#im not sure if its for carpal tunnel though

[the-eccentric-eclectic]

Hey kid, look at me.

I want you to T-pose. Turn your right thumb up and your left thumb doen and look at your right thumb. Move your arms up and down a bit until you feel a nerve running from your armpit to your palm. Now turn your right thumb down and your left thumb up, and look at your left thumb. Keep your chest facing forward and your shoulders back. Move your arms again until you feel that nerve again. Keep alternating between these two for a minute, or look at each thumb thirty times each.

Now sit down. Put your left hand firmly under your left buttock, palm down. Keep your shoulders back and put your right hand over the crown of your head, very gently pulling it to the right. Do this for thirty seconds, then do it again but with your right hand under your right buttock.

These are stretches for the nerves in your arms, and are very good for people who sit behind a computer a lot, or fibre artists, or you name it. Do them daily. They will hurt in the beginning, but keep doing them, even after the pain has gone, or it will return and you'll have to start all over.

[clamorybus]

man, have you guys ever heard of hades? that shit's hard

[oflgtfol]

like back in oh i dont know 2017 maybe when i first went to the doctor for my wrists they said that the ligament in both of my wrists both had an identical, small tear at identical locations, and so like im not a doctor, and i havent gone back to the doctor for my wrists since then, and i kinda dont want to because at this point it is what it is its just a waste of money to just go to the doctor for the sake of it and nothing else whatever, but im assuming that the actual sprains have technically healed, but because they persisted for so long this is just the. long term effects of it.

[valdotpng]

About your Berdly doodle post a while back, where he says he owns 3 pairs of crocs? How long did that take you? I REALLY want to achieve that level of simple geometric shapes and lines so I can draw my hyperfixations away on a page.

ahh, im unsure!! its been a while since then, so idk how long some drawings took me, but i Do remember being kinda uh. lost in the sauce. if u look at the timestamps on a bunch of my dr drawings, ull notice that they would usually get posted 1-3 days apart. thats because i drew a LOT back then, so those periods of time are actually how many days itd take for me to finish drawings!! (i dont quite remember for how much id draw each day, though. my estimate for that doodle page would be like ~3-5 hours? probably????) i um. would not recommend doing that though. i got burnt out real bad after a while, and could not draw anything for months. and it also mightve contributed to me having carpal tunnel now so Please be sure to take proper breaks and stretch and such!! i wish u good luck w/ your endeavors though! :]

[chaotic-dumbass-witch]

okay so. gonna stop vagueposting abt medical "professionals" for a second to ask for advice from my fellow chronically ill and disabled ppl out here

so i saw a neurologist the other day. the whole time i felt really dismissed, the usual medical gaslighting thing, etc etc. my GP send me to this cishet white slavic old man - neuro - ordering an emg. dude said emg came back normal, i dont have carpal tunnel, no abnormalities at all. hes happy abt it and immediately writes off all my neuro concerns to me having hEDS as soon as i mention i have that, bc he asked if i have any known conditions.

im happy w the emg testing, the tech was super nice, super patient, etc etc, whatever, glad it came back normal

the issue is, the actual neuro.

i told him im concerned about pain, bc ive had some absolutely horrible shooting, stabbing, electric shock type pains all over my limbs for years, as well as in my back for YEARS, and the pain at worst has me unable to breathe and occasionally pass out. at best, i have to do some breathing exercises to be able to move on w my day, at least until it inevitably hits again

i told him how ever since i was a child, literally 5 years old, whenever something even brushed my wrists i would scream, cry, sob, wheatver, just absolutely lose my shit from pain. even a light breeze, even loose clothes fabric. and this never really stopped. i had a hard time breathing, couldnt function, focus, do anything really, all bc of pain level. i couldnt even have my wrists on a desk bc it would set the pain off, and the pain would make me horribly nauseaous too

i told him about the horrible migraines i experience, the whole "this is a 9/10 on pain for me 99% of the time", cant eat cant sleep cant walk cant do anything cant open my eyes, nausea to hell, etc etc, AND he said "well you dont have double vision so youre fine" even when i told him about the whole "yeah my kaleidoscope vision is so bad that i cant really do much" before the pain hits

i told him about my balance issues - sometimes ill be walking around out and about, and suddenly i get a crash of the whole room is spinning, slight double vision, need to sit down immediately or get on the floor, having a hard time telling whats floor and whats not if im standing up, etc

for both of these issues, the dr was like, oh yeah well 1 is because of your hEDS and scoliosis (which is 6 DEGREES, and does NOT cause that much fucking pain), and 2 is bc of hEDS again, and so is 3 bc its normal for heds ppl to get migraines and he doesnt want to look into it. he completely ignored me when i mentioned 4, and refused to even let me speak any more of it. he literally just kept shushing me and cutting me off and just told me theres nothing wrong w me.

the question. anyone have any ideas? im gonna try to get a second opinion from a female dr bc ime theyre less dismissive about shit, i dont need a second emg i just want a neuro to actually listen to me and either 1) tell me whats wrong w me, 2) refer me to a different specialist, 3) send me for every test known to man, or 4) suck it up and admit they dont know. but like. in terms of what the fuck is going on, any clues? if i have to walk into my GPs office in a few weeks and literally fucking bawl my eyes out and beg her to send me to a specialist i will fucking do it. none of this feels like hEDS, call it a gut feeling. none of this is scoliosis and i know that for absolute shit sure

edit:

i also periodically losing feeling in my fucking hands. neuro brushed it off cause "well its not paralysis, so youre fine". blood circulation is fantastic though

[dizzyfromspinning]

Whatcha been up to lately? Work, school, hooping, life changes? Been pretty quiet so I hope you’re alright!

ya know, ive just been laying low and enjoying my life in the present. taking my last credit to finish my degree cause I couldn’t do business stats in a condensed summer course like nope lol but I found that getting sober came with a lot of social anxiety so it’s harder for me to post on social media. It’s weird. My phone just makes me anxious. It’s kinda like I have everything I need without my phone and without social media so I’m just finding the use of it to feel arbitrary.

Hooping: I’m not sure if who this is or if you’re aware of why I stopped making hoops but it was due to an arm/hand/and wrist issues that I couldn’t push through. Unfortunately I still struggle daily with pain doing the most simple of things like even typing this response out right now is triggering the fuck out of my carpal tunnel so its really sad to hoop because it hurts. hooping has always been such a healing thing for me that it’s tough to hoop and not feel better, but feel worse. Definitely something I’m struggling with but finding expression in other ways.

no big life changes in a while which is actually such a good thing because it’s the first time I’ve felt stable and happy since I can remember. The only thing I’m finally focusing on that I’ve been delaying is the revision and collection of the book I’ve been slowly writing since i was 11. Brian works so I can have the freedom to finish school without needing a job and even though I reallly wish I had some form of income right now but im so grateful to have the ability to finish my degree without any distractions. (Thank you brian. I loves you.) but yeah I’ve been really alright (: thank you 💜

[same-side]

hiiii! i just wanna say, i adore your art. second, im teaching myself to draw and while i can draw simple basics (mouths and sometimes eyes if im lucky), im still a beginner. ive watched many art videos and im still a bit confused on wtf im doing. so i just came here to ask if you had any words of wisdom for beginners? could be anything from what tablets to buy to simple mistakes to avoid. ive read some of the other posts here and have found it all extremely helpful so far! Thx for all you do!!

Hey there! Thank you so much!

I would put a read more but tumblr is broken. I’m trying to cover a lot of varied thoughts in little points, so if there’s anything you would like me to elaborate on or otherwise have questions on, feel free to shoot me an ask or dm me!

General

I think the biggest thing to remember is not to compare yourself extensively to others. A little bit of comparison is healthy... But too much will destroy your confidence, motivation, and take the fun out of art. Particularly if you are comparing yourself to someone older than you (life experience and coordination come into play here) or that has been drawing much longer (practice). 

Additionally... If you’re not having fun (and you’re not getting paid to do it), don’t force yourself. If you find yourself being frustrated or bored with art, don’t force yourself to do it. That’s how you burn out and get art block! This applies to parts of a peice, too! If you don’t feel like drawing a face or a hand today? don’t force yourself to finish it. Come back to it later when you aren’t as frustrated or are getting better results. Even if its a week or a month from now. Honestly, at any given time I have probably ten headless bodies in my drafts. That’s okay! I just come back to them when I’m ready to do the face. And don’t be afraid to abandon something if it doesn’t feel right!

Something that also doesn’t get said enough.... take care of your body! I never knew when I started art, but artists are supposed to do warmup sketches and stretches and muscle exercises! I didn’t do any of this, and i went through a period of a few months where I was drawing for 5ish hours every single day. I developed carpal tunnel from it! So remember to take care of yourself. Take breaks, stretch, remember to eat.

Practice

Practice!!!! Even if its just for fifteen minutes every day. Or twice a week. But if art is something you really want to get good at, you have to put in the time and effort!! You can’t expect to draw an hour per month and be on the same level as someone who draws an hour a day!

I know I say this a lot but I think the biggest thing is just reference! If you don’t know what something looks like, look at a picture of it when you draw it! To go hand in hand with that, though, don’t just copy what you see! Learn from it and apply it! So take, for example, a shoe! pay attention to the way the heel is shaped, the location of the eyelets for the laces... how large the toe is, how steep the top! While you’re at it, look at other styles of shoes as well, and compare them! See what makes it look like a boot versus a trainer! And then the next time you draw it, hopefully you’ll remember all the things you learned the first time around!

I do lots of studies that serve no purpose other than to teach me things! I use referencing/studies to learn about color theory, shapes, and anatomy in a real environment. For example, hands or fabric folds! Oftentimes I’ll do them timed (20 or 45 minutes) so that I don’t fixate on perfecting things, just on the process itself and what I can learn from it. This also helps with getting better acclimated to your software and more coordinated with what you’re doing. Repetitive learning, like with playing sports. 

I’ve realized a lot of people don’t quite understand what a study is? Basically you just look at a photo and try to replicate it so that you can learn about lighting or color theory or textures or anatomy or whatnot. So here’s an example of a timed study.

Additionally, don’t avoid!! We, as humans, have a tendency to avoid things that make us uncomfortable or are difficult. But it will make you a better artist in then end. When I first started, I absolutely hated doing fabric. I felt like I wasn’t good at it. So instead of avoiding drawing clothing, I sat down and did studies and sketches of different kinds of fabric. By the end of this learning period, I became comfortable with it and grew to enjoy it. These days, I adore sketching clothes, and it’s why my pants and shirts and things tend to be detailed instead of stylized in line art. If you don’t like drawing hands because you feel like you aren’t good at it? Sit down, look at a bunch of pictures of different hands, and practice it. By the end, you’ll be more comfortable, you’ll have learned something. Even if you feel like the drawings you ended up with aren’t good, you’ll still have learned, and that’s what matters!

Style

I worked on basics before I tried to develop a style. I made sure to start with a very realistic method at first, so that I could be sure I understood how fabric folds, anatomy, and realistic expressions worked before I tried to stylize them. I think in the long run this approach really paid off for me. It also allowed me to be conscientious of what elements I was absorbing into my artwork. I hear from so many artists that they started drawing when they were younger and into anime or cartoons or things like that, and tried to emulate it. Because those styles became so ingrained into their artistic skillset, it becomes near impossible to iron out those influences and get rid of them later. So starting with realism is a way to ingrain proper anatomy and other good practice into your artwork.

One way to develop style is to take a look at the artwork of someone you admire, and try to list out the things you like form their style - perhaps the thickness of their lines, or the way they do eyes. Do this with several artists, take all those little details you like and try them out! See if you enjoy using them in your own drawing process! Think of it like a grab bag or a pick-n-mix, sprinkling in the elements you like here and there to create something new and your own - not just copying another artists style word for word.

Don’t worry too much about it though; don’t allow yourself to become anxious or fixated on “achieving a style”. Its a natural ever evolving process that comes with time and practice. I know a lot of people get hung up on style, but just take it one day at a time!

Also try to keep in mind what style you’re going for as you begin drawing. And I don’t mean that like sailor moon vs. ghibli. I mean that as in, is this piece going to be a painting, a lineart, a lined painting, cell shading...? It will help you in the longrun if you narrow down the broad kind of style you use, and refine from there. 

Workflow

My workflow for paintings is very different from my workflow for lineart and cell shading. A full tutorial on how I do paintings can be found here! A process video for how I cell shade can be found here!

Everyone is going to have a different method that works for them! You just have to experiment and find out how you like to draw! For me, personally, I use color blocking for painting (see the tutorial above) and a spine method for lineart. How the spine method works is that I will draw lines that represent the legs, arms, back, etc. so that I can determine the placement, length, and composition. From there, I’ll add a dark outline that actually shows the shapes of the body. Then, I’ll use thinner lines to add details. This is the method I’ve found that works for me. Another commonly used method that I’m sure you’ve seen is representing body parts with cylinders and cubes. There are lots of good tutorials out there on breaking down bodies into shapes like this!

Something that I do is if I’m not quite happy with a part of a drawing, I don’t just erase it. I duplicate the layer so that I always have the original copy, and then I make changes from there. Sometimes I can end up with five or six different versions of the same arm or face that i’ve made minor changes to. And then I compare and pick the one I like best, or condense all the parts I like from each version to make a “best” version.

Tools

Currently I use Procreate and the standard Ipad with Apple Pencil. Prior to March I was using a Wacom Bamboo Touch and Photoshop Elements 2008. I find its harder for me to do full paintings in procreate, but its made my life a million times easier for lineart and cell shading. The pen pressure is phenomenal, and I also adore that its wireless / active screen instead of plug in like the wacom. The programme itself is intuitive and easy to get the hang of; it simply lacks a lot of the neat tricks that photoshop has, like rendering (lens flares, for example), gradients, and gradient maps. Try testing out different trials of programmes... firealpaca, photoshop, autodesk, whatever it may be! What works for me may not work for you!

[mxiero]

Hi, made this art a bit ago, not that long ago but long enough for me to forget is exists for a bit (but im sure thats just a normal thing). Im completely obsessed with the idea of Virgil playing guitar and singing along and being self conscious about playing and singing in general in front of the others. I also wanna see Virgil singing some Fall Out Boy songs, like Like A Lawyer, Carpal Tunnel, stuff like that that sound heavenly when done acoustic. Yes, im falling back into my Fall Out Boy phase because of America’s Suitehearts (honestly though, cant express enough my disappointment on why that never became the Danger Days of Fall Out Boy, its such an awesome concept!! and the costumes and characters are awesome too!!)

[vennilavee]

red and green!!

Red: What type of writer’s block do you experience the most? perfectionism and losing motivation for a story. tbh i can work thru perfectionism pretty easily- usually most of my issues with that are worrying that im writing the characters OOC but then im like whatever life is but an interpretation. losing motivation happens to me pretty quickly, which is why every single one of my stories that are series are UNFINISHED 

Green: Pencil, typewriter, or computer? i like to outline with a pen in my notebook, even if its just like a sentence or theme. i like typing the actual story though. plus im pretty sure i have carpal tunnel so i cant handwrite for that long

ty for the asks <33

writer asks in colors

[the-orangeauthor]

I was having a good day. I had motivation and time to revise. But my arm decided that it should attempt to commit suicide without the rest of me.

I've had this growing intense pain in my right forearm and hand (and yeah, I'm right handed) over the last few weeks bit damn, this weekend has been tough. I'm definitely sure its carpal/cubital tunnel syndrome, probably cubital because the pain is mostly in my ring finger.

Im gonna try get it checked either on monday, which means missing some of uni, or see if I can tough it out till tuesday. I'll probably give in and go on monday though because the pain is literally not letting me sleep. Massages and painkillers have had no effect.

I haven't updated The Writers Guide today either because I just can't type for that long.

[glurbo]

06/16/20 12:00 am

i used to write my thoughts in pen because the ink felt more permanent and unforgiving than pencil; however, my carpal tunnel does not let me write for too long. i have learned, though, writing is my best way to understand my thoughts because half the time im a mess of thoughts and impulses just held tightly together by flesh. i am consumed by anxiety and i used to be healthy and sweat out my anxiety via performing. it is summer now, i lost that coping mechanism. i feel so alien talking to anyone, its not me talking. i turned to cutting again, and i hate myself for it.

for years i was clean. i thought cutting was immature and that i was old and above that but 2 deaths of friends and losing of other friends made me feel so alone. i sat in my room listening to music just staring at the ceiling and tried to count my breath until that made me so anxious i cried out into oblivion. was i even alive? numbness had consumed me. i didnt eat or shower and hell, didnt even jack off (which is like free therapy). it was just days of crying and wishing i were dead.

while looking for a mouse, i found exacto blades in my grandfather’s desk. i didnt pocket them for their now intended use, but who doesnt need blades, i could make collages. then it hit. i finally broke. sitting outside with my mom i exclaimed how i was losing it and spiraling and how bad i wanted to die. that night i relapsed after being 2 or so years clean. shame now keeps me warm. i made promises to never do that again. to be fair, one of the people i made that promise to killed themselves so there is room in all of us for hypocrisy. everyday i hate myself more and more.

i was supposed to go to inpatient, since i nigh attempted. the new addition of my grandfather living with us ended that quickly. im now, essentially, a full time maid to him and my family. a pause on my life and recovery. no one even knows im suicidal but i am, im so so so suicidal. mostly passively but sometimes when i cook i just think about sylvia plath. or i think about how my brother has a gun. or i think about the pills in the cabinet that would surely make it so i never have to be miserable again. i would never though, i have too many people to prove wrong.

if i were to go through with it, i’d want my funeral plan to be precise. id want people to mourn so heavily the ocean leaks to join on the wailing. more realistically if i were to die itd be a small funeral. dan would probably give a bomb ass eulogy. but memories fade. within due time i would have decayed in the dirt and in other’s minds. no more than fond memory of what was shared in high school. i am insignificant on a large scale, but i mean a lot to some and i wouldnt let them down.

so here i am. suicidal and crying and listening to my old cutting playlist to bring some creative inspo after feeling nothing but the dull color of beige. one day it will get better but hindsight is 20/20 and im fucking blind.

[dangkinronpa]

positivity for komaeda with carpal tunnel

ur positivity is under the cut @mental-swan , and ill get started on ur headcanons as soon as this posts

komaeda, what ur going through definitely sounds rough, and im really sorry that u havent been able to work on ur blog because of this. however, i want u to know that ur carpal tunnel preventing u from doing what u enjoy doesnt make u trash, and that u shouldnt have to feel bad because of something u cant control. ur much better than trash, and u dont deserve to feel like trash

firstly, u should remember to take care of ur hand and wrist the best that u can, even though u might not want to. taking care of ur hand and wrist is good for ur health and will end up being better for u in the long run than overworking ur hand. this might mean that u cant do as much on the blog u mod on, but taking care of urself and getting help for any issues u have with ur hand will end up making ur hand feel better in the long run

if ur taking good care of ur hand, then u can try to think of ways to help out on ur blog that wouldnt require u to use ur dominant hand. for example, if people are okay with little doodles u make with ur left hand, u can use those to help out. anything u can do with ur nondominant hand could potentially help out, and it might also help to train that hand to become stronger so that u can use it instead of ur dominant one. working with a hand that isnt ur dominant one is bound to be uncomfortable, but its a way to keep working on the blog u mod and keep drawing without causing strain to ur hand

while doing some work with ur hand that isnt dominant might help u get some work done with ur blog and maybe help u with some of ur drawings, i can understand the fact that u might want to use ur dominant hand, and thats alright. if u do use ur dominant hand, though, its important to remember to take as many breaks as u need. after all, trying to overwork ur hand isnt the best of ideas, even if u do still try to use it to draw and help on a blog. still, if u need to take breaks u shouldnt feel ashamed to do so; things happen, and im sure people would completely understand

komaeda, i understand that what ur going through isnt easy, but i want u to know that ur much better than trash. ur doing the best that u can, and u shouldnt feel bad about that. i understand that it might not be easy being unable to do what u love, but u shouldnt beat urself up over it. i hope things go well for u, komaeda, and hopefully everything gets easier for u

please stay safe, komaeda, and if u want someone to talk to im always here

- mod kiibo