tablet tips

Laundromatcomics · Post by **Laundromatcomics** » Wed May 23, 2007 11:05 pm

I'm borrowing a tablet from a family member and I'm wondering if you guys have any tips that will help me get the most out of it. I'm having kind of a hard time drawing with it.

Kirb · Post by **Kirb** » Thu May 24, 2007 12:27 am

Kirb in another thread wrote: Personally, not very long at all. But some people I know have had one for years and they still can't draw using it. It's more like painting than using a pencil.

A suggestion I usually give to people is to place a piece of paper over the tablet when you're getting used to it. The additional grit can help. But don't let this become a crutch.

Past me is correct. It's simply a matter of getting used to it.

Lei · Post by **Lei** » Thu May 24, 2007 4:55 pm

I use mine to color more than draw... I do my linework by hand and scan it, then get in there with the tablet to do the rest on photoshop.

Geekblather · Post by **Geekblather** » Thu May 24, 2007 11:30 pm

I started off by making a lot of random shapes, and doodling with it to get a feel for it, rather than trying to make anything polished and finished, and just went through, playing with the features and brushes it came with. That helped a lot, and wasn't as frustrating, as trying to draw exactly how I would with a pencil.

Keffria · Post by **Keffria** » Fri May 25, 2007 3:26 pm

I do my comic entirely on my tablet at this point, but I've also been working on it for almost two years, and it took me a while before I could produce anything but horrid monstrosities that will never see the light of the internet.

There's no formula for tablet-related success - you really just have to draw on it a lot and get a feel for using it, like with any other tool. I suppose my one piece of advice would be to zoom in on your work to avoid shaky lines - at least 200%.

Laundromatcomics · Post by **Laundromatcomics** » Fri May 25, 2007 8:07 pm

The zooming thing was on the edge of my mind and I'm glad to have it confirmed. Also, I WAS trying to draw stuff straight off the bat instead of getting used to it, so maybe I'll dig out one of my old drawing books and go through some of those exercises. Thanks for the advice!