Advice on drawing materials

JudithL

Hi I'm looking for some advice. I'm just teaching myself to draw. I have CP that affects my right arm, which means I have difficulty holding paper still while I draw or write. I can manage to some extent with a sticky mat, my right arm and the way I use my left arm. But it's not enough for the finer aspects of drawing, I need the paper to be more secure so I can use my left hand more freely. I'm looking for some small weights or clips I could use, or maybe even a magnetic board with magnets. I found some calligraphy paper weights online. That might work. I wondered has anyone tried them? Or does anyone have alternative ideas? Thanks for your help.

Sandy_123

Hi @JudithL great your teaching yourself to draw.

I love sketching myself

Have you thought of an easel? Hopefully the weights will work. If you look on Amazon for ideas there are lots of ideas on there. Look forward to seeing your drawings on here.

Mary_Scope

Hi @JudithL

I will tag the wonderful CP network @SaraC_Scope who can hopefully give some specific information and support around this topic.

SaraC_Scope

Hi @JudithL

It's lovely to hear you are teaching yourself to draw. It a great well being activity and you'll have a piece of work at the end.

I understand the frustration of keeping a piece of paper still, whilst trying to draw or colour. I have right sided hemiplegia and have experienced those issues. As @Sandy_123 mentioned, an easel might be an option. But if you want to work on a table, I found weighting the corners of the paper helped me. I did come across a Drawing dispenser on Amazon. You can use as much paper as needed whilst it's held in place.

I came across this article Frida Kahlo painted using assistive technology and so can you. I thought I would share whilst you start your drawing journey. There are some additional links to equipment that might help.

Good luck

@SaraC_Scope

Cerebral Palsy Specialist Cardiff

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