Question on drawing with a tablet

[jackie66]

Ha ha! I thought the exact same thing. So I looked on forums about it, and people who purchased them loved them. So I got brave and bought mine. At first it was pretty tricky, but it is very easy to get used to. Don't worry about it, if you have the money, I'd say go for it!:)

[Al_Morrow]

I just got my first wacom tablet a few days ago. It was a little awkward at first, but you get used to watching the screen instead of the tablet pretty quick. And it's sooooo much easier than trying to do things with a mouse. I'd recommend it. :thumbsup:

[MechaHateChimp]

I have to agree. Ive used a tablet for about a year now ad there are still times when I get a little frustrated. I go back back and forth between sketching traditionally and or with the tablet. Combining the two gives you the best of both worlds but the learning curve on a tablet isnt too bad. I got fairly comfortable with it in about a week. I even use it to browse the web sometimes :)

[BrutalMonk]

Heh cool thread, i have my tablet for 1 year now, last x-mas present... :)
so, it was a little hard in the first time, but now its 'vital' for me, its much more easier than a mouse to draw... and the question you asked:
"isn't it hard to draw without being able to see directly what you're drawing? "
Heyy, if you are using your mouse, you dont watch it, dont you?

[Nazirull]

Leave all doubts behind! Buy one!:bounce:

[Geta-Ve]

more Q's then, i asked in the dsg forum (with my post) but didnt see this so i will ask again.. sorry :p

sooo my Q is, is it safe to put paper on the tablet? like tape it to the tablet, just because it is too slippery without paper.. i get better grip when i put the paper on.. and if it is safe.. what type of paper do you guys recommend? hmm there was another question but i forgot right now..

oh well, thanks!

[BrutalMonk]

I donno, i dont think it could be unsafe...
I have used it sometimes, but the natural is better for me.

[dogyears]

more Q's then, i asked in the dsg forum (with my post) but didnt see this so i will ask again.. sorry :p

sooo my Q is, is it safe to put paper on the tablet? like tape it to the tablet, just because it is too slippery without paper.. i get better grip when i put the paper on.. and if it is safe.. what type of paper do you guys recommend? hmm there was another question but i forgot right now..

oh well, thanks!

I don't know, it gives out a nasty scratchy sound which wears out the pen nib faster.

[umbrellasky]

I LOOOOOOOOOVE my tablet! It felt a bit weird using it a first, but you get used to it quickly.

About using paper, I have tried it out but I didn't feel comfortable with it, maybe because I got used to the smooth suface.

Anyway GET ONE for sure :D If your serious about painting or drawing digitally then it's a wonderful investment :) (excuse spelling)

[Geta-Ve]

thanks for the replies.. I asked because when I am trying to do a smooth line and what not on the normal wacom surface it slips too much and then the line is all wobbly.. but with the paper i get much more control..

[BeckyWC]

I have a piece of paper taped to my tablet, but I must warn you it does wear out the nib faster.

[HdbH]

I think that depends how/wich paper you use, you shouldnt you sketch paper,
it is probably safe if you use paper from the printer.
(I dont think it will destroy the pen nib, and if smth happend, they are cheap ;) )
btw: I have two wacom tablets, a graphire who i started out with, and an intuos 3 a4 :) wich i got for 5 days ago, (not for christmas present)

[Al_Morrow]

I don't know, it gives out a nasty scratchy sound which wears out the pen nib faster.

I have a piece of paper taped to my tablet, but I must warn you it does wear out the nib faster.

Does anyone have a rough idea of how long it takes the nib to wear out from just normal wear & tear (not using paper)?

[BrutalMonk]

Its depends on... I dont use ot every day, about 5 hours a week, and its still good after a year... maybe 500 hours of using? :D i donno

[deaderthanred]

tablet = gooood :D
i got my very first tablet (the one which i'm still using now: 4x5 wacom graphire 3) since halloween 2004, and i cant imagine life without a tablet now lol

if you can draw with the mouse, then you can draw with no problems with a tablet

i stuck a piece of very smooth paper to the surface (i used a cd label sticker backing paper.. doesnt wear out the pen tip at all for me) for the first few months until i got the hang of it, and now i can doodle straight on the plastic cover without problems. it's good to start with paper, i think.

[==NoMercy==]

Yes I got it for x-mas this year and love it its great! took me about a day to get used to!

[Vahn]

mhhhm nice i just ordered an intuos3 A4 ! hooooraaaaaaaaaaay :D :D :D

cant wait to get it :argh:

[ironic440]

If I had money I bought cintiq. That´s a beautiful machine.

[Xillion]

The tablet is a superior pointing device. I always use it. As for drawing I should say you better practice both things. Traditional media has a different feeling from digital. With a wacom intuos you get a few standard nibs and special nibs that simulate graphite and brush. Pay attention though: Once you get comfortable with the tablet( if you always and only draw with the tablet) you may experience problems with your hand drawing, because it somewhat changes your eye-hand proportion/coordination. A problem you might encounter is on sketching straight lines. I always zoom out when I want to do a straigh line. Another thing is: you might encounter problems when trying so simulate pencil, I always found it difficult to achieve that feeling/rendering (but you may come close). A suggestion: a tilt sensitive tablet is cool, but you probably don't need one (I think you can just be fine with a Graphire) I own a graphire a6 and an intuos3 a5, they are both good (the intuos is more stylish and professional but also very expensive). I'll stick with a graphire a5 it's a good choice.
Anyway. With photoshop and/or painter you get an awesome amount of possibilities you just can't reach with traditional media. Layers, undo's, adjustment layers, plenty of white paper :) and ... well it's wonderful.

uh and...well, I got excited...as for your question: you CAN see what you draw, you simply don't see your hand! Once you stop thinking of your hand and think of the cursor on screen as the tip of your brush/pencil ...it's done.

[batavia]

uh and...well, I got excited...as for your question: you CAN see what you draw, you simply don't see your hand! Once you stop thinking of your hand and think of the cursor on screen as the tip of your brush/pencil ...it's done.

Thank you for the replies.
I know nothing about tablets, thus the "newbie warning" I put in the first post, hehe. So..you *can* see the cursor by just moving the pen? I mean, you don't have to hold a button so that the tablet will detect where the pen is, or something like that? I was wondering about this because in real drawing, you go to point A to B easily, and I didn't really know how a tablet detects where the pen is when you're moving it in the air to go to another point on the plane.

[Jasel]

Oh, no problem at all, the tablet detects the pen even if they're not in direct contact. I own an old Wacom PenPartner and even that is a blessing. You'll never regret buying it. And you can also say goodbye to wrist stress.

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.