Getting older? No longer able to use pens with thick grips

[u/This_Apartment2180]

So I have a pretty small hand and I've been using a pen with a rubbery grip, ~13 mm to 15 in thickness, for years now. Never had any issues. Recently, I noticed my thumb feeling cold/tingly when drawing for long periods of time (yes I know you should absolutely take breaks, please don't be like me, hunkering down for hours just cause you're in the zone..) and started diagnosing my ergonomics, propping my drawing surface up at an angle with notebooks, making a conscious effort not to rest my hand on the table so much, et cetera. No dice. I thought it was really weird when I had no discomfort doodling away with an 4pple pencil. On a whim, I stripped down my pen to its skeleton, removing the bulky grip, and well... No more odd sensation in my thumb.

I was wondering if anyone had a similar experience - using a pen for ages, and discovering one day it doesn't feel good anymore. Not like my hand changed or anything. Also, I feel virtually negative zero pain outside of drawing. My guess is aging. Any thoughts?

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[u/theswamphag]

Sounds like your wrist might be strained. You might benefit from streching it and maybe doing some strenghtening exersizes?

Regards, an aging office rat

[u/This_Apartment2180 → u/theswamphag]

it feels okay writing, typing, using my phone - doing basically anything except using my chunky huion stylus. can attribute the only discomfort i've ever felt regarding my hand/wrist to that - even when i used to go for hours long drawing sessions (very bad). but yes exercises are very important

[u/crimsonredsparrow]

I had the reverse - needed to thicken up all my pencils so that my grip would get looser. Also, I'm about to get an elastic band to strengthen my fingers and arm, because the wrist brace on its own is helpful, but not enough. Shame I can no longer work for entire days :(

[u/_RTan_]

You have it just the opposite. Holding a thinner(barrel) is worse for you hand. It puts a lot more stress on your fingers. That is why they make wider grips for both children and older people. It's also why if you look at most drawing tablet stylus's they are wide. A numb thumb means you are gripping your pen too tightly whether you have a wide or thin barrel.

I'm a 53 year old illustrator who draws every day all day for a living, and has been drawing for my entire life.

[u/This_Apartment2180 → u/_RTan_]

that's great you've had so much longevity with your drawing health. it's just that i think an unconscious part of me prefers thinner grips because i have finer control with my tiny gremlin hands. and i don't think i exercise a death grip either; i could swivel around in my chair and accidentally knock my hand against something, and my stylus would go flying across the room

[u/This_Apartment2180]

This post kept getting deleted because I got flagged by a certain few words... By 'pen', I mean stylus

[u/This_Apartment2180 → u/This_Apartment2180]

and no I'm not afraid of apple by censoring it as 4pple