Just realized my old tablet pen grip was like holding a live eel

For years I'd draw with this weird, tense claw grip that made my wrist ache after an hour. I finally watched a tutorial from an artist in Austin last month and saw they just let the pen rest in their hand. My linework is way smoother now, and I can work for three hours straight. Anyone else have a drawing habit they had to unlearn?

3 comments

3 Comments

reesemiller1mo ago

Totally get that. I used to press down way too hard, like I was trying to carve the lines into the screen. My old sketches looked angry. Letting up on the pressure was a game changer, everything just looks softer and more controlled now. It felt wrong at first, like the pen would float away.

jennyp191mo ago

Read an article once that called it "death grip drawing," @reesemiller. They said your hand muscles get all tense and it actually makes your lines LESS steady over time. Practicing light circles and loops before starting a real sketch helped me unlearn it.

ellis.hayden22d ago

Oh yeah @jennyp19 is right, but it's actually just called "death grip" without the drawing part.