How to suppress the trembles

[wombat]

I’ve just spent a very frustrating time trying to paint a small part, hampered by a sudden bad case of a trembling or twitching hand, which got worse the harder I tried to suppress it! Other than perhaps cutting down on the caffeine, does anyone have any good tips?

[Freester]

My only suggestion is mount the small part in a clip, stand or on some blu tac. Rest your painting hand in your other hand...

[Ade H]

[Important note: I'm not a medical expert, so you may want to ask one, especially if the issue worsens]

 

I think that the shakes could be caused by several things, singly or combined: excess caffeine, tiredness, dehydration, nervousness/anxiety, a physical condition, medication, etc.

 

For me, it can come from a combination of anxiety, tiredness, and dehydration; so I find that the safest solution is to walk away, focus on dealing with those issues, and not worry about that particular modelling task today. Plenty of other things to be done if I want to, or not at all. Sometimes, the paid work must have priority; and sometimes the health must.

 

If I plan to be painting a bust/figure, for example, I'll put decaf in the coffee pot because too much strong coffee does seem to exacerbate it for me (even though there's a joke among web developers that we run on coffee!). And I won't even start any tricky painting if I think that I'm not really up to the task that day.

 

As you found, trying to suppress it is counter-productive. Because of this, almost regardless of what causes it for you, you may find that learning some simple relaxation techniques may help you to manage the problem when it occurs, so that it eases naturally. At least it may help you not to be stressed out by it. You can find a lot of good advice online about relaxation techniques (the NHS website would probably be a good place to begin).

Edited January 26, 2022 by Ade H

[Mike]

If you can't find the source of your trembling (pause while people make up mucky reasons), the best alternative is to brace your hands together, holding the part and the brush as close to each other as you can in order to.... well, brace them against the shakes.  If you're working on something larger, use the old sign painter's trick that my dad taught me.  Get a sturdy stick, wrap the end in cloth or something soft, tie it on, and use that as a rest so you don't have to touch your model in order to brace yourself.

 

My BIL has a medical condition that makes his hands shake, and if you suspect the same, get thee to the doctors pronto.  I have shaky and easily fatigued hands, but I can still manage some reasonably fine painting when I use the bracing technique, so it does work.  I now need a rest after typing this and a few other comments in the last 10 minutes

[Pin]

Interestingly - a small dose of alcohol reduces trembles, as I understand this is the reason alcohol is banned as doping in sports that require steady hand such as shooting etc. 

My problem is that I often cannot restrict myself to just one small shot

[Mike]

9 minutes ago, Pin said:

Interestingly - a small dose of alcohol reduces trembles, as I understand this is the reason alcohol is banned as doping in sports that require steady hand such as shooting etc. 

My problem is that I often cannot restrict myself to just one small shot

Please allow me to show you the scar in the back of my index finger from modelling after a moderate quantity of alcohol.  I could see it happening, and was already going OWWWWW! before the scalpel had come to a rest inside my nail bed

 

These days I don't touch a model on the very rare occasion I drink (it's been over a year now), and I listen to my internal monologue when it says "If that slips, you're going to be doing some bleeding".  It's been right too many times.

[Pin]

Perhaps your "moderate" was not moderate enough, Mike

 

[Mike]

IIRC it was one reasonably generous measure of bourbon.  It was a long time ago though, so I might be wrong. 

[Paul J]

The symptoms mentioned by Ade H above are all signs of Parkinsons. I know because it has happened to me and thats what I have been diagnosed with.

[spruecutter96]

9 hours ago, Pin said:

Interestingly - a small dose of alcohol reduces trembles

This is very true, indeed. I find that after 19 pints of Scruttocks Unidentifiable Corridor-Essence, not only do the trembles go away, but speaking in words disappears too...

 

Chris. 

 

PS: This is not intended to take the Mickey out of any previous poster -  it is simply intended to raise a smile (I hope). 

[dogsbody]

Alcohol: It's good for what ails you. If nothing ails you, it's good for that, too.

 

 

 

Chris

[fishplanebeer]

Alcohol is never a solution to anything, even in jest.

 

Don't mean or intend to moralise but it has to be said.

 

Regards

Colin.

[TonyW]

If it's more than a little wobble now and then, I would most definitely get it checked out.

 

Having said that, a couple of tricks work for me.

 

Brace the item being painted so you are not chasing it across the bench. Brace your hand at the wrist to limit the amount of movement the brush can achieve. Mix enough paint at the right consistency for the whole job and have the pot at a comfortable distance to dip in. Remove any distractions to the job in hand. 

 

That lot are pretty basic and apologies if I'm stating the obvious.

 

The single biggest improvement in my experience is to have really good lighting and a magnifier. I use an LED lit magnifier I picked up at Telford years ago and I wouldn't be without it. It takes a bit of getting used to as a 1.72 scale pilot is suddenly the size of an action man and your 00 brush turns into a 4" one right in front of you. Your brain soon accommodates the difference though and the difference it makes to paintwork is amazing.

[Richard E]

Whilst it won't address any root causes which may need to be checked out, you might find EBMA's Hand Rest helpful.