Drawing with a tablet

[Neo_Crisis]

I have a Graphire 3 4x5(that's the only one I could afford) anyway it's kind of strange drawing with it. :( It seems that I can't draw with it, I tried drawing with it but my drawings looked like they were drawn by a 3 year old lol, and it was like trying to learn how to draw all over again. There's nothing wrong with my tablet. I think it's just me.*sighs* Did anyone have this problem when they first used a tablet?

[Walker]

I did, it just takes some practice to get used too

[jakiloblanco]

One thing alot of people I know do is they stick a peice of paper on the tablet's drawing area... sure, you need to change it very few weeks of constant animating, but it kind of gives the feeling like you're drawing on paper... it adds that little bit of tooth you don't get from the plastic surface. I know I cant really be comfy withought a peice of paper on my tablet... so try that out!

And remember, have fun with it!

[-nelson-]

i thot it was pretty natural once the software was installed because of the screen proportional thingy. it just takes time, it will come very naturally.

[MiG]

Yeh, I found the same. It just takes getting used to and you have to break yourself of the expectation that it's the same as sketching on paper with a pen or pncil. It's not and it won't be no matter what you do to try and simulate that.

I've been using my Graphire 3 4x5 for about a year now (actually almost exactly a year... I think I got mine in Nov '04) and I really love it. But I'm saving my beans for an Intuos! The extra pressure sensitivity should give me some wood. I hope anyway. But I'm glad I started with the Graphire because it really is like learning to draw all over again and I expect it'll make the transition to a better tablet that much more satisfying.

Just stay with it, Cris. It does take time and it might seem like a step back, but it's worth taking the time to develop the skill to use a new marking stick.

[jakiloblanco]

I think i can draw with more ease now on my tablet.. every time i use pencil and paper again, i catch myself looking for the undo button... but there's none around... ummmm... yeah...

it does take time... i would suggest drawing your basic shapes over and over, until your brain can do that extra step/calculation... from the screen, to your eyes, to your hand, the tablet, and back on screen...

and resist the urge to look at your tablet when you draw! that wont do you any good! :D

edit: oh... a 4x5? yeah, those can be tricky... i never tried one myself... but can just imagine having to draw on a post-it notes sized surface all the time... Have fun ;D

[NOOB!]

i know a number of people who can draw like masters on a tablet,then they can't even draw on paper to save there lives.

thats the only risk of using these things,digital animation has allota cheats.

anywho,shud take about 2 weeks for u to get used to it.

[ori@r.a.m]

i'm using graphire 3, it's great i really don't know what are u talking about . maybe u should practice more with it, get use to it.

[Terro]

I couldn't get used to my 4X5 , I hated it. A year later I decided to give it another go and went with a 6X8 and I can;t live with out it.

[Neo_Crisis]

One thing alot of people I know do is they stick a peice of paper on the tablet's drawing area... sure, you need to change it very few weeks of constant animating, but it kind of gives the feeling like you're drawing on paper... it adds that little bit of tooth you don't get from the plastic surface. I know I cant really be comfy withought a peice of paper on my tablet... so try that out!

And remember, have fun with it!

I tried the paper thing it help out a bit. :) I just need to practice and practice
drawing with it.

[sharkcellar]

My experiences with using a tablet goes as follows. I first got used to a graphire 4x5, nothing fancy. I got hooked to using it as an interface and a challenge. Using a piece of plain printer paper worked great, as mentioned before, to give some of the old friction. The thing about the 4x5 I noticed is this, the "throw" is short. I mean, when I'm sketching on paper I might, in a single swoosh, make a 4 inch line. When yer using the 4x5 you get self-conscious of this and start to avoid the edge of the drawing area, thus making yerself draw "shorter". I finally got a Intuous 3 6x8. Extravagant? Yes. Easier to draw with? Yes. The throw is longer. More natural feelin' Maybe the 6x8 graphire might feel more comfy. :Blahblahb

[TheEYE]

Ive always been one of those unlucky sorts who only has had the oppurtunity to use a 4x5. It took a damn long time to get to the point I was comfortable using it. I had the bloody thing for over a year and hardly touched it because it wasnt like using a real pencil.
After I decided to devote some time to it it started to become much more natural feeling, and now I can say it's pretty much just an extension of my arm these days.
Even when you get frustrated with the tablet, perservere. The more time you put in on it the quicker you will get used to using it. ;)

[womball]

I just got my intuos 3 6x8. This thing rocks. It doesn't cramp my hand to draw anymore, and its a delight to work with in Zbrush. I wish there was an undo button on it though.

[MiG]

::heavy sigh:: A 6x8 Intuous . . . <sighs again, longingly>

That's the baby I'm saving up for and I'd have it a lot sooner if Revenue Canada hadn't decided that my rent receipts for last year were no good (I traded work for rent. The work is income and the rent never happened according to their calcs. :Xead: ) so I owe them another $1400 plus interest which means I have to come up with $1850 by Nov 7th. bastards!

But one thing I gotta say I like about using a 4x5 is that I can reach anywhere on the screen without lifting the heel of my hand. I s'pose it depends on your own drawing style but one of the things I've found since drawing directly into the computer is that I've had to develop a whole different style anyway. I guess it comes down to personal preferences. <shrug>

[sharkcellar]

Has anyone else had this happen? Your drawing with a pencil and you lay down a line that you didn't like and you try clicking your pencil to undo. God I get this every now and then and it freaks me out. I have my intuous pen programmed so that one finger button is undo and another is redo. I find this config very useful, especially in photoshop.

[NOOB!]

Has anyone else had this happen? Your drawing with a pencil and you lay down a line that you didn't like and you try clicking your pencil to undo. God I get this every now and then and it freaks me out. I have my intuous pen programmed so that one finger button is undo and another is redo. I find this config very useful, especially in photoshop.

no i practice daily with both digital and traditional to make sure that doesn't happen.I also find drawing traditionally i can keep my style,as soon as i draw with a wacom,my style becomes all digitalized which i really hate.

but anyway,i have a 6x8 intuos 2 for bout a year now.its never gone wrong,and i've never had to change nibs.