Loading…
23
Finally realized I was holding my pencil wrong after 14 years
My art teacher leaned over my shoulder during class and said 'no wonder your hand cramps up after 10 minutes' and showed me the tripod grip, which made my shading look way smoother immediately, has anyone else had a moment where you found out you were doing something basic totally the wrong way?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
the_hayden2mo ago
Oh man, the tripod grip is a game changer. Though I gotta say, the way you described it isn't totally accurate. The tripod grip actually uses your thumb, index, and middle finger to control the pencil. Your ring and pinky fingers just rest on the paper for stability. The way you said it made it sound like you're holding it with three fingers pinching it equally. That'd still give you cramps. The whole trick is keeping those last two fingers loose and relaxed.
2
ross.lily2mo ago
My friend was legit drawing with a death grip until she was 21 and an old illustrator at a coffee shop just slid her a stubby pencil and said "try that." She said it was the first time she drew without her whole arm aching for days.
5
max_brown2mo ago
Dude, the part about keeping the ring and pinky fingers loose and relaxed" is exactly where I messed up for years. I thought you just clamped down with all three fingers and that was it. No wonder my hand felt like a claw after drawing for an hour. My third grade teacher told me to hold my pencil like a crab claw and I took that literally, pressing super hard. It wasn't until a college art professor gently pried my fingers apart and showed me how lightly the pencil should rest that it finally clicked. Now I barely grip it at all, like the pencil is just floating there, and my lines actually look controlled instead of scratchy. Game changer is an understatement honestly.
-1