We all know how easy it is to be so absorbed in creating a piece of artwork that hours can go by without even noticing. If you've spent a lot of time hunched, twisted, or slumped over your work you know you might regret it later, when your body tells you how uncomfortable it is. Back pain is one of the commonest complaints seen in any doctor's surgery, and almost everybody will suffer from it at some time in their life. Bad posture at your desk or easel is one way of creating or worsening a back pain problem.

It's not only back pain sufferers who need to watch their posture while they are working, everyone needs to be aware that if they spend a lot of time in one position, and that position is putting a strain on the body, they are likely to have discomfort sooner or later. So now is a good time to review the way you sit or stand while you work, and see whether making a few small adjustments could make a big difference to your comfort.

One of the worst postures you can be in, to do your artwork, is sitting with your sketchpad on your lap. In this position you are likely to be bending the whole of your back and neck while looking down at the paper on your lap, and your legs are quite likely to be tense as they support the sketchpad and try to keep it level. Using a lap easel is only a slight improvement on this, and I can't recommend you undertaking a long piece of work while sitting in this posture, but it might be fine, and work fairly well for you, if you are just doing a quick out-door sketch, before taking your work home to the studio.

If you usually create your pieces of art sitting at a table or desk you will probably find using a desk, or tabletop, easel greatly increases your comfort during and after your painting sessions. The desk easel can be tilted so that your work is more vertical, and this means that you are able to sit up and bend your neck less, avoiding neck pain and upper back problems. Some people find that they can become comfortable using a kneeling stool, instead of sitting on a chair, while working at a desk, and if you have a lot of discomfort in your lower back a kneeling stool might be a solution for you. But it's worth bearing in mind that quite a few people with mild to moderate arthritis find that a kneeling stool aggravates any discomfort they already have in their knees!

From the point of view of your upper back and neck, the best position for painting or drawing is standing at an easel. This means that you are working on a vertical surface and this creates very little strain on your upper back and neck. It's worth remembering that since most artwork is hung vertically for viewing, this is probably the best and most natural way of creating the artwork. Any artist working on a horizontal surface knows that they have to compensate for the apparent foreshortening of the image as they look at it, but this just isn't the case when working on a vertical surface.

The problem with standing to work at an easel is just that, the standing itself. Many people report that they are unable to stand for a very long, and that standing creates discomfort in the lower back. If you are one of these people then you can try having a small block of wood, of maybe four inches, to rest one foot on, changing from resting the right to the left foot on the small block at intervals. This simple tactic can help relieve pain in the lower back, but it's still important to remember to rest at frequent intervals, walk away from the work and move around, or alternate between sitting and standing.

It may seem like a bother to have to adjust the way you are sitting or standing, and to have to keep paying attention to your posture, but it's very easy to return to old habits and then realise, hours later, that you are in discomfort because of the way you have been sitting. Some people, who have serious problems in their back or joints, find it so uncomfortable to paint that they give up altogether. This really is a shame because, with a bit of imagination, nearly everybody can find a way to be comfortable while they create their artwork, it just requires you to give it a bit of thought beforehand, and to be adaptable in the way you approach your creative sessions. And since artists have imagination, creativity and adaptability in abundance, they should be able to come up with a solution that allows them to sit, or stand, comfortably while they work.