Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

My problem is exactly that, when I try to paint details, or anything that requires steady hands, it either comes out bad or absolutely terrible. Please share if you have a way to prevent this, thanks in advance

Try resting your arms against your painting table/bench/etc in a position that prevents movement. It's mostly about applying pressure at certain points of your arms/hands together, combined with a bit of focus.

Some people just have it worse than others, I have it too. Just do it little by little, rather than the whole white eye in one swoop.

Its not easy, I know sometimes I get a bit shakey when painting. I think if you have been painting for awhile just take a break and relax your hands and arms and go back to it. Painting strains my neck and arms if im doing it for awhile.

All of this advice came in quite handy, thanks!

Hold your breath if you are painting your fine detail it works with me although it does look a bit weird

Try working out then painting.

I rest my arms on the chair, press my wrists together and hold my breath. Steady as she goes!

Oh, and cut down on caffeinated drinks.

I try pressing my thumbs together at the base so that the model and brush will both have the same shaking going on if I do shake at all. I also have my forearms against the table for extra stability.

The key is to shake both your hands at the same pace, so the model and the paintbrush are at the same height...

Or

You could just keep your hands on the painting table while painting...

I find keeping some part of my painting hand on the model helps with it.

I lean my forearms upon the table edge, or elbow, to lean my weight upon so my hand isn't fighting gravity as well. I know it sounds crazy, but it works.

Well depends if you have the DT's or not, you may just need a shot of whiskey.

but on a serious note, i kinda curl up in my chair and both my wrists touch my knee as i us my knee as a base for the mini. Works by either sitting in a small flat chair like an office/computer chair or on the floor at a coffee table, well thats just where i paint.

Too much sugar or caffeine (coffee, tea, soda or chocolate etc...) in your system will tend to do that as well. I'm a two cup a day drinker and I have to stop about an hour or two before I paint.

Something that sound strange, but actually helps, is bananas. I don't remember the chemical in bananas that does it, but something in them calms your nerves quite well. I eat one before I do anything that requires steady hands; including painting my minis, shooting archery, and woodworking.

I drink.

Tip 1. Breathe. As silly as this sounds, a lot of people have a tendancy to hold their breath while they paint a small detail, which leads to shaking. If you need to, take a breath, let it halfway out, then continue to paint.

Tip 2. I hold the figure in my left hand, then use that same hand to cup the painting hand ... err, that would be my right hand. The thumb and second figure are the only things moving to manipulate the brush.

Tip 3. Cheat. Use washes to get shadows, the flat sides of a #2 brush to get nice crisp edges, figure out how whatever detail you want to paint can be broken up into a series of single lines.

Eat properly throughout the day, and I (as a smoker) find smoking helps steady my hands too. Giving myself regular breaks is vital when I'm doing smaller details, and I like a few others I tend to rest my arms on my knees while painting

Supposedly you can help minimize shaking with bananas!

Bracing yourself on something is another great idea.

Controlled breathing is key. Take a couple slow deep breaths, slow down the ol' ticker a bit, then hold your breath and paint what you have to paint. Then exhale, don't hold your breath too long or the lack of oxygen will make your hands tremble (tips from our 9mm hand gun course that also came in handy for painting!).

I pull my leg up to my chest and rest both my hands on my knee.

acreedon wrote:Try working out then painting.

Ha don't do this.

I brace my arms against my desk, brings my knees up a bit (prop my feet on the tiptoes) and rest my elbows on my knees/thighs, then breathe out all my air then hold my breath. Very specific, yes, but it works!

gman1401 wrote:

acreedon wrote:Try working out then painting.

Ha don't do this.

I brace my arms against my desk, brings my knees up a bit (prop my feet on the tiptoes) and rest my elbows on my knees/thighs, then breathe out all my air then hold my breath. Very specific, yes, but it works!

It's funny, but about half an hour of sports helps keeping your hands steady.
(I usually cycle the 8km to my local GW)

My hands are shaky, so I paint good models at a slow rate, but if I paint my models while I'm exausted (5km of the road is uphill, and my bike is well... ) I paint better and faster, and the most important thing, my hands don't shake.

Practice is the only cure.

Don't expect your first models to look fantastic.

Like anything, you need to do it often to become good at it.

If you're in San Francisco you can easily obtain a prescription remedy however you'll find your choice of color scheme might be a bit more "magical" than you'd planned on and you'll be too lazy to actually finish the miniature.

Sillyness aside, are you diabetic? High/low blood sugar can cause hand shaking. Seriously.

Bananas sound good and tasty too. Couldn't hurt.

Another completely legal dietary supplement I use is Kava. It honestly helps my painting believe it or not. Tastes aweful, but it's a very mild muscle relaxant that makes you calm. Sort of like the opposite of caffeine. You can usually find it at Fijiian or Indian grocery stores or if you're lucky enough to live in Hawaii I hear the best Kava is grown there. In the SF Bay Area there are trendy 'Kava Bars' but I don't suppose it would be a good location to paint your minis. Do some internet research and make sure what your buying isn't the crap made from the leaves and stems, you want the root. Products made from the leaves and stems are illegal in most countries because it messes up your liver. Did I mention it tastes like mud? It's pretty gross going down. But I find it endows me with patience, which really helps when painting details.

Do you use a painting post? Well, that's what we call them. I blue-tack (or elmer's) my minis to a wine cork so I can hold it easier. A buddy of mine uses wooden dowels. Makes a big difference as now instead of goofing up from both hands shaking, the hand you use to hold the thing will always be a lot more stable.

I find I shake more when I am holding the mini by its base as opposed to having it on something like a baby food jar and then holding the jar. Some use sticks, some use other things. So far I shake a LOT less when my hand is not contorted holding. I also noticed I am far more relaxed when painting to music. The kind that you would passively listen to is best, IMO.

Control your breathing. Rest your elbows on the table or something (make sure your painting surface is a comfortable height) and press the heels of your palms together. This absorbs the trembling, and leaves all your fingers free for the fiddly work. I find this works really well, and I have very shaky hands (I'm a science teacher and the kids always comment on it during chemistry demos )

Staying calm and resting your arms against something; most of all trying to get into a comfortable position helps a lot. Also if you are having a problem gripping the brushes comfortably, I'd suggest finding some with ergonomic/triangular handles. I have problems with my right wrist and it tires easilly, which doesn't help the shaking and I found that type of brush to be a great help.

Diazepam.

(Snake? SNAKE!? SNAAAAAKE!)

Seriously, though: brace the model firmly, brace your hand firmly, and you should be fine.

I try and maintain at least two fingers' of firm contact between my hands or from hand-to-model-tohand. Synchronize the shakes and it takes care of half of the shaking. Another thing that helps is a set of soldering goggles/magnifiers. I find if I see more, I know when not to be touching the brush or what angle to come in at to compensate for the shakes.

I stick my models onto craft paint bottles, giving me a nice, palm-sized handle. Since the base is free and my fingers are slightly splayed (allowing solid contact at various heights), my two fingers on the other hand that are not in contact with the brush can find a place to rest and steady that hand, no matter what part of the model I'm painting. Plus, the larger handle requires even less effort to hold than a GW pot or a cork, meaning less stress on your hand, less forceful a grip, and ultimately less shaking.

Also, I don't try to paint long, smooth curves. I might try and "sketch" the line in one or two goes, but the bulk of the paint gets laid down, bit by bit. I've found that by "drawing in the air" - that is, tracing the shape of the line I'm about to make a few times without touching the model - my hand gets used to the motion and the paint I place is more likely to follow the right curve.

For edges, I've found that constant motion keeps me from jittering. I move my brush in a small circle, only touching the edge at the bottom of each revolution. Like my freehanding technique, this gets my hand into a regular, comfortable motion that allows me to lay down short segments with relative consistency. Overlap a bunch of those segments (happens naturally with the rotation) and you suddenly have a line. If it's a bit rough, simply do it again and bit by bit the line will clean itself up as new smooth segments fill the gaps of the previous pass.

Smoke. Always steadies my nerves.

Of course, if you don't want to get cancer, then do what others have said. I steady my hands on each other at the palm-heel or elbows on the desk, etc. Also, steady breathing or, as I do without thinking, hold your breath.