Liam Francis Walsh Discusses His Struggles With Tendinitis, and the Stretches That Make It so He Can Draw More Than Ever Before.
Liam emailed me the other week, asking if I thought it would benefit Case readers to learn about some exercises and stretches that have allowed him to draw pain free, and I said of course! I think a lot of people forget that the most important drawing instrument that you have is yourself, and that taking care of your wrists and posture makes it far easier for you do make great art. If you’re focused on an aching neck and wrists, you’re not focused on drawing. Also, Liam is a brilliant draftsman, which you can see in his new book, Make a Wish, Henry Bear, and if this program works for him, it’s the good stuff.
Without further ado, here’s Liam:
About five years ago, I started trying to learn to draw with my left hand. I’d read that the great Milt Caniff was ambidextrous— he drew with one hand and lettered with the other— and I thought it might be the solution to my problem. See, I’d been drawing almost full-time for a couple of years, with a heavy hand and a tendency to attack the page, and had developed a nasty case of tendinitis. I had such discomfort in my right wrist, and such terror of it becoming debilitating, right at the dawn of my career, that I’d begun to avoid any unnecessary wrist use altogether. No more frisbee. No more ukulele. Handshakes were a minefield.
I found it surprisingly difficult to get advice on dealing with the condition. After all, there are so many people with so much more demanding jobs, that entail injuries that are so much more serious-sounding than “cartoonist wrist”. And even among cartoonists, wrist issues are far from universal. I once asked Bill Plympton how his wrist was doing after single-handedly drawing all those wonderful movies, and he looked at me like I’d just asked how his nose was doing, or the second toe on his left foot. Clearly some people can draw their hearts out and not have any adverse effects, but I’m not one of those people.
A makeshift wrist warmer that I wear while drawing (a cut-off sweatshirt sleeve).
A couple of years ago, I’d just sold the graphic novel I’m currently finishing up, and I was wondering how I was possibly going to put in even longer hours in order to keep the book on schedule. That’s when I came across these posts on health and wellness for animators on Ron Doucet’s fantastic blog, Flooby Nooby. I don’t do all of the exercises, but I do several of them every day before, during, and after drawing, and I ice my wrist whenever I take a break. I’m on page 180 of my graphic novel and going strong. I’ve even been playing frisbee again.
Icing [my wrist] on the terrace after a long day at the drawing board.
So, if you have wrist issues, or you’re starting to increase the amount of time you spend drawing, you might want to think about checking out these posts, and adding a few stretches to your drawing routine— and we could probably all stand to think a little more about our posture!
(PS: while you’re on Ron’s site, check out his post on the cinematography of The Incredibles. It has to be one of the ten best things on the internet!)
Wrist Exercises from Flooby Nooby:
Part One
Part Two
My favorite of the stretches
Be sure to follow Liam’s Instagram, which features art from his upcoming graphic novel and beautiful scenery from Switzerland. Also, if you’d like more art supplies in your life, you can find Case on Instagram, Patreon, and Twitter!
I hope everyone has nice week, and I wish you all postural health and wrists of steel!
