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So I've set aside time to just get it all painted. Spent about 9 hours fixing ork boyz, drilling barrels, and adding extra know wotz. Today I got into base coating skins but my back is killing me. What is the right way to do this so I can paint all week?

Sit with your back against the chair back.
Don’t slouch and keep your tailbone and lower back planted in the back of the chair.
Rest your elbows or wrists on the table. Use your arms to bring the mini closer to you instead of bringing your face to the mini.
Get a shiatsu back massager.
I use mine twice a day and usually paint for at least 4 hours a day most days.
Get up and walk around every 30 minutes. Look out the window at something far away, and walk around for a few minutes before returning to the desk.

I think the above post is good advice, but I want to add the use of a taller surface to reduce the amount that you might bend over, or raise the place the place you lean against. I prefer sitting at eiher a high table/counter or in a low chair/toolbox.

My other enemy is eye fatigue. For this I blast the area with light and wear magnifying glasses.

In addition to what's already been said, I find it easier to paint for longer if I ease myself into it. If you've not painted in a while and suddenly do 9 hours, it's a way of sitting and moving you're not used to. If you have the time, consider starting off with an hour or a couple of hours a day, then steadily increase, your muscles will get more used to it than suddenly going 'oh no this is different.'

good light & rest periods.

Also improve your general fitness and exercise. Build strength into your back. I've found that I get far more back/neck pain if I've gone a long period without much physical activity or with only exceptionally light stuff - ergo no building or really using muscles. By a long period I'm talking weeks/months rather than an hour or two.

So your physical body condition has a lot to play in it as well as the position and regular rest points raised in earlier posts.


Thus I'd say that one good way to aid yourself is to do some working out. Even in lockdown you can do things like situps, pressups etc.... or even get some hand weights to lift. Basically exercise yourself and build strength into your back and it will help out.



In addition to that using a higher resting support. Most tables are honestly pretty rubbish for close up work. They are made for chopping veg and eating off. When it comes to working close and even writing, most are far too low to support a healthy and safe back and working angle.

I'm not a qualified physio, but somewhat self taught after recovering from a few injuries. It sounds like your issue is the same as what plagues a huge swathe of the desk bound work force who suffer back pain. In short, the human body was not designed to sit in chairs. Our natural relaxed positions are the deep squat, legs crossed or lying down. What happens when you sit in a chair, is that your anterior hips become tight, your glutes and spinae erectors become loose and lazy. So when you try to stand erect, your tight hips pull you forward, and the posterior muscles are too weak to balance you out. A way to remedy this is to: work on strengthening your lower back and glutes. Look up 'good mornings' and 'glute bridges' for some exercises you can do at home. You should also look at loosening your hips. Static stretching will help short term, but to ensure you lengthen your hips for full range of motion and long term health, 'Glute kickbacks' done slowly to extend the hips can help here.

I also feel obliged to mention my favourite exercise of all time here, the deadlift, which is the best all round body strengthening exercise, and will cover all those bases.. However this really requires a gym, or at least some half decent kit. But if you're a gym goer and not doing DL, start doing them.

I'd also suggest shorter working times. Or at least take breaks to get some movement.

I definitely find the chair a bit lower so the table is higher that makes me sit all the way back so my back is supported helps reduce my back pain. However, with your chair a bit lower you do need to make sure you leave room for your legs to stretch out.