My secrets to injury-free drawing (Part 1)

10 tips that keep me going for the long haul

I used to have horrible overuse injuries both in sports and in my work. So I’ve learned the hard way to be diligent about my physical and emotional health.

Here’s what I do to ensure a good ergonomic setup:

  1. POSTURE: not slouched over in the cartoonist hunchback.

  2. An ERGONOMIC CHAIR that allows your legs to be at about 90 degrees on the ground.

  3. Having the DRAWING SURFACE AT AN ANGLE so your neck doesn’t have to be curved downward. This is the tablet stand that I use since it allows for a variety of devices, angles, and height.

  4. Change your EYE FOCUS frequently. I like to shift my eye focus between my drawing tablet, my computer, and also looking out a window. This helps to give my eyes some variation.

  5. FEET FLAT on the ground.

  6. I use a KEYBOARD SHORTCUT DEVICE since I find that’s faster and more ergonomic than using the keyboard itself.

  7. Maintaining A LOOSE GRIP on your drawing implement so you're not overly tense and putting strain on your wrist and forearm.

  8. MOUSE: I actually use my non-dominant hand for the mouse to give my dominant drawing hand a break. And I have this ancient roller mouse that is more ergonomic than standard ones.

  9. TAKE LOTS OF BREAKS! This is probably the most important piece of advice I have. I work in the Pomodoro method, with 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off, with longer breaks every two hours. I find this helps not only my body, but also my focus and enjoyment. And I use a kitchen timer, who I’ve named Helga, and she reminds me to take breaks.

  10. Since I tend to suffer from shoulder problems, I like the option to have my ELBOW REST on something when I draw. It’s usually just my chair’s arm rest.

If this sounds like a lot, keep in mind that this is a practice that I’ve developed over the last 15 years, specific to my own body so it’s important to figure out what your body needs!

But this is all focusing on the physical elements of health whereas I’ve found the emotional aspects are even more powerful in terms of physical pain. I’ll be posting about that next week so stay tuned!