Hand strain/fatigue
15d
Tommy Pinedo
Hey guys! It’s Tommy again. So recently I’ve been noticing that I have been having some pain and fatigue in my drawing hand (right hand) for maybe the past month or so. I’ve been worried because I’ve done some research and it could be signs of carpal tunnel or RSI. I think I’ve been holding my pencil wrong with the death grip like they say and I might be drawing more with my wrists than my whole arm.
Any advice or suggestions on how to avoid this issue or help with this issue? I’ve seen videos of artist drawing very lightly and hold it further back on the pencil and I tried it today and it feels like I don’t have “control” on my art compared to gripping it harder and I don’t want to draw to light where you can’t see it lol. I’ve been really worried about this because I’ve been enjoy art the past year and I don’t want this to stop me…or end my art journey :(.
First off, if you can I would really, really suggest that you see a doctor and make sure that there is no underlying conditions causing your pain. I have pain and tingling in my hands non-stop (and no end in sight) for about 2 years and it is a fate I would not wish on anyone. So if you can, go see a doctor.
Now as for me. I use wide barreled pencils that help keep my hand more open and even wrap some of my pencils in tape to make the barrel wider. I only use the fine mechanical pencil when it is time for details. It helps a bit.
I apply heat and ice to my hand quite often and also have a series of exercises that I do daily to help manage the pain. You can look up "American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons exercise program for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome" again helps a bit but not fully. Can't stress enough to try and see a doctor and make sure you don't cause any permanent damage... because it sucks, it sucks a lot.
