Correct posture is incredibly important!
I regularly fail at maintaining good posture, and it has severely messed me up in the past ( from minor backpain to actual, prolonged crippling of my lower body ). So it is no joke when people warn us about the unhealthy positions we assume when working.
It may not be evident immediately, but if you - like me - have the better of a decade of working intensely with art, you are going to start seeing some pretty awful side effects if you don’t take action.
I don’t have an exhaustive list of solutions, nor do I know what exactly is best for you, but I’ll just lay down a few tips that I think could help you, and others who are already suffering from the discomforts of bad posture. As well as those who would like to prolong the healthy functioning of their body.
Lift your sketchbook off the table:
As anon mentions, drafting tables are a viable way to take your sketchbook off any common, flat surface, as it allows you to adjust the angle of your canvas according to what you want. Though, a brand new drafting table is expensive and takes up a whole lot of space.
There are more budgetfriendly alternatives out there, such as table easels like below. These vary a lot in price admittedly, and you would probably have to go for the sturdier looking ones ( which I theorize could cost more ) to avoid paying money for easels that could collapse while you work. But some of these are, pricewise far from the expense of a full drafting table, so maybe worth a look.
Furthermore, propping your sketchbook ( if you work with such ) up on books or the sort can give you the same slant, though unfortunately it is not going to be as stable as an easel or a drafting table.
If you work digitally:
http://www.sandboxadvisors.com/work-performance-management/good-posture
We’ve all seen a graphic like this before. “just straighten up and lean back”. It is pretty simple in theory, but a lot of us forget to actually do it. This can also be affected by how our setup looks.
Ideally, you’d want to prop up your screens enough so that you don’t have to look downwards the see what’s on your screen. This keeps your neck upright.
Additionally, it is important that your desk is at an appropriate height for you. It should encourage you to lean back by being at a level aligning with the height of your elbow, so that you don’t have to lean forward to comfortably rest your arms on the edge of the desk when typing.
I recommend tables that have inbuilt lift- and -lower capacity, though those are unfortunately pricy as well. Alternatively, you can go for a chair that can lower or lift itself to try and reproduce the height difference between you and your table. Alternatively-alternatively: you can try propping your screen(s) up on books or blocks to force yourself to look up when you draw.
Your chair:
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-office-chair/
I’m not going to say too much about this, since I have a spinal condition that makes me unable to sit in many chairs that would be considered good for posture. But I will say this: It is worth dropping whatever money you can on a good, ergonomic chair. This thing is going to be where you’ll be spending your time working, and it can hugely impact how your posture ends up.
Make sure that your chair can lift and lower, that the armrests are at least somewhat adjustable to your height, and that there’s good lumbar support. ( and that the chair’s back is tall enough for you ). I’ve personally found a chair where the tilt of the back can be adjusted as well, which - when combined with the mobility of the rest of my setup, can account for a healthy posture pretty effortlessly.
One note though: from someone who has had their arm chronically messed up by their chair; armrests are not made for prolonged resting, as the angle of healthy posture ironically tends to block off nerves in your elbow, so don’t rest your elbows on these things for long periods of time. Keep your arms at an angle between 90-45 degree and move them frequently to prevent pinching nerves ( which can result in carpal or cubital tunnel syndrome )
Stay strong:
Make sure to incorporate excersizes that strengthens your backmuscles and traps into your regular workout schedule ( and if you don’t have a work-out schedule, make one. If you’re sitting down to draw a lot, you will, regardless of your bodytype and weight, begin to feel muscle-atrophy pretty quickly, as your musclemass disappears ).
Building up muscle around your spine and your shoulders + neck, will create a stronger - more effective aid for your posture.
On top of that, regular excersize combats muscle atrophy, which can appear like a persistent ache in any part of your body, and in the long run be hugely detrimental to your overall health.
https://www.gymondo.com/magazin/en/workout/the-7-best-back-exercises-with-the-theraband
Keep moving:
It is easy to find yourself hours into a drawing session, suddenly realizing you’re all scrunched up against your canvas or screen, aching and slightly numb places you didn’t even know you could be numb.
It is recommended to break up the session every 15 to 20 minutes. Get out of your chair, walk around your home a bit ( do some exercises and stretches if you wanna feel real good ). Grab a glass of water, clean up for five minutes, just do -something- that takes you away from the static posture for a little bit, so that you can shake life back into your limbs and promote proper circulation into your body again.
This is also an oportune time for your eyes and your head to clear, so that you can come back to your drawing and pick up on potential errors or ways to improve your piece.
https://www.foreo.com/mysa/office-life-a-pain-in-the-back/
Staying healthy and taking care of your body when doing art either as a hobby or intensively as a job is hard work, i’m not gonna lie. But the fact of the matter is that this hobby/craft can really mess your body up long-term if you don’t treat yourself and your body with the respect it needs and deserves. So be good to yourself. Seek out your local orthopedists if you can, or look around the internet for tips and tricks from other artists or office-workers, they can probably guide you to some more concrete solutions than we can.
Best of luck!
- Mod wackart ( ko-fi )
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