Tablet (Slickness)

RustyFranks

i try to sketch with my tablet as much as possible but i really find it hard with the texture on the tablet. i don't know any other word but slick. with the rough texture of pen/pencil and paper i feel much more comfortable and get much better results. when i first got the tablet i thought it was just a matter of getting used to it, but i've had it for roughly a year or so and try to use it as often as possible. even for regular computing. it still just doesn't feel right. quite often i feel my strokes flailing off where i don't want them because of the pen sliding.

are there any tips ya'll might have that would help? or is it just a matter of sucking it up and getting used to it more? also, what position would ya'll recommend using the tablet in? tilted, flat, in front, at side, straight, angled? or is it just a matter of personal preference?

this might be a stupid question, i've just been trying to start focusing back on art again and it is really frustrating:polytwitch:. i love the power and diversity that photoshop offers over traditional media but i just feel like i'm not able to make use of it.:poly134::poly103::poly134:

thanks in advance

thomasp

things to try -

1. tape a piece of smooth paper over the tablet surface and try to draw with very light pressure applied (set the pen sensitivity in the wacom panel accordingly).
2. if you have an intuos 3 there should have been a "felt-pen" tip in the package, have you tried that? has a bit of resistance to it.
3. again intuos 3 - wacom is selling overlay surfaces with a little more texture than the default one. probably at typical wacom prices tho and it wears quite a lot on the pen-tip i was told.
4. at least for the intuos1 and intuos2, wacom sold the "inking pen", basically a tablet-compatible ballpoint-pen. you can use it by putting a sheet of paper on your tablet and just drawing the "non-digital" way on it and the movement and pressure get applied to the open canvas in your painting app. requires very careful setup of your project and isn't totally exact. i use mine as a regular pen for putting down notes, its that hopeless then again, i am fine with the slippery feel of the wacoms, really.

RustyFranks

hmm... i don't have the intuos :poly006:. i will try your suggestions about the paper though. i imagine it will have to be fairly thin to maintain sensitivity. oh well, i'll try it tonight when i get home from work.

thanks for the info

thomasp

i see. well i only have intuos-experience really but there you can lift the pen at least a centimeter over the tablet surface and it still registers. so it should not be a problem of thickness, rather you will shred the paper quickly if you do choose anything but a very smooth one.

ivars

I used to do that alot before, only problem is that it wears down your tip pretty fast. At least for me, because I like putting alot of pressure when drawing.

RustyFranks

the paper on top helps alot... don't know why i didn't think of it. sketchbook was less than a foot away lol.

anyways, thanks for the help

pior

It can be up to one quarter of an inch thick - this won't prevent sensitivity to be registered properly. So you could try glass, acrylic, wood, anything.