Wacom tablet?

[Davidleetoon]

And finally ... has anyone touched on the tablet-related learning curve? (I can't remember and I'm too lazy to look back.) A lot of people seem to get frustrated with their tablets because they can't immediately mimic techniques of traditional drawing. The fact is that you will spend weeks, at least, producing crap that looks infinitely worse than anything you draw on paper, and it can be discouraging. I would say that, in spite of having owned my own tablet for nearly a year, I still have trouble with certain things (e.g. shakiness when zoomed-out - I ink at 200% - or drawing horizontal lines). So, it's not an investment you want to make if you aren't willing to put the effort into learning to use your new tool.

A little trick I found in some forum: Fold a piece of notebook paper and stick it inbetween your tablet and the pen. Drawing on the paper shortened up the curve a bit for me.

[Dr_Destruction]

I've been thinking about buying a Wacom tablet since I was in high school (wow.. that's 17 years.) and I can afford one now. (Job: Train Operator) I would still use pencil and paper to draw but use the wacom tablet to color in photoshop.

Is it worth the expense? Here's something I've colored using a mouse:



Would I be able to do individual hairs and highlights with a wacom tablet? (right now I have to fake it with dissolve brush and blur.)

[ZMDude]

I bought a Wacom graphire (I'm pretty sure that's what it is: it's not in front of me right now) years ago in an attempt to see if I could ink things better.

I found it to be a total PITA, and now it sits on my desk at home, gathering dust.

I just need to have my drawing under my hand for me to get it right. Now if I had one of those Cintiqs' I'd be set. $3000 doesn't come so easy, though..

[Hellbenders]

I've been thinking about buying a Wacom tablet since I was in high school (wow.. that's 17 years.) and I can afford one now. (Job: Train Operator) I would still use pencil and paper to draw but use the wacom tablet to color in photoshop.

Is it worth the expense? Here's something I've colored using a mouse:



Would I be able to do individual hairs and highlights with a wacom tablet? (right now I have to fake it with dissolve brush and blur.)

Individual hairs? Well, the Wacom is fine for as much detail as you can get to show on a monitor screen and more. You could draw with your "brush" set at one pixel, though I'd never do it myself.

[[AlmightyPyro]]

I've been thinking about buying a Wacom tablet since I was in high school (wow.. that's 17 years.) and I can afford one now. (Job: Train Operator) I would still use pencil and paper to draw but use the wacom tablet to color in photoshop.

Is it worth the expense? Here's something I've colored using a mouse:

Individual hairs? Well, the Wacom is fine for as much detail as you can get to show on a monitor screen and more. You could draw with your "brush" set at one pixel, though I'd never do it myself.

Yeah, I do it sometimes. Like the effect it gives to the picture. Bellow are Tab drawings. In the first I made the hair by using the burn and dodge tool at 1 or 2 pixels and the out line was done in pen colored in by my Tablet.



And once again.

[Prettysenshi]

I've been thinking about buying a Wacom tablet since I was in high school (wow.. that's 17 years.) and I can afford one now. (Job: Train Operator) I would still use pencil and paper to draw but use the wacom tablet to color in photoshop.

Is it worth the expense?

Yeah. Using the mouse repeatedly can give you carpal tunnel syndrome. I'm sure using the tablet for long periods of time can give you similar effects but you're less likely to get it compared to using the mouse.

I colored with the mouse for about 2 years, and whenever I did, my hand using the mouse would get really cold and start to hurt around my wrist. When I started using a tablet, that feeling went away within a couple of days of using it. So I think that tablets are better.

[Mvmarcz]

I've been thinking about buying a Wacom tablet since I was in high school (wow.. that's 17 years.) and I can afford one now. (Job: Train Operator) I would still use pencil and paper to draw but use the wacom tablet to color in photoshop.

That is exactly what I used my tablet for and it's wonderful for it! lemme find some examples.

http://www.deviantart.com/view/25053857/ mouse using dodge and burn this picture took me forever and I had to work on it in little tiny areas and i had to keep going back to keep it looking even

http://www.deviantart.com/view/29721205/ tablet with colors i could never have done those scales with a mouse...it would have killed me. this took me significantly less time than coloring a mouse would. The preassure sensitivity and control it gives you is wonderful.

[Dr_Destruction]

That is exactly what I used my tablet for and it's wonderful for it! lemme find some examples.

http://www.deviantart.com/view/25053857/ mouse using dodge and burn this picture took me forever and I had to work on it in little tiny areas and i had to keep going back to keep it looking even

http://www.deviantart.com/view/29721205/ tablet with colors i could never have done those scales with a mouse...it would have killed me. this took me significantly less time than coloring a mouse would. The preassure sensitivity and control it gives you is wonderful.

Yeah, I see what you mean. Thanks

[EvilChihuahua]

I have a pretty cheap tablet (well, cheap compared to some) a graphire, I believe.
When I did all of my art on paper, I used the polygon selection tool to color in photoshop, and I only ever used the tablet to shade and highlight. In, fact, I seriously considered returning it because I used it so little. Then I discovered the MAGIC that is Flash. With the pressure sensitivity turned on, I could Ink my art with an ease prior unknown to MAN!!! I now do my comic completely in flash, and I like it a lot better now.

[BKR]

I've been using a graphics tablet for about a month now, and I am very impressed with it. At my location though, the cheapest Wacoms went for was $130, so I went with a Manhattan brand one, which had the same features, but went for $80 (it didn't have as much bundled software I belive, but I use GIMP anyway). No problems with it so far, except that the included mouse isn't that good, but I had a good one anyway.

Some people have a problem with the fact that you're not drawing where you're looking, but I never had a problem with that, and if you've drawn with a mouse before, then it shouldn't be a hard transition anyway. There are some techniques I use with a pencil that can't be used with a tablet, and the fact that I can't physically rotate what I'm drawing (well, in a practical sense) did irk me, since my horizontal lines are terrible. It wasn't so much a big deal, since there is a lot more techniques you can do to make up for that with a good application.

When looking for one, size (4x5 was fine for me), pressure sensitivity, and if possible tilt sensitivity, are what I would say is important. Other than that, something like photoshop, corel paint, gimp, or some other paint program that supports tablets is all you need. Personally, I use GIMP, since it's free and supports tablets very well.

[Biev]

I can't remember the brand I've used, it was a friend's. Not a wacom, but one of the cheaper ones. It felt like the lines would appear randomly on the screen. Drawing without being able to see on the tablet was driving me crazy, it seems whenever I would pick up a line to continue it, it was always a bit off. Maybe this was a cursor problem, I don't know. All I know is, I was expecting the precision of a pencil, and I ended up with the precision of a pencil shaped mouse : P I do plan on getting a tablet one day, but I'm saving up for one that has lcd.

[Soap Committee]

I have an Intuos 3 6x9 that works well, but given its smaller size I find myself drawing more with wrist-flicking strokes that make my hand cramp up after a while. If you prefer drawing with your whole arms like me, try going for a larger model if at all possible.

Also, the whole "You only improve on computer" hooplah isn't necessarily so. I've been a horrid painter all my life, but after using my tablet with infinite colors available to me, I've learned a lot about color theory and can actually paint decently on a real canvas now.

[NotQuiteInsane]

Drawing without being able to see on the tablet was driving me crazy, it seems whenever I would pick up a line to continue it, it was always a bit off.

I've got a Wacom ArtPad II (KT-0405-R, 4x5in drawing area) and I've had the same problem - I keep looking down at the tablet, then I get well and truly confused...

I also tend to have trouble finding somewhere to plug the power supply in, but that's more down to a lack of power sockets than anything else

[KittyKatBlack]

I've been thinking about buying a Wacom tablet since I was in high school (wow.. that's 17 years.) and I can afford one now. (Job: Train Operator) I would still use pencil and paper to draw but use the wacom tablet to color in photoshop.

Is it worth the expense? Here's something I've colored using a mouse:

Would I be able to do individual hairs and highlights with a wacom tablet? (right now I have to fake it with dissolve brush and blur.)

Here's some misconceptions and realizations I've made switching from mouse to tablet:

1. Drawing with it is hard. It's nearly impossible for me. I still have to do everyting with pencil and paper and scan it.

2. Inking is not as hard, but is still quite difficult. Still easier to do with a pen.

3. Coloring on the other hand, is SO much easier with a tablet, not only because of the pen, but because tablets are generally pressure sensitive, which gives you much more control over the color than a mouse does, which is basicly just 'on' or 'off'. In my experiance, I've found having one is worth it, just for the benifits it gives while coloring.

[Terotrous]

My impression on Wacom is generally that it trades accuracy for speed as opposed to other drawing methods. The way you have to draw with it (you don't actually look at the tablet, you look at the dot made on the screen when you hover over the tablet to get the positioning) is inheritly impercise and if you need perfect accuracy expect to hit the undo button a lot. However, I have a friend who is amazingly accurate with his (he credits this to buying the smallest one available, so he has to "move the pen less"), so this can probably be overcome with sufficient practice.

Kitty is exactly right about colouring, Wacom is the fastest colouring method not called "bucket fill" - probably because coloring doesn't require the same level of accuracy as drawing and inking. The benefits appear to be especially dramatic if you do any types of complex shadings.

[Biev]

The way you have to draw with it (you don't actually look at the tablet, you look at the dot made on the screen when you hover over the tablet to get the positioning) is inheritly impercise and if you need perfect accuracy expect to hit the undo button a lot

That's what I meant. But if you have 2 grand to invest in it, you can get a tablet that is an actual lcd screen so that you can see what you draw where you draw it. It's the closest thing to drawing directly on your computer screen.