Okay, I was WRONG about using a mouse for digital painting

I've been painting on a screen for like 5 years, always with a mouse. I thought tablets were just a gimmick for people with extra cash. Then my friend let me borrow her basic Wacom Intuos for a weekend project. The difference in line control is INSANE. I was trying to do some detailed character art for a D&D campaign, and with the tablet, the pressure sensitivity meant I could go from a hair-thin line to a thick brush stroke in one motion. It felt like actual drawing, not just 'coloring with a cursor.' My shading looked way more natural in half the time. I'm officially converted. Anyone have tips for a good starter tablet under $100?

3 comments

3 Comments

valw361mo ago

Yeah, the pressure sensitivity is a total game changer. I held out for ages too, but a basic Huion model got me started without breaking the bank. The muscle memory for hand-eye coordination takes a week or two to feel normal.

the_logan13d agoProlific Poster

Oh man @valw36, I gotta push back a little on the pressure sensitivity being a total game changer for everyone. It's a great feature for sure, but I think people hype it up way too much before they even get comfortable with basic line control on a tablet. I picked up a used Wacom Intuos about four years ago, and honestly the pressure thing barely mattered for the first two months because I was just trying to draw a straight line without looking like a spider fell in ink. The real game changer for me was just getting the cursor to land where my brain wanted it to. Pressure sensitivity is nice once you're already solid with the basics, but it's not the magic fix everyone makes it out to be.

gray61mo ago

That hand-eye thing is a real trip at first (but it clicks fast).