[daryl]

Hey!

I was wondering what to do about my strained wrist. It seems as if I'm quite tense when painting digitally, whenever I try to think about it I notice it, and it's totally different from relaxing and let my wrist lay down onto the wacom. I'm trying once in a while to remember that and work more with my elbow but it doesn't come naturally and I keep forgetting it ALL THE TIME. Do you guys have any good tips or thoughts on how to train myself to work more relaxed using the elbow instead of the wrist? Or other solutions? Thanks!
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[Mikko K]

Do you use a tablet smaller than A4?

I started to get similar symptoms while using an A5 Wacom a few years ago. I'm currently using A4, with no problems.

It has to do with the accuracy/resolution of the tablet. The bigger the tablet, the more stable the cursor is while painting, resulting in a less tense wrist.

I also set the stylus pressure a bit towards sensitive, so that I don't need to use force to get the maximum pressure.

Hope this helps.

[daryl]

Thanks for the reply Mikko!

Yes I work on an A5 Intous3, but I feel a bit awkward asking for a bigger one I would very much try one though, if my problems are solved that way..

I wish I could lock the wrist somehow, maybe bandages or something.

Thanks again!
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[Max]

hmm. maybe try some warming up excerises or something like that. Just drawing some loose lines and shapes. Let it flow. Maybe that works...

[retro]

hey daryl,

i had tendosynovitis (yes, i looked that up in the dictionary) a couple years ago. i did flash stuff for a company that time so doing no computer work was no option. the doc fixed me up with painkillers and something that looks like this:

www.servo-med.de/img_art_zoom/00780450.jpg

i have no clue, what this thing is called, but it basically keeps the wrist locked. when i work long hours on the computer (with the mouse) and my wrist starts aching i just put it on and everything is fine. get yourself one and your wrist trouble will be gone.

hope that helps

[Mikko K]

It's just that the small tablets are not good enough for serious production environment where you draw/paint 8+ hours every working day.

I used to think A4 is over the top, and too large, and that I wouldn't really need it.

I needed to get some health issues with the small one to wake me up. Do a comparison: if you know anyone with a bigger tablet, I recommend bringing both tablets together and switching between the two on the fly. The change in wrist tension is really noticeable IMO. It's just one of those things you need to realize yourself, and once you do the switch, there ain't going back to the old shit.

whoops, retro got there first. I must say that sounds like a knee-jerk fix to the problem. "My head hurts, maybe I should remove it"- kind of thing

[daryl]

Hey, thanks all for replying!

Max: that might help a bit, although I think it's more of a matter of doing "wrong" when moving around with the pen, muscles tense without a reason.

retro: yes I found "wrist splints" / "wrist supports" just like in the pic you showed. I will get one of these as a temporarily solution and see where that takes me.

Mikko: I will definately look into the possibilities of using an A4 too, I got very curious to say the least.

Thanks!!
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[luc]

I totally agree with Mikko.
I was using an A6 (HellYeah!) and I started to suffer after 2 years of intensive use. Since I bought the A4, all the pain is gone (and the almost ratio 1 between the screen and the tablet is also good for the quality of your strokes and the ease of use)
Lot's of people will argue that A4 is too large and you will get exhausted .(for video editing it's true I have to admit)
Perhaps I'm an old man used to suffer and play with rocks but A4 papers never exhausted me
thanks Retro for the Cyborg tip.

I forgot : Congrats on your job Daryl !

[notspecialist]

i've had the same problem working on my A5 tablet. you might want to adjust your desk/chair to make the tablet level with your arm wrest.

there's an article about this on wacom's site,
http://www.wacom-europe.com/int/use-it/ergonomics/index.asp?lang=en

and we just had a discussion on the topic on CA,
http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=103679

i'm thinking about upgrading to the A5 wide (6x11 in) since i mostly use widescreen monitors for work, do you think that will be enough of a change or should i really go for an A4 (no widescreen version)?
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[Mikko K]

I forgot to mention that I never use the Wacom on my table, but always on my lap. I think that's better for your shoulder/neck area, to have your arms relaxed and not reaching for the table.

I just lean back a bit from the keyboard, have the Wacom on my lap and use the left hand for some keyboard shortcuts.

For 3d stuff and everything that needs a lot of precision, I'll use a mouse. Then you don't need to strain your wrist getting all those accurate double-clicks done.

notspecialist: I think 4x3 aspect A4 is still better than the wide A5.
I use Cinema 23" (1920x1200 rez) and I can therefore use the whole tablet in 1:1 proportion.

At work, I've mapped the tablet to one of my dual screens, and that seems to work fine too. Even the wide tablet can't cover two monitor screens well, without making the horizontal sensitivity much higher than the vertical.

[daryl]

Very interesting read!!

Regarding where to place the Wacom- until now I've had my tablet right in front of me straight against the monitor, but of coincidence I placed it at the far right where my mouse is, and I did not feel the wrist stress after a few hours of painting, so I'm having high hopes. If that still doesn't work I'll try Mikko's lap version.

luc: thanks a ton man!
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[Affected]

Do you squeeze the pen very hard as you draw?

I find I squeeze thinner pens quite hard, and thicker ones, like markers, less. Thicker tools feel much more comfortable and less straining to me.

[flashrabbit]

I sometimes squeeze the pen when I have been drawing for a while.
Usually it's not a problem unless I draw for a extended period.
Taking small breaks now and then are always good.

And it's better to have it the far right I think, maybe because you can have more support for you arm that way.
I currently have a tiny Graphire 2 ;(
But I'm getting a Intuos2 A4 soon *yeah for me.

[daryl]

Affected, flashrabbit: My issues are a lot less nowadays from the day I moved the tablet far off to the right, but like today, when I'm slightly stressed and need to pull off a few sketches (12 creature sketches, more than I've ever done before in a day! ) then I get a slight tension, maybe because of squeezing the pen, or just don't rest the wrist on the table all the time. I think I can train myself to get better at it though. Small breaks is something I should definately do anyways.. Cheers!
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[sleby]

Hey!

I am buying my first graphic tablet (Intuos3) and I was wondering if it is better to buy a A5 Wide or an ordinary A4 format, because I am using a widescreen 16:10 monitor.

I prefer buying an A4 but I am concearned about the ratio:S

[Jabo]

I'm using a 22" widescreen with an A5 tablet (standard), but I will get an A5 Wide soon because the proportions get distorted. It's pretty annoying actually. So if you have to choose, get the wide version.
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[Drew]

I'm sure the extra space will be nice, but you know you can fix proportion problems in the driver software, right?

[seth1]

Or just suck it up you pusssy!