TIL I was holding my drafting pencil completely wrong for 8 years

Been drafting for almost a decade now. Last Tuesday my coworker, an old guy named Dave who's been at this since the 80s, watched me sketch out a floor plan and just laughed. He said my grip was killing my line quality and causing my hand to cramp. I was gripping the pencil near the tip like a writing pen, putting all my pressure on the side. He showed me how to hold it further back, almost parallel to the paper, and use my whole arm to draw straight lines. Tried it on a quick elevation drawing and the difference was insane. My lines came out smooth and clean for the first time. Has anyone else had an old timer call out a bad habit you never noticed?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly_gonzalez6122d ago

Heard Dave's advice and tried holding my pencil like a hot dog instead of a pen, now my lines are actually straight instead of looking like a toddler drew them. My hand still cramps anyway though, guess that's just years of bad habits catching up with me. Old timers always know something you don't, even if they do laugh at you first.

the_james22d ago

Holly over at the hardware shop told me something similar last month. She said old school draftsmen call it the "chicken wing" grip because your elbow sticks out like a wing when you do it right. Supposedly it keeps your whole arm relaxed instead of just your fingers doing all the work. Might help with the cramping if you focus on moving from the shoulder too.