As artists, our wrist is pretty important to us. Even if you’re not planning to earn a living from your art, it’s no fun drawing when your wrist is on fire.
Aside from a stretching habit, I’ve become fond of products that make it easier for daily creative work. Why put more pressure on your wrist than needed? Here are some I use every day.
I’m an Amazon affiliate- by using the product links, you help support me at no extra cost to you. Thanks!
Portable Laptop Stand
As someone living temporarily in dorms, I don’t have the luxury of buying a custom table. I would work with my laptop flat on the desk, dropping my head and my posture over time.
✅ When I got a slanted laptop stand, it made working much easier, elevating the screen so my head was straighter. It also made it easier to keep my arms up rather than rest and abuse my wrists when typing.
Another thing I like about this laptop stand is the portability. I’ve been moving a lot with university and travel, so the the folding profile is perfect for storage.
If you have your own separate keyboard & extra desk space, you could use this rising laptop stand, raising your screen to actual head height.
3M Futuro Wrist Compression Glove
Although I don’t have carpal tunnel (I hope), I like using wrist supports as a preventative measure. After trying a bunch of different wrist supports, the Futuro has quickly become my favorite.
✅ The biggest benefit is the ease of use. I wear it while drawing on paper or tablet, and it works just as well as an artist glove, preventing my skin from gripping the screen while supporting my wrist.
Second is durability: other 3M wrist braces I use would fall apart in weeks. This wrist support has been with me for months (you can see the fraying haha), and still works great.
Can’t recommend it enough, if I could only buy one product on this list, it’d probably be the Futuro.
UPPERCASE Apple Pencil Grip
As I was drawing on Procreate, I realized how different the apple pencil is compared to tablet pens.
For starters, the Apple Pencil has a thinner profile, meaning you need to close your fingers more, putting more pressure on the wrist. The pencil is also kind of slippery, if you notice it.
In comparison, most tablet pens have a bulky grip, making it easier to use your hands instead of wrist to press. I wanted to see if that little difference change my Apple Pencil experience, since I use my ipad for 99% of my nsfw art.
✅ I decided to get the UPPERCASE grip because of the pretty color variety 🙂 They recommend you use the circular part as grip, but I prefer the square-ish part. Makes it easier to draw with my fingers, rather than my wrist. Particularly nice when I need to apply pen pressure.
One downside of these grips is that you have to remove them to charge the 2nd-generation Apple Pencil. That said, I just tug them off, snap my apple pencil on, then lightly push the grip onto the pen tip for storage. It also helps that I have a folder case that can hold the grip, so you might want to hold off if you only have an iPad case.
Logitech MX Ergo Trackball Mouse
This one was a big purchase, but I was getting wrist pain from my laptop track pad.
✅ I had read that the MX Ergo’s trackball meant virtually no wrist use. After using it for a few months, I can say it delivers. I got used to the trackball after a few days, and the mouse design keeps my wrist comfortably rested.
Another upside is that it’s bluetooth friendly, so you can rest it on any surface comfortably. I place it on the desk, on my thigh, sometimes my arm rest. It’s great having different options.
One downside is that it’s not quite friendly to travel with. It’s quite bulky, and the magnetic base is strong but doesn’t lock in. You might want a traveling case. That said, I only use it at home, so it’s not a big deal.
Mouse Wrist Rest
Though the MX Ergo’s profile is low enough to keep your wrist rested on the table, I like pairing it with a mouse wrist rest for extra comfiness.
I’ve found rotating it and resting my arm on keeps my wrist suspended, saving it from any work at all.
Artist Gloves
I highly recommend artist gloves for digital artists. We usually spend hours on tablets, so it’s no exaggeration that stress racks up on our wrists.
✅ Artists gloves lessen that stress by making it smoother to slide your hand across the screen. They also feel hella cool and professional 😎
My favorite brand for big screen tablets is dokiwear. It’s a bit thicker than other artist gloves, but I love the feel of it when drawing on Cintiqs. I have the mazo black.
Another popular artist glove is the thin-fabric Huion ones that work well whatever tablet you’re drawing on. I prefer using my 3M Futuro, though.
And those are some wrist pain prevention products that I use everyday!
Wrist health is quite important, and it’s heartbreaking whenever I see other artists have to push through deadlines with a screaming wrist. Make sure to stretch often, and prevent rather than postpone!
If you have any question about these products, or healthy artist habits in general, feel free to comment or reach me at hbeats.art@gmail.com!
Cheers, Beats