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I am an artist and my drawing tablet is on the right side of my keyboard, where most people would put a mouse. And yes I do generally draw from the shoulder, no

I am an artist and my drawing tablet is on the right side of my keyboard, where most people would put a mouse. And yes I do generally draw from the shoulder, not the wrist - that got drilled into me by the elder artists at my first real animation job. I don’t have any problem moving my stylus side to side. When I’m working at my desk sometimes I end up shoving both keyboard and tablet to the left a bit, so the tablet is more in front of me. It’s not right in the middle like a piece of paper would be if I was hunching over a drawing board, though, it’s still distinctly to one side. When I’m out and about with the laptop I tend to align myself more with the screen, so the tablet is distinctly off to the side. Never been a problem.

vladvasiliu 6y ago
Do you move your hand often back and forth between the tablet and keyboard? I could see positioning myself such that moving the mouse from the shoulder would be OK, but then the keyboard would end up in an awkward position for my right arm. In my case, I use the keyboard much more than the mouse.
- egypturnash 6y ago
  The right hand pretty much stays on the tablet when I'm drawing. Left hovers over the keyboard hitting shortcuts, except for ones waaaaay over on the right side. If I try to go back and forth a lot then I'm gonna either be constantly putting the stylus in and out of the holder, or typing with it between the fingers of my right hand, neither of which is much fun.
klondike_klive 6y ago
My first brush with RSI was drawing with my tablet too far to the right hand side, and pressing too hard. Nowadays it's just improper placement and having to crane over the tablet (with my left hand) to the keyboard shortcuts. Out of interest, and assuming you use a tablet with extra buttons, how do you use them? Or do you disable them like virtually every other tablet user I've ever met :)
- egypturnash 6y ago
  I disable them. Except for the scroll wheel, which I keep set to "mouse scroll wheel" for really stupid webpages that refuse to show a scrollbar because they assume everyone is on touch devices or has a scroll wheel mouse. And yeah pressing too hard on the pen will fuck you right up :) (so will holding it too tight, if an invisible person couldn't easily pluck your pen out of your fingers, you're holding it too hard)

vladvasiliu 6y ago

Do you move your hand often back and forth between the tablet and keyboard? I could see positioning myself such that moving the mouse from the shoulder would be OK, but then the keyboard would end up in an awkward position for my right arm. In my case, I use the keyboard much more than the mouse.

egypturnash 6y ago
The right hand pretty much stays on the tablet when I'm drawing. Left hovers over the keyboard hitting shortcuts, except for ones waaaaay over on the right side. If I try to go back and forth a lot then I'm gonna either be constantly putting the stylus in and out of the holder, or typing with it between the fingers of my right hand, neither of which is much fun.

klondike_klive 6y ago

My first brush with RSI was drawing with my tablet too far to the right hand side, and pressing too hard. Nowadays it's just improper placement and having to crane over the tablet (with my left hand) to the keyboard shortcuts. Out of interest, and assuming you use a tablet with extra buttons, how do you use them? Or do you disable them like virtually every other tablet user I've ever met :)

egypturnash 6y ago
I disable them. Except for the scroll wheel, which I keep set to "mouse scroll wheel" for really stupid webpages that refuse to show a scrollbar because they assume everyone is on touch devices or has a scroll wheel mouse. And yeah pressing too hard on the pen will fuck you right up :) (so will holding it too tight, if an invisible person couldn't easily pluck your pen out of your fingers, you're holding it too hard)