Have the shakes? How do you steady your hands? Advice needed pls.

[WildBlue]

I am working on painting eyes, using the great tutorials provided here. It is going well, not looking so great yet, of course practice makes perfect. It is my first time painting eyes and I want to get better at it but I have shaky hands. I was wondering, if any other customizers and artists have shaky hands and what do you do to steady your hands before you paint??
I can draw without a problem, but painting is a little more difficult. I was considering buying or making an eye stencil. I would really prefer to get good at free handing it and overcoming the shakes though. 

[Eluluu]

I always have a bit of the shakes when im working, I just brace myself as I work, and I never sit normally, I tend to be a croucher- just more comfortable for me lol, and this way I can brace my wrists or hands on my knees and loom over the piece easier. =P also helps to rest your pinkie on some safe spot of the custom or on the edge of the desk as you work. gives the rest of your hands a bit more stability.

[WildBlue]

Thanks for that advise. It has helped. After my paint dries I'm going to try another pose and see if it is more comfortable. Perhaps on the floor this time. 

[Shiromisa]

I always have a bit of the shakes when im working, I just brace myself as I work, and I never sit normally, I tend to be a croucher- just more comfortable for me lol, and this way I can brace my wrists or hands on my knees and loom over the piece easier. =P also helps to rest your pinkie on some safe spot of the custom or on the edge of the desk as you work. gives the rest of your hands a bit more stability.

Yup! I also work between breaths--which means I end up accidentally not breathing while I paint eyes and symbols, haha. But it's worth it.

[WildBlue]

I always have a bit of the shakes when im working, I just brace myself as I work, and I never sit normally, I tend to be a croucher- just more comfortable for me lol, and this way I can brace my wrists or hands on my knees and loom over the piece easier. =P also helps to rest your pinkie on some safe spot of the custom or on the edge of the desk as you work. gives the rest of your hands a bit more stability.

Yup! I also work between breaths--which means I end up accidentally not breathing while I paint eyes and symbols, haha. But it's worth it.

Ah, I was wondering about that ! I was trying to breathe really slowly and relax, maybe I'll try to hold my breathe.

[sweetlittlejenny]

Yup! I also work between breaths--which means I end up accidentally not breathing while I paint eyes and symbols, haha. But it's worth it.
[/quote]

I find myself doing this as well. Holding my breath until I get a particular line done. And bracing my hand against the pony's head.
I've always had shaky hands and now Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Which means my hands go numb while holding the paintbrush. Not fun.

But, practice really does help. So get some baits and just practice, practice, practice!

[Eviecorn]

I can't ever get rid of my hand shakes.  I just make corrections as I work with cotton swabs or needles.  If worst comes to worst, you can paint over it to sharpen up lines (especially eyes.)

[Sarahlacewing]

I have to say I agree with all the advice given.  I paint either with held breath or on a very slow exhale depending on how long the particular stroke will take.  I brace my hands to keep them as still as possible.  I usually do a few practice strokes over the line I want to get my hand used to the motion.  (My husband says it looks like my hand is golfing and taking little practice swings over the top of the ball.)  Usually I go practice stroke, practice stroke, real stroke... but it just depends on when I feel like I have solid control over the motion for what I want.  If my hand is particularly shaky I'll put the brush down, stretch it out and then try the same process again. 

I think all artists have their own little quirks that work for them.  So practicing until you find you thing is best.  I'm sure you'll do very well!

[WildBlue]

Thank you all for the advice. It is helping a lot trying these things. I am quite amused.

[Eluluu]

yup yup. cleanup is part of my usual routine as well. cleaning off your brush and using the watery bristles to carefully 'erase' sloppy edgework helps. and sealing between difficult stages. (like between FBRs and symbols. lol savepoint!!!)

[Saja]

and don't drink too much caffiene! I am most shaky if ive had a coffee before painting!

[WildBlue]

yup yup. cleanup is part of my usual routine as well. cleaning off your brush and using the watery bristles to carefully 'erase' sloppy edgework helps. and sealing between difficult stages. (like between FBRs and symbols. lol savepoint!!!)

I think that is likely the biggest mistake I made when beginning the eyes, I decided to go ahead without sealing.    So I am doing thin layers, carefully wiping off what mistakes will wipe off and covering those that wont.

I got the alignment close, but not exact. She looks a little funny, lol.

I am nearly finished though!! Got a lot of great info for my notes so maybe next time I will have a better idea of what I'm doing...and not doing. Pictures soon! whoohoo!

yeah, I've been cutting caffeine out. It does make me jittery too. 

[sweetlittlejenny]

I learned the hard way that sealing before you're completely done can cause more harm than good depending on your sealant.

If you use Mod Podge you may be ok. But I now mostly use Testors Dullcote. I sealed my FBR before doing other details but when I needed to do touchups the color no longer matched. And just sealing again didn't necessarily fix the problem. Seems Testors can effect the look of a color just enough that you don't notice it unless you have a touch up, etc.

So just be careful with that.

[sunnydaze]

i draw on were i want stuff to be very lightly with pencil first...but i use the flat surface i'm working on to help keep my arms stable and i hold the head with one hand with the elbow supported on the work surface and use the other with the brush and my baby finger resting on the head while i paint.   i also keep q-tips and a razor blade to clean up mistakes.

[Griffin]

i draw on were i want stuff to be very lightly with pencil first...but i use the flat surface i'm working on to help keep my arms stable and i hold the head with one hand with the elbow supported on the work surface and use the other with the brush and my baby finger resting on the head while i paint.   i also keep q-tips and a razor blade to clean up mistakes.

This. Pencil sketches do help a lot! Well, I don't usually sketch eyes (except for lashes) but if I want something more special, like the pony to look in a certain direction, I need to sketch first in order to minimize the number of corrections. Otherwise the end result will just look goofy... In fact, with one pony like this I had so much troubles placing the pupils that I ended up punching black circles of paper, they were easy to move around! When I finally got them placed, I traced around them in pencil and then proceeded to painting. So, whatever it takes...

I often drink coffee or tea while painting... Just one cup though, and I'm not that sensitive to caffeine. However, I've noticed I tend to have shaky hands when I'm hungry (and that happens easily as I just lose track of time while working) so in addition to avoiding caffeine, keep those sugar levels in check, too.

But supporting your elbow and wrist while painting is most important, and practice makes perfect. Always test out your brush and paint consistency first, on paper or whatever you have on hand, I use my pallette for that a lot. The angle of the brush may sometimes have an effect on the line thickness, and of course your hand needs to adjust to the brush, too. It gets easier with time. My final tip - something I still struggle with sometimes - is to not stress about the tricky parts but to enjoy the painting and the flow of the brush. I do enjoy painting but I still sometimes forget that all mistakes can be corrected. If I'm afraid of making a mistake, I most certainly will make one!