AuthorTopic: (waka waka) I got a wacom tablet  (Read 7037 times)

Offline Zintendo

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(waka waka) I got a wacom tablet

on: October 06, 2013, 11:33:07 pm
I feel very giddy.  not much to say really.

It's a 10 inch, 6 inch of actual drawing room on it.  little ***** burned $100!!!

It feels very unnatural, lol, but it's better than the mouse, and faster than drawing, take picture, remove sd, insert sd, wait for pop up, find picture, move picture, load picture, edit over picture at least.


It's probably not useful for pixel art, so I'm thinking I'll just do rough sketches with it, then remove jaggies/perfect the artwork according to elements of pixel art.

I guess I'm posting to get your opinions, and also to ask: what programs do you use tablets to draw in?  Is graphicsgale go ok with it?  I'm gonna have to set up hotkeys, I was used to using the space bar for the pop up but now I'm thinking of assigning hotkeys to the alphabet to better suit the tablet.
« Last Edit: October 06, 2013, 11:35:20 pm by Zintendo »

Offline PixelPiledriver

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Re: (waka waka) I got a wacom tablet

Reply #1 on: October 07, 2013, 12:16:11 am
Some tips:

Hover Clicking
You don't have to touch the pen to the tablet to draw.
Set one of the switch buttons to Left click, hove over the tablet, push the button.
I find this much easier most of the time.

Mouse Pad
If the friction seems weird to you buy a cheap cloth mouse pad and throw it on top.
The tablet can detect pressing the pen  thru the pad.
The cloth will add more friction and slow down your strokes.

Turn Off Tablet Animations
The pen tap animations are not needed and can mess with some programs.
Search around on google and find a guide for your OS.
I also went into the registry and messed with some of the tablet options to reduce delay.

Turn Off Hold to Right Click
Also search around google for this.

Keep a Mouse Around
I still do a lot of stuff with a mouse.

Quote
Is graphicsgale go ok with it?
Yup works fine as long as you turn off the options mentioned above.

Quote
It feels very unnatural
You'll get used to it.
Just practice.
And knowing that it is, we seek what it is... ~ Aristotle, Posterior Analytics, Chapter 1

Offline Cyangmou

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Re: (waka waka) I got a wacom tablet

Reply #2 on: October 07, 2013, 01:04:06 am
a graphics tablet is a really great thing - it speeds you up and you will get used to it
The more often you use it the more natural it will feel - it took me about half a year to get the same feeling for my tablet like I had with mechanical drawing supplies.
I am doing all pixel art stuff (also detailling) with the tablet - for some really exact stuff like selections it's still good to have a mouse around since it's faster.

I have a big tablet and I don't need most of the space - 6 inch is definitely fine. Unless like paper you have zooming in your graphics program which usually let's you only use the middle of your tablet.

You definitely should get the zooming in/out and previous brush/next brush on hotkeys (tablet or keyboard) since you will need those commands really often.

If you don't like the gliding of the pen take a piece of paper and put it on the tablet - this will give you a much more similar feeling to mechanical supplies.

One thing, especially if you are used to draw with pencil or charcoals is that you don't need a lot of pressure for your tablet pen - I at least ruined some leads for the pen at the beginning.

Another thing is that you definitely should adjust the tablet projection to original proportions, otherwise the tablet always will feel really unprecise.

Also set up your working space that tablet, keyboard and mouse are easily reachable and you can swith between them as fast as possible.

I think every good drawing program with layers and h otkey functions works with a tablet. PPD also explained how to remove the nasty circles if you are tipping somewhere.
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Offline Helm

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Re: (waka waka) I got a wacom tablet

Reply #3 on: October 07, 2013, 01:11:39 am
I absolutely recommend pixelling roughs with a tablet to retain some gestrual strength. But I personally do all detailing with a mouse, still.

Offline ptoing

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Re: (waka waka) I got a wacom tablet

Reply #4 on: October 07, 2013, 01:26:38 am
I do EVERYTHING with a wacom, as long as it works. And I mean everything, OS navigation and such as well. I will use a mouse only when needed, such as certain 3D applications and games.

There is a stability benefit to a mouse when stamping down a brush in promotion , but one can always zoom in, or if absolutely needed use the mouse for that for a second.
There are no ugly colours, only ugly combinations of colours.

Offline Mr. Fahrenheit

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Re: (waka waka) I got a wacom tablet

Reply #5 on: October 07, 2013, 01:41:22 am
Hover Clicking
You don't have to touch the pen to the tablet to draw.
Set one of the switch buttons to Left click, hove over the tablet, push the button.
I find this much easier most of the time.

That sounds like a really good idea! Now just to find the cord that connects my tablet to my pc...

I've also had some trouble adjusting to a tablet. These tips are helping me as well, thanks.

Offline rikfuzz

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Re: (waka waka) I got a wacom tablet

Reply #6 on: October 07, 2013, 08:08:27 am
I've used a wacom tablet for, lets see..  15 years / half my life (!), but I still do most of my pixel-level detail and OS stuff with the mouse.   :(

I've used a cintiq once (wacom tablet that's a screen at the same time) but not for pixel stuff - imagine that'd be easier to make the full-adjustment, though.  Maybe one day! 

Offline yrizoud

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Re: (waka waka) I got a wacom tablet

Reply #7 on: October 07, 2013, 09:42:59 am
I was concerned with the pen tip scratching the surface and the lack of friction, so my own solution was to cut a piece of wire insulator (2mm) and put it at the pen tip. This tiny cylinder of PVC gives about the same feeling as a felt pen; and it also prevents any wearing of the tip itself.
(stock image: http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00MvSaFYeJyjrC/BV-4mm2-Single-Copper-Core-Electrical-Wire-with-PVC-Insulation.jpg)

Offline surt

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Re: (waka waka) I got a wacom tablet

Reply #8 on: October 08, 2013, 08:19:30 am
yrizoud: Presuming it's Wacom why not use a felt nib or flex nib which your tablet probably came with?

If you really want a paper-like feel the most natural solution is to stick a sheet of paper over the top of the tablet.

Offline yrizoud

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Re: (waka waka) I got a wacom tablet

Reply #9 on: October 08, 2013, 08:42:31 am
yrizoud: Presuming it's Wacom why not use a felt nib or flex nib which your tablet probably came with?
If you really want a paper-like feel the most natural solution is to stick a sheet of paper over the top of the tablet.
It is Wacom hardware, but it was only sold (new) with standard nibs. At the time (2005 maybe) I hesitated to order them overseas without a clear idea of how good they were. Before my wire insulator solution, I tried using an actual felt pen tip from an old dry pen  :D
Paper surface : I have read online some reports of people who grind nibs very fast when they use them against such surface.