I discovered something useful today, taking breaks or exercising never helps me but THIS does, sharing to save a life
I just found out that some pro artists that work for companies like Dreamworks etc sometimes hold their pens this or similar way so it gotta work. Recently I spent 5 days on drawing for long periods of time (we talk about min 5 hours in one go to max 12 hours long crunch) and not once did my hand bother me.
I tend to get pain in my pinky and ring fingers, and I do this with them instead. It helps!
I also get pain and inflammation at my elbow, on the outside. this is called lateral epicondylitis, (medial epicondylitis is on the inside) and applying pressure to the area to reduce inflammation mitigates that.
Do not underestimate the importance of a good setup! Back support, a proper desk or drafting table, the monitor at eye level, the desk at elbow level, a larger or ergonomic pen grip, and regular stretching (and sometimes icing) can all help prevent injuries! Taking breaks helps too, but if you can’t, you can also switch up the type of work you do (for example, spacing out inking) to avoid straining yourself. Art is a physical job and you can get injured from it. Please take care of your bodies!
The article says that the guidelines have been updated. Instead of asking if you’re a man that’s had sex with another man in the past 3 months it asks everyone regardless of gender if they’ve had anal sex with a new partner or if they’ve had anal sex with multiple partners in the past 3 months.
This both opens up blood donation to msm in exclusive relationships or who don’t have anal sex and more accurately identifies hiv risk from people who aren’t msm. This is exactly the sort of guidelines we’ve been fighting for for years. This is a major win for both gay rights and blood donation in the US. Now a bunch of people who couldn’t donate before can donate now.