Shaky Hands!!?
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I was wondering If anyone else has this problem, I tend to have shaky hands while I draw and it really poses a problem when I try to draw outlines. Does anyone else have this issue? and does anyone have any solutions or suggestions on managing it? I was once given the suggestion to use it as part of my Art style but to me it just looks unprofessional. Please and Thank you!
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Hello MyArt Multiverse. I also have shaky hands and yes it is very difficult to get a nice clean line. The only thing I have found to help is to speed up my line work. Sounds counter intuitive but I have found that my hands are actually less shaky when the line is quick and confident. Try practicing the line on a piece of paper next to your work or ghosting the line in the air before you actually draw it. I hope that helps. Also easing up on the coffee. I say this because I know I drink too much and especially after my coffee my hands are worse.
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I have to stay away from my coffee before using a brush pen.
Ssshh I don't have a problem 
Other than that I don't know, hopefully someone else can help. Could perhaps drawing on a larger scale work? I'm thinking that a longer, thicker line might be more easy to control and mask micro wobbles?
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@MariaAnna-Likouris Thank you for the suggestions, yea I've heard of laying off the caffeine...i love coffee though lol maybe i'll try decaf haha.
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@ina Haha yea I don't have a problem either (as i take a sip of my coffee...)
lol Thanks for your suggestion as @MariaAnna-Likouris mentioned faster as well, i've been experimenting with that -
Is this an issue you deal with on a day to day basis, or simply when you're focusing on drawing, using a pen or pencil?
I'm guessing you've ruled out being overly caffeinated, and I know my hands would shake a bit when I was drinking a bit more or had higher blood pressure. But I don't think it was ever to the extent that I couldn't make a straight line.
Perhaps working larger so you're using more of your shoulder and arm to draw your lines? Might be hard though, especially if you like drawing small.
Hope you can figure out a solution, I feel like the making it part of your style is kind of the last resort if all else fails.
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Another way that could help is drawing from the shoulder and not the wrist.
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I remember when I was very little, I watched Chinese calligraphy masters live writing, and some of them shake their hands when writing. I asked the master if he was too old (yes, that was very impolite, and I didn't know much since I was only 3 or 4 years old at that time), he said he did it purpose to avoid strokes that are too sleek ...
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@gavpartridge I appreciate the feedback, I know my line/inking needs work, and no nothing neurological lol. That being said I do believe it's due to multiple factors, caffeine has already been discussed lol, @Chris-Perry-0 and @Blitz55 I should try to practice that, however when i'm working at my computer digitally i am confined by my small tablet and small desk lol. All in all I will try to take everyones advice into account and see what works. Thank you everyone!
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@MyArt-Multiverse In procreate you can adjust the "smoothing" effect of a brush (which can be described as a stroke stabilizer) - you make a wiggly mark and procreate turns it into a smooth mark - i'm sure photoshop brushes can do the same? I remember watching a tutorial by stephen silver where he made a sketchy drawing that he liked - he then turned down the opacity of it and drew over it on another layer - what i remember was how he kept redoing a line over and over again..the same line.. with a quick stroke until it looked just how he wanted it to look - "never trace" he says - but his marks are very quick at this stage... so i'm thinking a brush with smoothing turned up a tiny bit (too much is super annoying) and quick marks when you get down to doing the final image might be helpful
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It can also be a defining point for your style. Think Charles Schultz and Quentin Blake.
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@Chris-Perry-0 and brendan small
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@Kevin-Longueil yea photoshop CC also has that tool, unfortunately I have neither lol
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I tend to get shaky hands when I get low blood sugar so for me it's pretty easy to fix - quit drawing and take care of myself by eating some healthy food. Come back later when I'm feeling more stable. I know for some people it isn't that easy. The author of this web comic has issues with terminally shaky hands and she works really hard to find a balance between embracing who she is and still looking professional.
Personally, I think it gives the lines a ton of character and movement and it looks fantastic. Working digitally definatly makes it easier. If a line is too shaky or goes off in a direction you don't like you can always just cmd + z and do it again.
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@MyArt-Multiverse I understand the tablet thing. I used the same small wacom for about 15 years. The next one I got was a much larger one. There are pros and cons I suppose as there are times I miss my smaller one, but I do enjoy the feeling of being able to get my arm more into the game with the larger wacom.
