Paint station ergonomics - tips for keeping good posture

I recently had some persistent neck/headache issues from leaning towards a computer monitor at work (yes... turns out poor posture for 60 hours a week is bad... who knew...). However, it also got me thinking about how important posture is for painting - particularly as it can be easy to get wrapped up enjoying a project and not notice posture issues until too late...  

I've found the generic advice of 'get up for a few minutes every hour' isn't really enough, and was guessing that the folk painting more like every day on commissions probably have more experience in getting this kind of thing right for sustained painting sessions. 

I went digging around a bunch of general model forums as well as asking for advice on B&C and seems to be a few common themes; essentially all geared towards stopping forward/hunched posture. 

Ie, as long as you keep head, neck and shoulders straight and upright... fight the temptation to lean towards the table/model... you are most of the way to avoiding the big problems. I think the notes below are probably overkill (and seriously... 99% of my issue has been work posture) but something to keep in mind to make painting more sustainable and limit long term issues. 

Top tips so far... 

1. Use an office chair with arms. 

Kind of simple, but as a single-solve solution, this is pretty good. Benefits of an armed-office-chair are... 

• It's both height adjustable (which can help get the right height vs table)
• Putting elbows on armrests brings the mini closer to eye height
• Small cushion behind back helps stop the back curling forward
• Keep head/shoulders above pelvis and avoid tilting head down. 

Assuming the arm rests are a good personal height, I think this is probably plenty for the occasional/light level painter without needing to drastically change their full workspace. Of course this also means having good control of your hands in front of your face... note #3 below. 

2. Raise the work surface on the table. 

This seems to be key for moderate-longer painting sessions. Just to restate, since it is so important... when doing fine/delicate work - the higher the work surface should be.

Getting elbows higher really seems to help stop the shoulders creeping forward over time. Suggestions I've read include:

• Using a firm/latex pillow on top of a normal table
• A box on top of the table (probably the best/easiest option for most folk)
• (more sophisticated but same...) laptop riser or breakfast-in-bed tray on the table
• Propping the table legs up to raise the whole table
• (Reverse of propping the table) - drop the height of your chair

I know a couple of more etsy-type people who use a 'jewellers' workstation (high table with a half-circle cut out, so everything is close up and eye height) for other kinds of detail work and think they could be very good for painting... but that is a pretty full on commitment. The pic above is a custom jewellers bench (Benchworks Joinery). 

Whichever method of elevation, the personal height is best where elbows are supported with hands at eye height while back/head are up straight. Feet forward and lower back padding should help keep this in the right place. And don't twist the spine by tucking one leg sideways or under the chair, otherwise you still get issues but even worse - one sided. 

3. Also have something high to lean wrists on. 

For those drinking coffee or generally over the age of about 30... keeping a really steady hand for detail seems to be much easier with something to press against. In my case, when I need to do a few particularly fine details, I lean down and rest my wrists on the edge of the table for more stability... which basically puts my back at 45 degrees, which is terrible. But it's also why for me, getting a better chair isn't enough by itself.

While kind of related to #2... having another box or firm edge that is closer to eye height also gives something to rest wrists against. This might be - 

• An extra box on top of the other box... but heavy enough that you can lean wrists against it without it toppling over
• A shelf/riser that sits on top of the table/desk (oldschool 90s computer desk :-))
• Plank of wood supported by 2 heavier objects

Nice workstation example from Marcus Leitdorf here - the boxes at the front give a nice platform for resting wrists on, while pressed up against the edge of a standard dining table. 

The key part is really just to avoid leaning forward when needing extra stability - for those with a steady hand, or for just a short painting session, this is far more optional. 

4. Lighting location. 

In hindsight, I realise the other part of my issue is working under a relatively low lamp - so I was hunching towards the light rather than moving the light to where it was needed. Top tips from one of the train builders:

• Put a floor lamp over the shoulder. It's adjustable, but it's almost like the light source is from the direction of your 'eyes' and leaning forward makes the light weaker, so it kind of encourages you to stay upright.
• Having the light coming over your 'off' shoulder (I'm a lefty, so over the right would be best) to act as spotlight without getting in the way of your painting arm
• Failing that, something with a big swing arm that can be moved around as well as elevated much higher seems to score lots of points with long-session painters.
• More is better - many folk use 2-3 lamps which helps blend out shadows and stop squinting etc. Or nice long bar lights that brighten the whole area.

There is a whole extra debate about whether light colour should be daylight/blue, etc which is interesting but less critical for the purpose of ergonomics... 

5. Regular breaks. 

As mentioned, I'm sceptical of the 'take a 1 min walk every hour' office advice (at least in the sense that it's less important than having good posture for the other 59 minutes), but trying to add this to my habits now as well. Specifically, what I am trying to make habitual is when changing to a new colour, get up and change the water as well. This helps: 

• Make you walk around for a couple of minutes fully upright
• Get the break in just after closing up pots; so there is no wet paint to rush back for 
• Helps decide while away from the desk if it's time to call it a day on painting
• Added bonus of having clean water (very much so for metallics or washes). 

Of course, when you are doing the same highlight colour on 30 marines you might need a break more often... but you get the idea. 

6. Optional extra tip... is it time for a new brush?

I've also just swapped my ~18 month old 'main' brush for a new one. I look after them with a bit of brush cleaner every couple of sessions but *god damn* a nice crisp tip seems to help get a nice consistent stroke without having to try different or weird angles to get a clean stroke. 

Taking some of the extra effort out of painting seems to help with posture as a secondary benefit. Plus not having to fight against the brushes keeps the whole hobby enjoyable :-)

With thanks for input from the B&C forums, and some rather old feature pieces on Bell of Lost Souls and the Painting Bunker. As always - comments and thoughts very welcome... particularly interested to hear if any high-volume/commission folk have particular tips for being able to work longer hours at the paint desk.