Increasing ‘stamina’ grip airbrush

[The Faceless Dutch Artist]

Hello airbrush-fam,

I’ve been struggling with my endurance on airbrushing. The longest I can airbrush continuously (at least, without messing up what I’m doing) is around 30 minutes. I see people on YT airbrushing for over 90 minutes. How can I increase my time airbrushing without taking a pause?

 

[JackEb]

There is no time limit, just do what you can mentally or physically. Sometimes it helps to walk away, grab a coffee (or what ever you enjoy) and sit and enjoy it. When you come back to your work you’ll either continue or clean up for the day.
an interesting piece will hold your attention longer but if you’re having physical issues you may need to slowly train your body for longer sessions by increasing 10 minutes at a time.
have fun, don't think of it as a chore, exercise aren't the most fun thing to do but have some of you’re favorite music going and paint lines to the beat- it helps improve muscle memory and confidence

 

[The Faceless Dutch Artist]

There is no time limit, just do what you can mentally or physically. Sometimes it helps to walk away, grab a coffee (or what ever you enjoy) and sit and enjoy it. When you come back to your work you’ll either continue or clean up for the day.
an interesting piece will hold your attention longer but if you’re having physical issues you may need to slowly train your body for longer sessions by increasing 10 minutes at a time.
have fun, don't think of it as a chore, exercise aren't the most fun thing to do but have some of you’re favorite music going and paint lines to the beat- it helps improve muscle memory and confidence

Thank you for the advice. Maybe I try a bit too hard; I upped the time from 10 min to 30 min within 3 weeks. I feel I need to improve this, because I really enjoy working on a piece. I just can’t stand the fact the my grip isn’t cooperating
I never thought of painting lines on the beat of music. I will give that a try.

 

[JackEb]

Just on scrap paper otherwise you’ll end up with a very unique piece .
make it fun, not a chore
having a ‘death grip’ when your a newbie is common. You’ll get to where you relax your grip and dont think about air on/paint on/paint off/air off any more

 

[DaveG]

Ah, yes - death grip 1000

I have a terrible habit of squeezing the guts out of a brush when I am using it. This of course leads to cramping and fatigue. What helps me the most is simply being aware of it. I make it a conscious decision to evaluate my hold every few minutes - if gripping the life out of the brush I loosen the hold, and carry on. By following this routine I find that I will eventually loosen the hold and carry on without much issue. I guess my brain catches on that I don't want to dent the brush body after all. Like anything, with practice you get better at it.

The other thing I do is to squeeze a silicone ball when I am just sitting around. Especially when watching television on the sofa. I usually squeeze and release. For me here, the goal is to increase blood flow, which will also help to reduce cramping and fatigue when I use my hand for anything else. I started doing this years ago to help with hand and arm pump while riding a motorcycle. It helps.

 

[The Faceless Dutch Artist]

Ah, yes - death grip 1000

I have a terrible habit of squeezing the guts out of a brush when I am using it. This of course leads to cramping and fatigue. What helps me the most is simply being aware of it. I make it a conscious decision to evaluate my hold every few minutes - if gripping the life out of the brush I loosen the hold, and carry on. By following this routine I find that I will eventually loosen the hold and carry on without much issue. I guess my brain catches on that I don't want to dent the brush body after all. Like anything, with practice you get better at it.

The other thing I do is to squeeze a silicone ball when I am just sitting around. Especially when watching television on the sofa. I usually squeeze and release. For me here, the goal is to increase blood flow, which will also help to reduce cramping and fatigue when I use my hand for anything else. I started doing this years ago to help with hand and arm pump while riding a motorcycle. It helps.

Thanks. I will try the stress ball