Dysgraphia, drawing, and writing: the right tools

A fellow dysgraphic named Hannah recently commented on my post about dysgraphia and X-Acto knives.  She’s a costume designer who struggles with drawing, but manages hand-stitching and cutting without too much difficulty.  It got me thinking about how important it is to have the right tools when you’re trying to work around something like dysgraphia.

For instance, I’ve known for years that I write much MUCH better with certain writing implements.  I need to use a soft #2 pencil, made of wood and graphite.  I can’t use those plastic-y #2 pencils (someone once told me they were called “pressed lead”, and mechanical pencils are right out.   I need to use a medium tip ball point where the ball rolls fairly easily, but not too easily.  The grip needs to be wide, but not too wide; and a lot of those nice refillable pens are too heavy and cause fatigue.  Rollerball pens are also right out.  When I try to do something as simple as sign a check with those bastards, it looks like a 10-year-old’s attempt at forgery.

As for art, I learned pretty early that certain brushes and certain supports are crucial to working pain-free.  I work on supports that are absolutely rigid — found objects made of plastic and metal — because canvas and even board can have too much give, and that kills my hand.  As for brushes, I need ones where the bristles aren’t too soft, but aren’t so stiff that they leave brushstrokes where I don’t want them.  They also need to be a shape that’s easy to control.  My favorites are the Winsor Newton Filberts.  Click on the image to check them out.

As for the #16 X-Acto stencil blades that started this whole thing, I still use them, and they’re still great.  I tried some of the other blades, and even when they’re sharp and new, they’re just not as easy to handle as the #16’s.