of a tremble! |
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Brian W.
Junior Member
permanent inking
Posts: 71
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Post by Brian W. on Dec 8, 2009 13:56:45 GMT -5
Thanks for all of the replies!!
I had no idea this was so common!
It's funny..there is actually something I need to do in each of these replies! I'm surprised my hand hasn't fallen off yet!
Tom, the idea of wrapping the pen is great and I will apply that to a brush. Part of the problem may be that my hands are quite big/ long fingers...seriously, my thumbs are the same size as large fried chicken legs!
Forcing my grip to be lighter is a great tip and i will really have to concentrate on that effort.
new rule: no caffeine at the table...so much for anyone with Dr. Pepper stock!
limitations in movement: absolutely likely...too many breaks and dislocations!
Taking a break: what's this "break" concept? ;D
Thanks again for all of the advice!
Brian
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Brian W.
Junior Member
permanent inking
Posts: 71
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Post by Brian W. on Dec 11, 2009 9:53:04 GMT -5
Just a quick update on the "shaky hands" dilemma.
I have taken all of the advice here and each is working. I have added a step before I ink even a warmup line to stretch my ars and wrists. I used similar techniques when I was playing guitar frequently in local bands. The no caffeine has been tough, but it works. The toughest, as I thought it would be, was lessening my grip per Jay's advice...I really have to be aware and I will admit there were a few times when I was headed for the white knuckle zone.
Made it through several hours with no shakes.
Thanks again!!
Brian
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Post by bobalmond on Dec 11, 2009 10:05:50 GMT -5
Glad to hear it! We'll send you the bill. (that'll bring the shakes back) <g>
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Brian W.
Junior Member
permanent inking
Posts: 71
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Post by Brian W. on Dec 11, 2009 11:05:54 GMT -5
HAHAHA!! Indeed it will! Although, I don't think I would mind paying this group since the advice paid off immediately.
Now if I can just become more aware of drying times and keep my mitts out of the wet ink on the page....d'oh!
Seriously...I ruined a practice page the other night....but I did learn a new technique!...I'll post it in a new thread.
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Post by clockwerkj on Dec 14, 2009 17:00:17 GMT -5
the upside is it was practice, so you can pitch it and start over. wait til its on an important page of original pencils. Its really fun explaining why you want that as your first art return so the penciller doesnt get to see how bad you screwed it up.
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