Well surprise surprise, hubby got me a Graphire4 for Christmas. Big surprise as he complains about the time I spend on the puter already .

Any tips, tricks or tutorials that anyone knows of (other than what comes with the software) would be very helpful in getting me started.

Thanks

with the tablet, you able to use the lasso tool, easily cutting and creating selections, such as vector hair styles. hmmm idk about tips or tricks, but i know you can pretty much create alot of stuff like rust textures, and just anything since you can draw with the pen.

I personally found the tablet I had to be awkward to use. The great thing is I only paid twenty bucks for it and when I put it on eBay about a year later due to the fact I wasn't using it, I got $102 for it. The person who bought it must have been a real sucker.

One thing that I found I really disliked is it seemed impossible to get a smooth line in photoshop, it would always end up pixelated.

so what do you use Republikin?

I have always mouse drawn my stuff, making use of different types of nodes and curves to create the shapes I want. I tried trace software a couple times but found the results to be ugly with so many nodes (no matter what settings) that a smooth line was impossible there also.

I'm not saying that I got a smooth line with a mouse either. I just felt that since the tablet didn't improve things ( at least for me) that it wasn't worth the effort to learn a whole new way of moving my hand.

I still can't get an absolute smooth line but I would rather do it with my mouse because it is what I'm used too.

if your going to use a pen tool, to make like digital inking, your better off with the mouse, unless you are a very good artist with a stable hand. i like to illustrate, so obviously tablets are going to be a better use, as im making quicker strokes and have control where i color, same with quick masking, coloring is much easier and stable to render our an image. a pen tool will get you smooth lines with no bumpiness and make sure your brush, spacing is set to 1, sometimes when your doing big images, you could start seeing the circle being a lil spaced out. i personally only use the tablet for, illustrations, sketches of a design i want and sometimes for the lasso tool. i got a wacom intuos3, tablet feels alot better to drawing things for me anyhow especially with the pen sensitive and tilt.

Ooooo I got one too am sat here waiting for it to turn up lol, I have occupational overuse syndrome in my hand and arm so a pen and tablet is going to be alot less stressful on my hand ... I love drawing and illustrating so am looking forward to trying it out

I have a graphics tablet, but i hardly ever use it because im so used to the mouse. I would love to be able to draw with it, but since I cant draw on paper, im pretty much going to be hopeless on a computer lol.

Well I was trying some things out with it yesterday. I found that it is very helpful to make quick shapes and outlines with a minimal number of nodes which I can then adjust the curves on to get a final smooth shape. I had to do this any way with a mouse as me and straight lines don't get along anyway.

I am far from doing anything like digital inking or using it to apply colors but already I am getting use out of it.

for digital inking, most people use the "mouse"/pen tool for that, because usualy alot people are not to stable with the pen to pull off smooth lines like that, if your going to digital ink, your going to need to adjust your brushes alot when your doing pen tool strokes, using fade, pen pressure adjustments rather than just a solid 3px line.

The only advice I know to give is practice, practice, practice! It takes some time to get used to a tablet. I got one and never really got used to it and now I rarely use it at all. Dont be like me though and give up!

the tablet is really used for illustrator, for coloring, and drawing, sure you can design websites etc with it, its just like using the mouse after all

Some advice about the tablet:
clean it with a dry cloth when it`s too dusty.That`s what i do, and i use it as a mousepad!

I hope i helped!
PS: Republikin, i just hope i`m not that stupid who bought your tablet from e-bay

oo a few more days and I have mine lol, can't wait to sit down and have a play with it am sick of drawing with a mouse it's killing my hand lol

How is it going borzoid? Have you been working with it yet???

Yes I have. Generally for making basic shapes and outlines. It is a time saver for that.

I finally got mine today yey!!!! Am going to sit down and try draw something now lol