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So I need to use a lamp to get enough light to paint models, that means I havr to bend over to paint models which after an hour aches, I am no expert but this must be terrible for my back if I keeo doing it, what should I do?

ShadowPug wrote:
So I need to use a lamp to get enough light to paint models, that means I havr to bend over to paint models which after an hour aches, I am no expert but this must be terrible for my back if I keeo doing it, what should I do?

Get younger.

Think about ergonomics. How can you adjust your lights/posture/position to be in less pain. You might need a better table, chair and/or lamp. It might be as simple as resting your elbows on the table, lowering your chair, and swinging the light up a bit.

Take breaks. Marathon painting is not required. Stretch. Don’t just sit still.

Look up yoga/exercise to tone and strengthen your back. Or cybernetic replacement/biotransference. The flesh is weak a/o Iron without, Iron within!

Convince someone to give you backrubs while you work.

Tips/ideas

1) Raise the working surface/lower your chair

2) Get a lamp on a flexible arm or set the lamp higher - ergo raise the light source so that you can have it closer

3) Glasses - seriously consider them if you have to. Not esome lights have a built in magnifier; however a lot of the cheap ones are utter rubbish and will probably do more harm than good

4) Supports/resting surface for your arms - again in a good raised position

5) Breaks !

 Nevelon wrote:

ShadowPug wrote:
So I need to use a lamp to get enough light to paint models, that means I havr to bend over to paint models which after an hour aches, I am no expert but this must be terrible for my back if I keeo doing it, what should I do?

Get younger.

Think about ergonomics. How can you adjust your lights/posture/position to be in less pain. You might need a better table, chair and/or lamp. It might be as simple as resting your elbows on the table, lowering your chair, and swinging the light up a bit.

Take breaks. Marathon painting is not required. Stretch. Don’t just sit still.

Look up yoga/exercise to tone and strengthen your back. Or cybernetic replacement/biotransference. The flesh is weak a/o Iron without, Iron within!

Convince someone to give you backrubs while you work.

I'm only 15! I can't get much younger XD

Anyway cheers, I'll take some time to just adjust what I'm doing and aee if it helps, thanks!

If you're 15 and getting backpains chances are your posture whilst working is pretty darn poor and needs improving.

However the other possible cause is a lack of exercise. If you're out of shape its a lot easier to slouch and curve your back because you've not got the muscle tone or structure there to give you a more casual level of support.

This doesn't mean you have to start working out like crazy, but do look into considering improving your physical health. A couple of hours every few days will do wonders.

I recently built a new desk for myself, purely intending it for photographing and so very high. It's about 4-5ft off the ground.

It turns out to be perfect for painting at without back strain.
I've put padding along the front edge, and I sit straight with my forearms/wrists leaning on that, and the lamp shining down.

 Overread wrote:

1) Raise the working surface/lower your chair

This. A seating position suitable for typing is way too high. You will typically struggle to use the same chair for both.

If you're using the typical swivel chair, replace the gas lift with the shortest size (7"). You may still find this too high but it's a cheap and easy thing to try.

ShadowPug wrote:
I'm only 15! I can't get much younger XD

Anyway cheers, I'll take some time to just adjust what I'm doing and aee if it helps, thanks!

If you are young, then also try to avoid things outside of painting that will screw up your back. Learn to lift heavy objects properly (hint: use your legs, not your back) try no to get into accidents, etc. Take care of your self. As you get older, all the screw ups of your youth will come back to haunt you.

The fact that you are thinking about it now is a good sign. Keep it up!

Also, go and get one or two Ikea Tertial desk lights (£9 for a decent desk light is ridiculously cheap) while they're still available (the good colours are gone, just yellow and pink left).

Dude, pink is a great colour!

 Overread wrote:
If you're 15 and getting backpains chances are your posture whilst working is pretty darn poor and needs improving.

However the other possible cause is a lack of exercise. If you're out of shape its a lot easier to slouch and curve your back because you've not got the muscle tone or structure there to give you a more casual level of support.

This doesn't mean you have to start working out like crazy, but do look into considering improving your physical health. A couple of hours every few days will do wonders.

Don't worry it was just a one time thing, my posture was crap so it just hurta bit afterwards, I have never had it ache like that after really doing anything so I just wanted to fix the issue because it would be dreadful In the long term, I take the dog for walks and have to keep my back straight for playing piano so I think I'm good there, it's just paibting posture lol.


Also lowered my chair, helped out a lot, surprising how you wouldn't even think of the small but obvious ideas haha.

I am not particularly young at 52 but I use two things to help me. The first is a drafting table that I can raise up and down about a foot and a half. The second is a comfortable adjustable chair. These have helped a lot over the years. Glad to hear you are working on your posture. It is important. You may have stressed your back by overtighting the muscles in your back as you paint. This can cause the cramping you felt. The best thing to do is relax as you paint and you won't have that happen again. Good luck

I have a bad disk in my back which I have to account for in any activity. My painting desk for the last few years has been raised on stilts by almost 6 inches to prevent back pain while painting.

Normal desk or table height is TOO LOW IMO for detailed paint work.

Height depends on your proportions, Torso length, leg length, etc. There is no one size fits all measure and then alter to get it to the right height for YOU.

I am tall, even after losing an inch of height. So everything is too short for me for proper ergos, 6" stilts gave me the needed lift to paint comfortably.

I too tend to have bad posture while painting. I do take breaks and lay out on the floor to stretch my back out.
If I intend to paint for a long period, I'll put on a back brace (which I got years ago when I had a harder labor job) and it seems to work out well, if anything just to remind me to sit up straight.
It's hard to slouch with a brace on.
I also have my chair rather low to meet the level of my painting table, which seems to help.

One weird thing that I do sometimes is to actually lean over even more. I do this by leaning full forward at my waist supporting my elbows on my knees with my knees out wide.
It looks weird, but it straightens my back out, so it works for me.
Doesn't work with the brace, though

-

meatybtz wrote:
I have a bad disk in my back which I have to account for in any activity. My painting desk for the last few years has been raised on stilts by almost 6 inches to prevent back pain while painting.

Normal desk or table height is TOO LOW IMO for detailed paint work.

Height depends on your proportions, Torso length, leg length, etc. There is no one size fits all measure and then alter to get it to the right height for YOU.

I am tall, even after losing an inch of height. So everything is too short for me for proper ergos, 6" stilts gave me the needed lift to paint comfortably.

I went the other route and built a chair that was 5" lower than a swivel chair can be (with the shortest gas lift).

 Galef wrote:
I too tend to have bad posture while painting. I do take breaks and lay out on the floor to stretch my back out.
If I intend to paint for a long period, I'll put on a back brace (which I got years ago when I had a harder labor job) and it seems to work out well, if anything just to remind me to sit up straight.
It's hard to slouch with a brace on.
I also have my chair rather low to meet the level of my painting table, which seems to help.

One weird thing that I do sometimes is to actually lean over even more. I do this by leaning full forward at my waist supporting my elbows on my knees with my knees out wide.
It looks weird, but it straightens my back out, so it works for me.
Doesn't work with the brace, though

-

Bent at the waist with knees spread is an ideal human position. In various places in the world we call it different things but the slavic squat or the asian squat, its the same ergonomic position. chairs are honestly awful, period from an ergonomic consideration. The human form can support long periods of squatting or standing but sitting is an alien concept. Still, we all use chairs.. I honestly don't know why but our lives are centered around seated activities.

This is quite an easy answer but difficult to do if you can’t access it, basically bring yourself to the height of the models, either a kneeling board, doing it at the dining table or a work surface with a bar stool.

Basically anyway you can keep your back upright is going to be beneficial, though in saying that regular tea breaks are a must, even if it’s just getting up to walk around changing what you do each hour will stop your back getting long term damage.


Consider getting an app for your phone or set a repeating alarm for each 30 minutes or hour to remind you to get up and move around., clear your head, rest your eyes and then go back to it after 15 minutes or so....

Yep raise your table higher some how.

its what jewlers and watch maker tables are like and those people fiddle more than a fiddler crab.

also definitely get a adjustable lamp.

In all seriousness, every miniature painter needs to buy and read this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Deskbound-Standing-Up-Sitting-World/dp/1628600586/

As a full time commission painter and sculptor, I came face to face with an actual 'painting injury' in 2017 and Im still working through it. Even as an avid cyclist, runner, swimmer, and weight lifter, the damage of tons of desk time + a cycling crash lead me to a compressed ulnar nerve and the joys of thoracic outlet syndrome that Ive spent 10+ months in physical therapy fixing so far.

TLDR: Painting for extended periods can be really bad for you regardless of physical condition if you dont take precautions and 'train' your body for it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, there are cheap but effective posture reminders on Amazon, basically you sit upright and activate the monitor (it sticks to your shirt) and if you begin to slouch or dip down into a bad posture it will buzz until you correct it.

Exercises that focus on your rear deltoids, rhomboids, and an emphasis on outward shoulder rotation will also lead to painting longevity. Also google the 'couch stretch' and do that often throughout your painting sessions.

Posture is key. If you're leaning over, you're going to pay for it.

John Blanche paints standing up.

I deeply suggest this, simply is one of the best.
Do not be scared of the price, after some time your back will be really grateful.


Speaking in general terms, unbalance is the key: if your are constantly unstable, your back cannot set in a bad pose, so it's compelled to activate all back muscles to try to find a neutral balance, whic is impossible on an ergonomic chair.
So you are constatly moving and activating your muscles and in the end you'll not be sore and aching