[How to Draw] Holding your Tools Properly

Today’s post will be fairly brief – for real this time. I know I say that fairly often, and end up writing a lot more than I expected, but for the sake of time, I’ve got to keep this one short.
Taking some inspiration from Alijah Peper’s blog post about holding glass cutting tools, I figured I’d talk about the importance of grip when it comes to drawing.

Consider this a bit of a filler post. Please check out my last two posts about my game development inspirations, and/or the game I’m currently developing, if you’d like something more detailed and carefully thought out.

Holding a Controller

This might seem like a bit of a non sequitur, but.. I think it’s easier to illustrate the importance of grip by discussing some methods for holding a controller, since there’s a few different grip styles that are relatively equal in terms of viability.
Pencil grips, on the other hand, are a bit less subjective, I’d argue. This also gives me an excuse to talk some more about video games.

I’ll be using an Xbox One controller for these examples, but the grip styles highlighted here can be used across just about any standardized gamepad – whether it’s a DualShock, GameCube controller, or some other comparable gamepad.
Note that across all of these grip styles, only the position of the right hand changes significantly.

Standard Grip

This is definitely the most common, and most natural grip style. I’d wager that most people, whether they’re familiar with video games or not, would likely default to holding a controller like this.

the most familiar, comfortable grip style.

This method for holding a controller is universally solid, and is almost always practical. Unless you play a lot of (obscure or extremely challenging) video games, this is probably the only grip style you’ll ever use.
Standard Grip is especially comfortable for FPS games, because of the way this layout emphasizes control over the trigger buttons, along with a neutral focus on the face buttons and right control stick.

This is an extremely balanced grip style that is useful for just about every game in existence.
That said, there is one flaw with this grip style.

in this example, I’m able to move the right control stick while pressing the X button, but it’s rather imprecise, and I can only point it to the left.

As you can see, it’s practically impossible to move the right control stick while pressing any one of the face buttons.
This brings us to the next grip style…

Claw Grip

Claw Grip is probably the second most common style of controller grip, and my personal favorite.
This grip style takes some control away from the trigger buttons, while giving players full, simultaneous control over the right control stick, and face buttons.

although initially uncomfortable, claw grip has become my preferred grip style for most games, thanks to its higher degree of control.

This makes Claw Grip an extremely practical grip style for third-person action games, like Dark Souls, or Monster Hunter World, where Claw Grip allows players to perform actions related to the face buttons (like dodging, running, or attacking), without sacrificing control over the game’s camera.

in this example, I’m able to comfortably move the right control stick in any direction, while pressing any of the face buttons (in this case, the B button).

In these cases, having full control over the game’s ‘free cam‘ is often the difference between life and death.

Arcade Grip

There might be a more proper name for this grip style – this is just the one I’ve made up for it, named for its visual similarities to playing games on an arcade cabinet.
This grip style takes away practically all control from the trigger buttons, and instead places emphasis entirely on the right control stick, and face buttons.

usually, I’d have the controller resting on my leg.
for the sake of this example, I’m resting it on my desk.

This is a grip style I’ve only ever utilized for a little known PS2 title called God Hand, which is, simply put, the most violently difficult action game I have ever played – it’s practically a one-way ticket to carpal tunnel.

note: NOT ME PLAYING

In God Hand, pressing the trigger buttons is almost entirely unnecessary – they’re only really useful for turning around 180 degrees (which is situational), activating roulettes (which is situational), and activating the God Hand (which is also situational).

the nature of this grip style gives the player a massive degree of control over the right control stick, which makes it easy to flick reflexively.

Instead, gameplay revolves around fast paced, close-quarters boxing and MMA style combat, with a heavy emphasis on attacking via the face buttons, and dodging via the right control stick. Having instantaneous and precise control over the right control stick is a necessity while playing God Hand, which is why I gravitate towards this grip style whenever I play it.

Holding a Pencil

With all that said, we finally get to the primary focus of this blog post: how should you hold a pencil – or any drawing tool, for that matter?
Well, much like controller grip styles, the way you hold a drawing tool is largely situational, and dependent on your intentions, and personal comfort.

In truth, you should hold a pencil in whatever way is most comfortable for you.
That said, there is some merit in adjusting your grip style outside of your immediate comfort zone. The method for holding one’s pencil that I’ll be highlighting here is one that I’ve learned from James Douglas, and Kim Jung Gi.

Middle Grip

Kim Jung Gi explains how he grips his pen(s), and why.

When drawing, it’s generally best to grip your pencil near the middle, rather than pinching near the tip.

The main benefit of this grip style is that it encourages drawing with your elbow, rather than drawing with your wrist.
This might sound a bit strange, but you can essentially think about it as using your entire arm to draw, rather than just your hand.

I draw like this a lot, but this grip increases tension in the hand and wrist, and is generally a bad way to draw.

In addition to reducing strain on your wrist and hand during extended drawing sessions, drawing with your elbow grants you more control, and makes it far easier to draw confident, straight lines.
This is (probably) because your arm has a wider range of motion than your wrist.

using a ‘middle grip,’ on the other hand, reduces tension and increases control.

If you’d like to try this for yourself, try drawing a straight line across a page while holding your pencil near the tip.
Then, try drawing another straight line, but this time focus on moving your entire arm to draw said line, rather than just your wrist.
Odds are, the second line will be straighter, and might look more confident.

Now, in some cases, it may be better to hold near the tip, since doing so allows for greater precision with fine details. I find that while writing, it’s often easier to hold my pencil near the tip, since writing generally requires more precision.
That said, with enough practice, I think you can achieve a similar level of control through a ‘middle grip.’

Conclusion

I hope this post illustrated the importance of grip, and how different grip styles can influence control over your tools – drawing, gaming, or otherwise.
My posts for the next couple weeks will likely be slightly lower in quantity and quality of content, since I’m pretty busy at the moment with other obligations.

And as always, thanks for reading.

Sources

1. Kazone Art. (2020b, August 7). Kim Jung Gi – What Kind of Pen Do You Use? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/30_IDH1TzFs
2. miek kobe. (2015, December 29). VST7 – Freestyle GOD HAND 超超セクシーな群衆制御~!! [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp3m4etUeEk&feature=youtu.be