Iāve been posting some video tutorials to teach aspiring artists my drawing techniques, but I think itās very important to learn from my mistakes as well.
Iām 25 right now, and Iāve been drawing all my life. I started drawing a lot more and professionally when I was about 19-20. I drew all the time and didnāt think much about it. I would draw until Iām in pain, from sitting too long, from not eating because I was in the flow and didnāt want to stop. I would get terrible back pains and even heart palpitations from sitting in the same position drawing for so long.
Thatās when the nails on my right hand started to get weird and lumpy. At first I thought it was a dietary thing, so I took vitamins, went to the doctors, exercised, changed things up but it was too late. Itās been years now and 3 doctors later they couldnāt fix it.
If it were just ugly nails, I wouldnāt really care, but the nails are just the tip of how bad Iāve been treating my body. One time during a particularly hardcore drawing marathon, my right hand swelled up for a week. Nowadays I try to take it easy and take long breaks in between but the damage that has already been done canāt be undone. I can only draw for so many hours in a day before I have to stop or I will get pains from my entire hand, arm, and shoulder.
Now I have a standing desk, ergonomic mouse, hand brace, and all that. I wish I had done these things sooner so I can keep drawing without restraint. I used to update my comics more frequently, but I canāt realistically sustain that speed without hurting myself. (Hence I plan on doing a Patreon in the future so I can hire helpers to do some of the comicās background drawings)
In those speed paint tutorials where I paint within 1-2 hours, it may seem like I have it made, dishing out art in hours, but after those hours I have to massage my hand and arm. I canāt draw for more than a few hours a day now without hurting.
When I was in college all I could think about is how to improve my skills, practice endlessly, and all that hard work has paid off in some ways but not in others. So please take care of your hands, and your general health. It seems obvious in retrospect but I never thought about it when I was younger that, hey maybe, just maybe, if you overwork and break your body, you wonāt be able to draw and create all you want anymore.
Take breaks, donāt grip too hard, do hand exercises, do general exercises, get ergonomic mouse and a standing desk if you can (I just piled a bunch of books on my regular desk until it was tall enough) These are some of the few ways you can help your hand last in the long run :)
jacobvanloon
vaporwave
titsay
gummygunk
