how to improve.... do i need a bigger tablet?

#1

Ive been studying to be a 3d modeler for about a year and a half, but my heart is really in painting and concept art. I have a wacom graphire 4 (4X5inch) and cant seem to get comfortable with it. Ive been using it for a strong 8 months now and i still cant draw a straight vertical line. on paper I draw fine. Does one ever get comfortable enough to forgo paper? Also Ive put my traditional drawing skill aside in hope that my digital skill set will improve… will this hurt my taditional, as i know that you have to keep drawing to maintain/improve. I feel so limited with my current wacom, will a larger tablet allow me to make longer more acurate strokes or is it all in my head?
Thank you,
~Nick

#2

My Intuos 3 came with a set of different tips to change on the pen. One makes it feel like you are using a felt tip marker. Perhaps you need to change to a tip with a rough enough give so it can feel like you are drawing on paper. Also you have that coordination issue of drawing while looking away from the drawing surface to the monitor. I been using a tablet for years and that still unerves me.

#3

I had the same problem, and with the same size tablet. I cut the first three fingers and thumb out of a cheap cotton glove so my hand would stop sticking. It worked so well that I cannot work without it. It sounds a little strange, and if your blue-collar friends think you’re a pussy now, wait till they get a look at your pinky glove.

#4

Hi. I’ve been digipainting and digidrawing with Wacoms for years. I’ve 4"x6", 6"x8", 9"x11" and 11"x14" as well so I can confidently tell you that the size is NOT your problem.

If you can’t even draw a straight line then you are in the weakest side of digidrawing. Considering that you are good with paper common sense says that you would be also good on digital medias (at least after a couple DAYS of practice -meaning that now you should be one with your tablet lol).

I’m guessing your tablet is not properly configured. Try putting a sheet with a circle on it on the tablet and draw it (focus on the drawn circle, ignore the monitor). If it come up on the screen enlarged or flat then the proportion of the tablet is not configured to match that of your monitor (sort of common when using tablets designed for 3:4 monitors with widescreen monitors).

Another common problem is to have the tablet in an uncomfortable angle for your hand. The tricky part is that you can not tell about this since it is not about the physical comfort but the internal alignment. Try watching at your monitor and drawing a straight horizontal line from side to side (draw many to be sure) --ignore what’s happening on the monitor just try to draw horizontal lines the way you feel fine with it. Compare you lines in the monitor and ensure you are starting and ending at the same high. If your lines go down or up from one side to the other then the inclination of the tablet is not the best for you.

That last part applies not only for the angle of the tablet but to the position and orientation respect to your body too. Some put it in front of the hand (sort of replacing a mouse) which leaves all the work to the wrist, others put it right in from of them. Try doing these mini exercises to find what work better for you.

Also, the tablet size usually won’t match what you are drawing on screen. Meaning that if you draw a 3cm line it won’t show up as a 3cm line (will usually be larger but you can manage to make it smaller or even the same size). Get used to that and learn how it behaves so it won’t mess with your work or -even better- make it work in your team.

Once you find a place and configuration that matches the way you are used to draw, then you’ll can restart focusing on the practice.

Regards.

#5

I have always taped a piece of paper to my tablet, this helps to add friction that i am used to when drawing with a pencil, i tend to find the tablet surface a little to slippery

#6

How big do you draw normally? What body parts do you draw with?

If you draw with your elbow on paper and your fingers on the tablet that could be the source of your trouble.

#7

You’re the only one who has it totally spot on, because that’s exactly the problem with the Wacom tablets and I never understood what they don’t offer an additional surface that’s less smooth, so yes, taping a piece of paper has also been my solution, but sadly it looks crap.

#8

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