Tablet beginner/coordination awkward

[dpadam450]

I bought a tablet about a year ago, and barely ever used it for art much. I'm wondering if it takes a while to get used to? I have a fairly cheap one, but I'm assuming it just takes a while to get used to. Is that true? Is there a certain spot like center with monitor to make it feel better?

[Nitewalkr]

It takes a bit of getting used to. Not a year, you really have to push yourself in drawing while looking at the screen.

[pinkbox]

i find it easiest to use on "Mouse Mode" instead of "screen mode" where it takes your screen area and translates that to the tablet drawing area.

[equil]

the hand-eye coordination feels weird at first, but you'll get used to it. you probably want to make sure that it's mapped to a screen area with the same aspect ratio as your tablet though, otherwise things can get really awkward. do some exercises like drawing geometrical figures (circles, boxes, diagonal lines, etc), i think that might help somewhat.

[TortillaChips]

When I was doing some regular drawings initially it felt weird. I think It was mainly ZBrush that got me using it the most, and then when it came to texturing it'd just become natural. I think In terms of drawing I'd always drawn in a small area so I spose this smaller wacom was easier for me, an A4 one might take longer to get used to. Apart from setting it to one screen as I have two, I didn't set anything specific up about it (...except disable the buttons because I keep pressing them).

Definitely worth using though. At uni a couple of my housemates didn't buy them and when it came to sculpting, their movements seem very clumsy only using a mouse.

[Jessica Dinh]

Like equil says, do make sure you check 'Force Proportions' on the Mapping tab, otherwise you will be drawing skewed. When I first used the tablet I felt like a kindergartner again :/ - it lasted for a couple weeks of constant drawing.

[MrHobo]

To beat the already dead horse into a fine paste, make sure it's set to your screen size and then start drawing/painting.
Also make sure you set up some hotkeys after your first week or so, makes a lot of things easier.
It'll take some time for your brain to lock in the new tool but man when it does... you wont even think about it anymore.

[pinkbox]

so does every one but me use it in Pen mode, not Mouse mode like i do? :S

[Jessica Dinh]

I use Mouse mode. In which case, yeah, don't have to worry about Mapping problems haha

[Isaiah Sherman]

I like Screen Mode because you always know where to move your hand to quickly jump around the screen to vital menu and interface tools.

It took me project or two to get used to it back in my teens. Maybe about 30-40 hours worth of practice and I got the hang of it.

[ENODMI]

How cheap of a tablet? All of the Wacoms, even their low end ones, are excellent to learn on. When I first started digital art I bought some odd cheap brand. It was crap. It took batteries, had odd jitter to the strokes and terrible pressure sensitivity. so depending on you tablet, it can be harder/frustrating to learn.

Personally I like my tablet angled, it hurts my wrist to use it flat, so I built this for it.
http://enodmi.com/posting/wacomwedge1.jpg
It feels more intuitive, from years of drawing on a drafting table.

Good luck

[Jessica Dinh]

Oo smart!! ^^ haha

[passerby]

took me about 2 days to get used to, and i only use it on PS and Zbrush, also if you got multiple monitors be sure to map it to only one, the closer the tables drawing space aspect ratio is to your monitors the better.

using mid sized intuos3 on a 22inch 1680x1050 display and i find it matches up well.

[Lazerus Reborn]

How cheap of a tablet? All of the Wacoms, even their low end ones, are excellent to learn on. When I first started digital art I bought some odd cheap brand. It was crap. It took batteries, had odd jitter to the strokes and terrible pressure sensitivity. so depending on you tablet, it can be harder/frustrating to learn.

Any tablet made by Trust does that. I've been using a cheaper Wacom bamboo fun for the last four years. Abused it to no end and it works the same it did when i bought it for £60.

The next step up will be a intuos3 for me. Get a nice medium size and angle it like yours Enodmi ;D

[Skillmister]

I'm still pretty bad with mine for accurate stuff. Although being an A6 one using it on a 24" monitor makes it pretty hard. Getting better with it in Zbrush though which is nice

[passerby]

@Lazerus Reborn ya i started on a bamboo, there by no means bad even know there the low end of wacom, still use my on my laptop when not at my main desk

[Lazerus Reborn]

@Lazerus Reborn ya i started on a bamboo, there by no means bad even know there the low end of wacom, still use my on my laptop when not at my main desk

I know I love the thing still! But a larger tablet would be a nice upgrade now that I'm getting serious about Digi art. Probably caddy it to uni for work or pass it down to my little brother depending when I can get this new one.

[praetus]

The first time I bought a tablet I hated using it. It was such a weird disconnect from not looking where I draw. I kept with it and now I can't imagine not using one. It took me about a month of just drawing basic shapes and doodles in PS before I really got the hang of it. Currently I have the tiny bamboo tablet but I'm about to upgrade to the Intuos 4 Large

[gsokol]

I got a 3X5..or something...Intuos 3 in college. It was pretty much the cheapest, smallest size. It was really odd to use at first, but like others said..you get used to it. At my last job we had Medium Intuos 4's, and having a larger drawing space definitely helps, since you don't have to be as precise.

Just keep forcing yourself to use it, even if your not drawing..just use it to navigate the web or anything for a while...it will help with coordination. And just practice drawing...youll get it after a while.

[Jeff Parrott]

Try watching and doing a few of these.

http://www.ctrlpaint.com/digital-painting-101/2011/2/3/digital-painting-101-lesson-1.html

[LRoy]

Endomi thats awesome man. What's it made of? I literally have a beanie baby under mine to give it an angle haha

[Zombie Acorn]

It really depends on the application in my opinion. Drawing/scupting in zbrush/photoshop is no problem, but due to the way the interface is setup I find the tablet to be a pain in the ass in the navigation department for Maya/Max. Not sure if anyone else has tried using them.

The pen buttons are hard to use if they are integral to the interface.

[Mcejn]

It really depends on the application in my opinion. Drawing/scupting in zbrush/photoshop is no problem, but due to the way the interface is setup I find the tablet to be a pain in the ass in the navigation department for Maya/Max. Not sure if anyone else has tried using them.

The pen buttons are hard to use if they are integral to the interface.

Why would you do that, though?

Just use the tablet, the more you use it, the more comfortable you'll become with it. Simple as that.

[Mark Dygert]

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you are left handed? It sucks being a lefty, mostly because the keyboard shortcuts in most applications are set up to use the exact same hand you're using, the bastards at adobe don't even care so you might want to use a program like Art Rage or something where the tools are easy to get to and not tucked behind sub menus and little fly out bars but right there easy grab and tweak.

If you're right handed, well I guess you just need to suck it up, deal with it and get used to it. About the time it takes a 4yr old to get comfortable with holding a crayon it will take you to get used to using a tablet? Maybe longer if you don't use it as much.

[cptSwing]

took me about 2 days to get used to, and i only use it on PS and Zbrush, also if you got multiple monitors be sure to map it to only one, the closer the tables drawing space aspect ratio is to your monitors the better.

using mid sized intuos3 on a 22inch 1680x1050 display and i find it matches up well.

which, for me, negates the immense gains of a second monitor you can cram your menus into. so i usually map one of the tablet's buttons to switch between 'active' monitor. takes a little getting used to though.

..mouse mode?

[SCB]

I only started using my tablet for 3D art recently (I occasionaly used it for 2D art the past few years), and I have to say the pressure sensitivity makes a huge difference. If you use Photoshop and Zbrush with a pressure sensitive tablet, you will never have to worry about opacity and intensity again. This makes things so much easier, and your workflow so much smoother. You will start wondering how you ever survived without it!

Thats said, I have a Wacom Intuos 3, and its a really good piece of hardware, but the software keeps causing problems with Photoshop and ZBrush and I have to re-install it every so often. Massive pain in the arse!

EDIT: cptSwing
'mouse' mode is when your pen moves like a mouse, so you have to drag it to move position. I much prefer 'pen' mode, just jumps to wherever you need it.

[seth.]

I have an intuos 4 medium mapped across 2x24" monitors in pen mode which suits me down to the ground. I use a tablet for everything.....Zbrush, Maya, Max, Silo,etc... the only thing that I use a mouse for is UDK...cos its impossible not too :D

I am lost at work when I have to do something on someone elses machine though...I really cant use a mouse while modelling to save my life.

[Fuse]

I have an intuos 4 medium mapped across 2x24" monitors in pen mode which suits me down to the ground. I use a tablet for everything.....Zbrush, Maya, Max, Silo,etc... the only thing that I use a mouse for is UDK...cos its impossible not too :D

I am lost at work when I have to do something on someone elses machine though...I really cant use a mouse while modelling to save my life.

Ok, I still dont know how you guys manage to be comfortable mapping your wacom to both widescreen monitors ... :)

[cptSwing]

^ yeah same here. unless you have massive tablets and can afford to map the screen space to a portion of the tablet only. ;-)

SCB: cheers! Will give it a try, maybe i'll prefer it to toggling active screens all the time (i assume that's a problem i wouldn't have with mouse mode)

[Fuse]

Indeed. I had one of those larger sized wacoms at my previous studio and I felt like I didn't want to rob myself of all that realestate by mapping it across both screens. Not only that but you lose a large chunk of bottom area if you select proportional mapping.

I've seen people do both.. At the same time... Bizzare!

[Snader]

If your tablet is large enough, try resting it on your lap, propped up against the edge of the desk. This'll mimic drawing on a sketch pad, will keep your desk free for your keyboard so you don't have to move shit around continuously, and you get to use it for shortkeys.

[Azreality]

All good advice! Thanks! I just bought a new Wacom 4 tablet and will start using it this week for the first time. (excited)

[Hugh]

for those who think you need a tablet to be good or productive in zbrush or as a 3d artist is wrong.

I use a mouse in photoshop and zbrush. I have zero issues

[Jessica Dinh]

I hope that's a joke Hboy??

Pretty sure I'd have some massive wrist and pointer finger problems if I tried painting my textures with a mouse xD

[Fuse]

for those who think you need a tablet to be good or productive in zbrush or as a 3d artist is wrong.

I use a mouse in photoshop and zbrush. I have zero issues

so the industry is wrong? :(

[ZacD]

Better tools makes your life easier, I don't know why artist would not be willing to pay $100 for a bamboo at least.

[Hugh]

its a preference thing. I'm sure no employer would say "wait you use a mouse" gtfo.

@jessica: carpal's tunnel maybe and pointer is no issue for me neither is pressure sensitivity,I'd rather do it manually anyways.

@zacd:I have a Wacom Intuose 2 XL...I never use it.

[aajohnny]

for those who think you need a tablet to be good or productive in zbrush or as a 3d artist is wrong.

I use a mouse in photoshop and zbrush. I have zero issues


I haven't heard anybody say you NEED to, but it is more productive using a tablet while doing 3d.

[Rhinokey]

for those who think you need a tablet to be good or productive in zbrush or as a 3d artist is wrong.

I use a mouse in photoshop and zbrush. I have zero issues

ssoooo many issues dude

[Justin Meisse]

its a preference thing. I'm sure no employer would say "wait you use a mouse" gtfo.

@jessica: carpal's tunnel maybe and pointer is no issue for me neither is pressure sensitivity,I'd rather do it manually anyways.

@zacd:I have a Wacom Intuose 2 XL...I never use it.

I don't believe I've ever met someone who could produce professional level work using only a mouse.

[Tokusei]

If your tablet is large enough, try resting it on your lap, propped up against the edge of the desk. This'll mimic drawing on a sketch pad, will keep your desk free for your keyboard so you don't have to move shit around continuously, and you get to use it for shortkeys.

+1

I am using an Intuos4 M and use this technique, I have quick access to my keyboard and it feels the most natural way of doing it to me

atm I'm using 2x24" 1920x1080 monitors but map my tablet to one screen and check force proportions. adds a little dead space to the bottom of the tablet surface since the intuos4 surface is 16:10, not 16:9 but it means I get 1:1 mapping for my pen position to the screen

[Snader]

I used to work with a mouse for a looong time. Made (but never finished) this (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/448525/lucie.jpg) with just a mouse. Trust me when I say a tablet is nicer. Much more natural.

[IEatApples]

I get a bit of a swore wrist after using a mouse for hours on end at work so it's definitely nice switching to a tablet.

You get use to them really quickly, I couldn't live without one now. Just open up a blank canvas in Photoshop and sketch lots of lines and circles etc and it will begin to feel natural.

[nightFlarer]

I remember when I first used a tablet, I was so uncoordinated I almost gave up. I kept with it for a few more days till I got the hang of it and I never used Zbrush with a mouse since. Using a tablet definitely helps.

[rube]

I remember Craig Mullins saying he was using a mouse when he did the Marathon concept art. That said I think you're slowing yourself down if you do.

To the original point, just keep using it. I found it weird when i first started. Now placement doesn't matter so much but I do like to keep it parallel to the monitor. (ie not tilted at an angle relative to the monitor)

[Autocon]

Its all about practice. I use my wacom to model in 3d packages, not just in photoshop and such. That really feels weird for a good bit. But now I when I use my mouse to try and do things I feel like a gimped cripple haha.

Just keep doing it and it will eventually become second nature.

[Rhinokey]

well people can make good art with a frickin etch a sketch http://www.gvetchedintime.com/homeImages/4-america.jpg
so sure its probably possible for someone to create good art with a mouse.

but most likely they could create much better art with better tools. and faster.

[Snacuum]

Yeah it takes a shot while to get used to that hand-eye disconnect. For me the only problem I really have still is pressure sensitivity. It's often useless to me since I used to draw on paper only with hard leads like HB, so when I use my intuos 2 with it's shiny surface I often push very hard to get that tactile feel. Not very comfortable after a few hours.

[Mark Dygert]

^
You need to ease up there buddy... If not for the sake of the hardware, do it because its super super useful to have pressure sensitivity when digitally painting. Not just for opacity but for brush thickness. It's really hard for me to get line thickness variance with just a mouse, it just doesn't happen, you get one thickness per stroke like the etch-a-sketch above and that just blows.

[Snacuum]

^
You need to ease up there buddy... If not for the sake of the hardware, do it because its super super useful to have pressure sensitivity when digitally painting. Not just for opacity but for brush thickness. It's really hard for me to get line thickness variance with just a mouse, it just doesn't happen, you get one thickness per stroke like the etch-a-sketch above and that just blows.

I know man I know. Still trying to get used to it. Paper is springy so I am very used to feeling the feedback from the paper to know how much pressure I am applying and therefore the thickness, but a wacom is flat and smooth. It got to the point that I was never sure about the thickness of my brush according to my brush presets (not helped by photoshop's default "soft" brushes that just get hard as they get smaller, seriously...) I simply change my thickness manually and trace edges. In fact if you guys watched me make any art in any program you would be horrified at my inefficiency, I so used to it that I can very quickly do things the labourious and inefficient way (ie. I really haven't customised any of my menus or even really use hotkeys)

But I'm working on it.

[Joshua Stubbles]

The Inuos 4 line has a nice textured surface like paper, unlike the smooth finish of the Inuos 3's. I have a 4 at work and 3 at home, so it's quite an off feeling going back and forth.

[Snacuum]

The Inuos 4 line has a nice textured surface like paper, unlike the smooth finish of the Inuos 3's. I have a 4 at work and 3 at home, so it's quite an off feeling going back and forth.

Yes I know I would love one. I heard though this makes the tip wear quicker. Not really an issue if you've got a supply of spares though. Would also be nice if Intuos were more budget priced. For my current artistic output my lowly scratched up intuos 2 will do.

[Jessica Dinh]

Intuos 4 surface really does wear your nibs down a lot; at the same time, the nibs also wear down that papery drawing surface in the spot where you stroke most. Does anybody know if you can create a dead spot on your tablet by wearing down that one spot too much??

[pinkbox]

i dont think it will create a dead spot. seeing as the pen can work through your hand. might just create an annoying dip or surface that the nib will catch on when drawing over. But.. there are replacement surfaces and nibs.
I plan on buying some nibs soon, just worn down my first one after a few months use and noticed my surface is smoothing out where i draw most :O (Im stocking up on nibs in fear that by the time i've used all the spare ones that come with it they wont stock them in my country anymore!) tho i havent heard any news of an Intuos5