EvilChihuahua-about working with your computer tablet

Swikan · Post by **Swikan** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 6:57 pm

I didn't want to hijack Pengy's thread, but I just read in there that you do all of your comic on your computer drawing pad.

Do you do a pencil sketch first?

Johndar · Post by **Johndar** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 7:27 pm

You should probably PM him to get a quick answer. Don't mean to be rude but making a new thread is kinda uneccesary

Swikan · Post by **Swikan** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 8:27 pm

I was hoping my interest would start a discussion on using the computer tablet, as I am only just starting to use mine. But thank you, I will send a PM with no response.

This community is a bit different than the ones I usually visit, so please forgive me if I overstep.

Caduceus · Post by **Caduceus** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 12:18 am

I sometimes sketch on the computer and sometimes on paper myself. It's a mood thing.

Warbaby1 · Post by **Warbaby1** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 2:53 am

Paper? What's that?

KODAMA · Post by **KODAMA** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 4:56 am

Depends on what I'm working on.
For my usual stuff (the "manga" looking stuff), I usually sketch out all the pages first (since adjusting layouts and poses later in photoshop not only kills the crispness of the lines but takes a very long time), and then scan them in and ink and tone them.

But sometimes I just find it amusing to draw, so I'll sketch in photoshop and then ink and color that. There are a few downsides in sketching on the computer -- limited visible space D:
....and on my computer, the curser isn't as fast as my hand (so instead of a curve, I'll get a straight line due to computer lag).

Doll · Post by **Doll** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:23 am

My comic is drawn digitally from start to finish.

Faub · Post by **Faub** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:28 am

I only have a 4x5 Wacom so I rarely use it for anything other than cleanup and coloring. I've tried drawing with it, but I don't like the results. I would need a much bigger tablet to draw with.

Keffria · Post by **Keffria** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:51 pm

I find it much easier to do everything on my tablet these days. It takes a while (a long while) to adjust to drawing with one, but once you do, it makes the process so much easier -- especially inking, with the handy 'undo' feature not available in real life.

Anyway, I sketch things out and assemble them, then cover everything with a light blue~ish screen. I then create a new layer and ink over it. So easy. <3

EvilChihuahua · Post by **EvilChihuahua** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 5:42 pm

Wow, can't believe I did'nt see this thread sooner....

Anyways, I just use the pencil tool in flash using a light blue(I think the color's called Cyan) to sketch out the frames. Then I make a new layer over that and ink with the brush tool.

Garneta · Post by **Garneta** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:13 pm

Man, I wish I could afford a tablet. My unfinished comics always look okay before I ink them, but since I'm not very good at inking they never turn out quite like they started. However, since I do draw all my comic on paper, it means I can draw them at work!

EvilChihuahua · Post by **EvilChihuahua** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:14 pm

Kat North wrote:Man, I wish I could afford a tablet. My unfinished comics always look okay before I ink them, but since I'm not very good at inking they never turn out quite like they started. However, since I do draw all my comic on paper, it means I can draw them at work!

Yeah, that was pretty much me word for word...

Twotimingpete · Post by **Twotimingpete** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:18 pm

I do all of my drawing, from sketch to ink, everything, on my wacom intuos3 tablet (I have a 6x11 tablet for my widescreen monitor). the 6x8 I believe would be the equivilent version for normal monitors.

I also did all of Tarlickers on my tablet.

Takes some practice but I can't imagine not having it now. Just remember to map undo to the stylus button.

if you're serious about making a comic or just drawing digitally in general, it's impossible to go wrong by buying a tablet (particularly an intuos3). you won't regret having it. never regretted a purchase less than this one.

ChibiJess · Post by **ChibiJess** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:39 pm

My comic is done from sketch to lettering and coloring on my Intuos 2 wacom (6x8). I love it - and I find that I can work faster on the computer and that it turns out cleaner. I also don't have to deal with my left hand smudging the pencil lines and making it all gray and blurry.

*pets her tablet* my preciousssss

Swikan · Post by **Swikan** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:42 pm

Twotimers; That's awesome. What art program do you use?

I see photoshop and flash mentioned above.

Warofwinds · Post by **Warofwinds** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:21 pm

I want a tablet soo bad, but alas, tuition must come first. But I'm saving up this year!

I sketch and ink on paper, then scan it in and color in Photoshop 7. I usually spend little time cleaning because I outline with inks rather than doing anything too professional. A typical panel is drawn very large on it's own sheet of paper, and once colored, is put together with 3 or 4 more to create a comic page.

Typical inks:

Typical color (large)
Total page: http://warofwinds.com/?comic_id=157

Corgan_dane · Post by **Corgan_dane** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:25 pm

Mine's done completely on my tabletpc...which is like using a tablet without having to look at the screen while I draw. I draw on the screen, so that helped me escape the tablet learning curve pretty well.

When I started out I did mine on paper, then inked, then scanned, then cleaned, cut, and colored in fireworks. Now I directly draw everything in fireworks, then use flash to smooth my lines before dropping it back in fireworks for cleaning, cutting, and coloring.

The computer saves me probably 3 hours or work, and made my strips look so much better as soon as I started using it instead of the old way. I'd die without this damn computer, I think.

Twotimingpete · Post by **Twotimingpete** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 8:33 pm

thanks, swikan. I use photoshop and generally do my sketching with a brush size setting of 4 and the middle pressure setting for the tablet. the image inserts in this thread were sketches.

the most important advice I can give (aside from practice, if you set your mind to it and use references you can improve very quickly! most people, anyway) is to map the undo function onto the stylus button near the tip. it may sound obvious to some people but just in case it's not, it really helps. make a quick smooth stroke to keep the line from being shakey and if it's not on target, undo it immediately. it becomes very quick and natural after a while and it even gets to the point where it's tricky to draw on paper because you keep looking for your undo button.

Swikan · Post by **Swikan** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:16 am

I mostly do it like you, WarofWinds, but I am no ar-teest. (Lovely work!) I sketch on paper, maybe ink, or else I do inking on computer.. now much easier that I have a tablet to do that..

I would eventually like to do everything on the tablet like you cartoonists above. I am still at the stage where I catch myself glancing down at the pad rather than the screen and startling myself that there's nothing there.

Twotiming: Do you have any particular pencil/brush settings in photoshop other than "medium" pressure?

I particularly like the idea of doing the art in flash, Evil-C... my lines are very shakey!

Swikan · Post by **Swikan** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:57 am

I would also like to ask.. do you do a "skeleton" drawing on the pad first?