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As someone who enjoys a considerable amount of back pain thanks to herniated discs and easily dislocated ribs I want to talk about proper posture during painting and how we can achieve this. Does anyone have any tips for avoiding back pain while at the painting desk? How do you set your work area up to avoid strain and what are some guidelines to follow?

I hurt my back again last week (coughing) and so I haven't been able to paint very much. Today I felt okay, went to my work bench, got two wraithblades done and pop! Rib goes out. No more painting, now I'm relegated to playing Xbox and pestering dakka from a prone position.

What issues do you face concerning this topic when you set in for a bit of batch painting and how do you overcome them?

I also suffer with back,neck and hip problems mostly rugby related but that’s another story. I find there is no perfect posture especially for doing fine details so I set a timer for 30 mins and then get up and walk around for at least 20mins. it’s the only way or I will sit there for hours and end up in agony.

I had to get surgery for my herniated disks.

now i feel great

What i hear is better for you to do is to raise your table height like those watch makers desks.



like so as to keep your back straight instead of hunching over while painting.

I kind of feel the same way. It is very hard to maintain a straight back when you're hunched over a mini trying to paint details. It's very hard to catch yourself doing it too when you're engrossed in painting.


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Oh, that's another good idea! Looks like a great way to organize your paint area too.

I never could get the hang of a model vice though.

This is a bit off topic but at work my old boss had a standing desk.

I had back surgery a few days ago actually.

Painting for the minute is a no go at home. I'm hoping to be able to do some soon, but will restrict myself to 30 minutes max sat down. Then I'll take a break.

At work I have an electric sit/stand desk. I would highly recommend one! I imagine it would take some getting used to painting at though. I wish I could have one at home, but space and the cost prohibit that!

Painting while standing... Huh.

I never thought of that, mind you that's how you usually have to paint on an easel!

Maybe by standing up to paint we can... elevate our artwork?

Bwahahahahahahaha


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Lol, something I just noticed in the above picture...

On closer inspection it must be basing flock next to those scissors, but for a second I was thinking hey no wonder this guy doesn't have any back pain! Toot toot!

Haha, just jokes. I'm sure it's basing flock.

My back absolutely kills me after a long painting session.

Something I've found helps is to do stretches every half hour or hour and get up for 5 minutes every 2 hours or so.

I also do planks or press ups every night when I paint, to help loosen up and stretch the back out.

June and July of 2017 I had surgeries completing a double-level spinal fusion (L3-L4, L5-S1) because of a drunk driver, so this was a HUGE concern for me.

I did a bit of research on ergonomic chairs, and chairs good for spinal fusion patients, etc.

I bought a fairly cheap, but highly reviewed chair for comfort. It was around 100$ (for what it does, WELL worth it)...however, I still can't always stay in the chair for as long as I intend to be in my hobby area.

I've had a "TV tray type thing" that has legs that unfold so it can fit around my legs...which is perfect for the couch and still feeling 'close enough' while I sit back all the way into the couch with a pillow behind me. That has also become a blessing in disguise.

Definitely, as mentioned above, stretching and exercise in general has become a big part of my life (actually still in physical therapy 2 times a week, also)...I used to think that it would cause me more pain, and at first...it did. However, stretching and doing a bit of 'warm up' can loosen up stiffness or relieve some pain aswell.

From what I'm told, I won't have 'no pain' for quite some time but there are definite things I do that help alleviate.

Long story short, just do what ya can, use some of the creativity related to the hobby to also set up your hobbying. Sometimes I don't have a nice lamp where I'm hobbying, or have all my materials at my immediate disposal, but I made a small 'kit' that I can kind of move around the house to my 'comfort zone' of that day and just have to make do. (Sometimes I'm in my actual hobby area, sometimes I'm on my lap table thing, sometimes kitchen table, sometimes TV tray...sometimes gotta just lay in bed and watch videos instead. My main thing is I have to be sitting all the way back into whatever it is I'm sitting on...I just can't lean forward without support for more than...5 minutes. Improvisation and creativity!)

Hang in there, don't give up...and if you need to take a break, take a break. It's an unfortunate reality for some, including myself, but it will be there when you're ready for it.

If you are willing to invest money and willing to look in alternatives then this project might be interesting (technically it's a bench for watchmakers): http://danspitz.com/watchmaker_bench/

I don't have one but I have bookmarked it to try out at some point… if I get that type of disposable income.