Tag: Shaky hands

No Great Shakes

I wouldn’t want my drawings to look too perfect but I’m frustrated when they turn out too shaky so, since we got back from Rome a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been trying to do something about that and I decided to see if cutting down on my caffeine would make any difference. So far it seems to be working well. I can’t give up my morning coffee but most places can now offer a reasonable decaffeinated version.

My Home Gym

home gym

I’ve also been keeping up with the suggestions for exercises in the books that I read recently by Dr Chatterjee, which I’m hoping are improving my posture when I’m sitting at my desk or drawing. They should also help with movement as they’re designed to activate muscle groups, in my shoulders for instance, that might otherwise be neglected.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve bought myself an aerobic step, as recommended by Dr Chatterjee for improving balance. It sits in the corner of my studio under the bookshelf along with some dumbbells. The step was just £12 from Argos, the dumbbells £5 from Aldi, which makes them a bit of a bargain compared with gym membership. I do only about five minutes exercise a day so I couldn’t even get to my nearest gym in the time that it takes to go through a simple routine.

Eighteen months ago, I had a brief suspected TIA (transient ischaemic attack), which I now suspect might have been an unusual migraine or just the result of getting up too quickly after an overlong session on the computer. Because it was transient even the experts can’t say for sure. As a result I got myself a FitBit fitness tracker. I’m giving it a break now because I feel that it’s done it’s job of making us aware of how many or how few steps we might do in a day and it hasn’t shown up any problems with my heart rate.

During our three and a half days in Rome two weeks ago, we walked the equivalent of a marathon, according to Barbara’s iPhone: 70,000 paces, 43 km (0ver 26 miles), so I think that we’re fine for walking and, for me, it’s slouching at my desk and shaky hands that I want to tackle next.

Just my Cup of Tea

Blacker Hall

So at Blacker Hall farm shop this morning we both went for decaffeinated lattes and, it might just be coincidence, but my drawing of the old beams seemed that bit steadier than when I’ve drawn them on previous occasions.

I do feel a bit calmer. I’d describe the difference, when I need to perform a smooth movement, such as drinking from a full cup of coffee or starting a drawing, like this:

  • Before: I’d tense up and attempt to rigidly control my movement
  • Now: I feel more relaxed and happier to go with the flow

It’s early days so there’s no way of knowing whether it’s cutting down on caffeine or doing the exercises has been of any benefit. Perhaps it’s just getting over the excitement of our break in Rome and recovering from a cold. Whatever it is, I think it’s worth carrying on for a while.

Buzzard

buzzard I-SpybuzzardA buzzard circles above the wood then heads over the meadow and garden towards the house. Looking up through my sloping roof-light window I can see it almost vertically overhead as it passes over my studio, the pancake patterns beneath its wing picked out by the afternoon sun.

However many times I see it fly over, I don’t think that I’ll ever get over the excitement that I feel when I see a buzzard. Even when it’s flying over our suburban street, that circling silhouette conjures up wild places for me.

I-Spy BirdsI saw my first buzzard in the Lake District, aged nine, on Wednesday 31 August 1960. I know the date because I still have the I-Spy Birds booklet that I started on that holiday.

I-Spy BirdsBirds of prey in general made a big impression on me, so much so that I chose them as the subject for a school project.

Birds of Prey

 Aged of nine or ten I already had big ideas about the kind of books that I’d like to write and illustrate. The gold label and ambitious title suggest that I was aiming for something authoritative.

I was struggling to work out how to produce the stand-out illustrations that I saw in books and on the Brooke Bond tea cards that I collected. Using large hogs-hair brushes and school powder paints wasn’t going to help.

from my Birds of Prey booklet
There’s some evidence in this handwriting of the essential tremor that I remember having since age seven. No wonder I’ve always found drawing and writing something of a challenge.

The method used for teaching joined-up writing or ‘real writing’ at my junior school was to keep the pen in contact with the paper throughout the word then go back to dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s. By the age of nine I’d already given up this method for my personal projects, preferring more compact block capitals which allowed me to fit my text in amongst my drawings. 
Observer's Book of BirdsI treasured a copy of The Observer’s Book of British Birds which I kept in my gabardine pocket, even though it was unlikely that I’d spot a Montagu’s harrier or a Dartford warbler in the school playground.

buzzardUnfortunately I found myself unable to emulate Archibald Thorburn’s elegant illustrations in the wax crayons available to me in Mr Lindley’s class. But I’ve added my own touch with the background; the Lakeland hills and crag where I’d recently seen that first buzzard.

Can an Artist have Shaky Hands?

handshakyhand1‘Who says an artist needs to have a steady hand? ‘ is the question posed by a current television advertisement for the Mazda3 which goes onto suggest that you need to do a bit of creative thinking to overcome the challenges that you meet in automotive design and in your limitations when drawing.

Phil Hansen, the featured artist, blames years of intense work on pointillist drawings for nerve damage that has forced him to look for other ways of making art.

Essential Tremor

handLast time I saw my doctor, I asked him about it. I remember having had shaky hands since the age of seven.

‘Does it go off if you have a glass of wine?’ he asks.

‘How did you know?! It’s worse when I’m tired or when  I’m upset about something. For instance I was at a party the other week and had to hold my champagne glass close to me because I was worried that someone was going to want to shake my hand. I can’t manage a cup and saucer. I was wondering if you could give me some advice on it as a medical problem.’

‘Let’s not call it a medical problem,’ he suggests, ‘it’s a human condition; everyone’s hands shake to some extent.’

He diagnoses it as essential familial tremor. There’s no cure for it as such but if it gets worse (I can move on to affect the neck, voice or even legs) I could try beta-blockers. I think I’d rather stick with red wine for now.

‘There’s a hypnotherapist just opened above our hairdressers, might that help?’

His sceptical smile says it all but he admits; ‘I would have dismissed it altogether until last week when we were given a demonstration and I was quite impressed.’

It’s good to know that I’ve got the option of a back-up, either for specific events that I might be worried about, or if it gets worse as a regular thing but for the moment I’ll try not to get so stressed or so tired and to try and relax and enjoy life.

Like my colour blindness, I think my shaky hands have given me a challenge to spur me on in my artwork.

Link; Phil Hansen, Mazda commercial