Physical health when making comics

[smokesalty]

Hey, I was just wondering if any of you had tips on maintaining good physical health while working on a comic? I find myself worrying about whether I'll be able to continue working on comics in the far future because of bad habits.

I started noticing minor wrist pain since I draw with my wrist way too much, and I've decided to address it early before it gets too bad later on. Any tips?

[NickRowler]

Some artist will use hand braces or compression gloves while drawing in order to cut back on that type of pain.

I sometimes have to use a wrist compression due to having limp wrists and hypermobility in my thumbs so I need extra support.

Some people do hand exercises.

[darthmongoose]

Take breaks to stretch and rest your eyes, do exercises and always, always, always make sure you have a good chair with back support.
If you start feeling pain while drawing a comic, (unrelated to a chronic condition you're aware of and can't avoid), then STOP and take a break! Don't push on through it, it'll only get worse. Take a break, do stretches and then as a longer term thing have a look at your desk/tablet/chair height and see if you can change it to make drawing more comfortable. I got a horrible inflamed elbow one time from a desk that was the wrong height that I kept leaning on during a stressful job! Stretches are also good for relieving tension; being tensed up while drawing tends to make injury and eye strain more likely.

[sushy00]

I have had several health issues while making comics. Taking regular breaks really helps. I take a small break every 15 minutes. That sounds like a lot but it was really necessary.

[fleurravenbooks]

hey i don't know will this help with drawing, so do it with caution (but the thing itself isn't harmful so it should work) but i know that some people stretch their wrists before they crochet to avoid problems later in life (since they are planning on doing it for a long time), so try lightly stretching your wrists before drawing ,also remember that your health is more important than anything else, so if you need to take a break don't feel bad and lazy, if pain continues try visiting doctor (if you are able to)

[powerplantanimations]

My eyes hurt from from the computer screen lol. Gotta be sure to go outside whenever you can. According to my Doctor, the sun should help out eyes.

I know it isn't wrists, but I thought I should dump that here.

[Chocolate]

Does anybody here have tips on preventing carpal tunnel? This is an issue amongst the artists in the community and I would love to avoid it as a whole myself. OsO

[river121693]

take breaks. Use more of your arms and less of wrist to draw. I also personally find a vertical tablet setting less stressful on my hand and back than a horizontal one, but maybe it's because I also have a larger monitor tablet.

[MeltingCORE]

I agree with everyone else who says to take breaks. Honestly, this is really important. I used to do things like paint for seven hours straight with no stopping. Your eyes need breaks from the harsh computer light, your wrist needs a break, your body needs water and to use the bathroom. Basically, don't be like I used to be and get so hyperfocused you hurt yourself! Nowadays I have enough control to force myself to take breaks every 30 mins. It's just good to stretch your body too.

[mmori]

Felt it. I try to force myself to get up as often as I can, doing some easy sports (it's really important if you sit all day drawing). Doing some cardio in the evening is good too. Also, there are a lot of youtube vids on back health, those exercises are very important. And, of course, bringing a huge water bottle with me to drink constantly.

[mmori]

I think stretching your hands and arms constantly (doing circles and such) helped me a lot. Also, hand trainers are good. My doc told me to get magnesium (bc I get this numbness both in hands and legs), and it kinda helped me, but I think it's required to consult the doctor first.

[ahogemon]

That wrist pain is normal for the first time, and the other thing you will notice is your left-hand fingers where they rest on the keyboard to access keyboard shortcuts (if you are right-handed) will become stiff, they are normal in the first week, keep drawing and they eventually will be gone for the next 2 or 3 weeks. Oh, and don't forget to drink water, sitting for too long without drinking water is bad. And do exercise every weekend.

[fermy]

I fear I will become the next Togashi from my generation, sometimes stretching helps a lot!

[BreakingChalk]

Using blue-light glasses can help preserve your sight.

There's the night light filter on Windows too, but if you color often, your drawings will look quite different to what you see on screen due to the display turning redder.

[Lensing]

I used to have all bad habits you can imagine, drawing in the bed, no excersice, drinking, smokin, not sleeping, no schedule
and I´m still paying now for those years of bad habits

I work on a desk now, draw from the shoulder or elbow, I only draw details from the wrist.
I wear blue ligth glasses which breakingchalk mentioned above me.
I take breaks, I do 120 pushups after breakfast, go on 30 minutes walks after lunch, regular meals at set times,
schedule my work, I don´t work after 6pm, I chill, read, watch tv, play video games, sleep.
When it´s save to go to the gym again I will go there too 3 times a weak.

[TheDoublekey]

Same thing over here, I think I'm gradually destroying my spine because of my terrible posture when drawing lol.

[EverydayWonderlander]

I had similar questions a while ago !

For me, I do my best to stretch and draw with my fingers or whole arm - very rarely my wrist. I do my best to sit up straight as well.

If you draw digitally, make the zoom tool your dog. Seriously. Avoid leaning in on the screen whenever possible, this helps both your eyes and your back. If you draw traditionally, try to draw bigger as opposed to smaller. Your strokes become larger and less wrist-based.

Regardless of how you draw, having some kind of stand or incline to draw on is super great. It makes it easier to maintain correct posture while also giving your arms some rest. Wrist braces are great if you already have a repetitive stress injury, but it's better to avoid the issue altogether.

I personally have one (1) cup/can of tea or small energy drink and then drink exclusively water after that. I haven't done any Science Experiments to figure out if it makes a difference in my pain, but it probably can't hurt to limit my non-water intake. I also take an hour break in the middle of my workday with smaller breaks roughly hourly so that I'm not doing fiddly dexterity stuff all day.

[TedGravesArt]

As others have said, stretching is so important, particularly hand/wrist stretches! Carpal tunnel is a killer. A good chair with back support is also extremely important, because you're going to be sitting in it for hours and hours. Be mindful of your posture while working. Keep your back straight and get a good ergonomic setup with your tablet so you're not hunching over it for hours. I try to keep my hand relaxed as I'm drawing too, that helps a lot with wrist strain, and as a bonus it makes your lines look nicer.

[system]

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