Painting Tip for Shaky Hands

Some of us probably have noticed that it's getting harder and harder to paint a carving without "going over the lines". And some of us probably don't give much thought to the way we hold the carving and the brush. I always knew that I should probably steady my hands and arms when painting. I kinda braced my arms against the sides of my chest. Next I had the idea of bracing the carving against my chest too. This is kinda steady. After all both arms are braced against the sides of my chest, and the carving is braced against the front of my chest. It didn't work! My painting was shaky as ever, maybe worse. Think about it. What is working against having a steady hand held paint brush, and a stationary carving to be painted? The carving is being held against my chest. Every heart beat causes the carving to "jump" a wee bit. And I got a good strong heart (or is it a weak heart) that has a strong heavy beat, that is transferred from my chest to the arms braced against the chest. All kinds of movement. The result a messy paint job. Here's the way to do it, and eliminate most of the shakes. Hold the piece to be painted against a table or bench top, while bracing both arms against the table or bench top. Then use wrist movement to apply the paint. You'll be able to paint right up to the line, without going over it.