Graphics Tablet Tutorial
Hello, I’m Mark Johnson a digital & sketch artist from the UK.
One of the things I encountered when flipping from real life mediums to digital mediums, is the frustration I felt when I first used a graphics tablet.
I first used a graphics tablet when I was 24 years old. It was a cheap one I bought from a superstore and when I took it home I had high expectations about what I was going to achieve with it. As many first time users find, I was quickly frustrated.
It was almost like I had gone back to school and was drawing like a 6 year old. I tried to draw straight lines and they came out like squiggles. I tried to draw a circle and it came looking like a cartoon rock. I drew a square and it looked like a cardboard box that had been left out in the rain. With vast disappointment I put the pen down and gave up. I rather bitterly continued to draw with pencil and paper, though I still love this medium today.
Some weeks later I came across a review for the Wacom Intuos3 graphics tablet and I thought “Maybe it was the cheap graphics tablet that was the problem!”
So I pulled together the money to buy the A6 version of the Intous3 and waited in anticipation for it to arrive. When it finally arrived I excitedly plugged it into my system and with great excitement started to draw. My excitement was short lived however.
Although the tablet was more accurate then my budget version and had many better features (such as tilt and pitch), I was still not drawing much better! With bitter disappointment I walked away from the PC for a while.
It was 2 hours or so later before I decided to give it another go. This time though I thought about what I was actually trying to do.
For starters, I was not even looking at my hand while I was drawing. Where I was used to looking at the very tip of my pencil I was now looking at a pointer on the screen.
I was also not working on paper and the surface of the tablet was quite shiny so I had a lot of slipping happening.
My posture was also in question. Before I was leaning over my work, now I am looking almost straight ahead.
Then, the problem was made all the more clearer. While I was used to drawing on paper, my body used muscle memory and habit to do most of my art work. I had trained my entire posture, hand eye coordination, and skill to draw in this fashion. Now, I was trying to get the same results by changing nearly the entire way I was working.
I began to smile again.
What was the solution? Simple, retrain my body and mind to work with a tablet, to the same level as I have done on paper.
And so I went back to basics. Instead of diving straight into trying to draw a new sci-fi scene, portrait, fantasy monster or the like, I simply went back to the exercises I used when I first started to sketch properly in my early teens.
I rummaged around and found a series of exercises I had put together to help train my body and mind to draw. I had originally used these exercises to repeatedly draw shapes, lines, patterns and shades. In doing so, my mind and muscles slowly learnt to relax and over time I needed to think about the exercises less and less. Ultimately I developed some good habits and when it came to drawing I was thinking less about the technique and more about the sketch it’s self.
And so I started to use these exercises to re-learn and re-train my body and mind. With much glee I realised, not only could I start to draw using a graphics tablet, but I could end up becoming quite good at it!
And now? I use the tablet as often as I am able. When I am at home I rarely use pencil and paper any more. I find the computer a far more flexible medium that still requires a lot of skill to use. When I am out and about I still sketch the old fashioned way but am happy with to use either method.
So, here is a selection of exercises hints and tips for the aspiring digital artist. I hope you find them useful, and I wish you every success in your new venture!
Starting Tips
- Posture is very important to any computer work. You should never be slouched in front of a computer. You need to have your monitor at a comfortable distance from your head, a foot or more at least. You need good lighting in the workspace, so as not to strain your eyes. Your chair should be comfortable and set to a height that makes your elbows level with the desk. The tablet should also be in a comfortable position; you should not have to strain your arm or wrist to get to any point on the tablet with the pen. It is usually safest to have your elbow and forearm resting on the desk. Your back should be sitting in a good posture position, without having to curve your spine to look at the monitor.
- When using a tablet, don’t grip the pen too tightly. “White knuckle” is a bad thing. To have that much tension in your hand is only going to strain your muscles and tendons. R.S.I comes from repeatedly taking an action with your muscles locked in a position. The more you relax your grip, wrist and forearm the less likely you are to get R.S.I., muscle strain, or cramping in the arm and hand. If after you have finished a session with a tablet, if your hand or arm aches then you are holding and using the graphics pen incorrectly. Reconsider what you might be doing to cause the strain and try to get into a better position. Don’t tuck your elbow right into your side when drawing awkward lines or fiddly bits. It’s a bad habit and again will strain your muscles. Move the tablet over to the same side as your drawing arm. If you are right handed move the tablet more to the right of your desk, especially if you use a smaller tablet.
- Practice, practice, practice. It’s the best advice I can give you. The more you practice, the less you need to think about technique the more you can enjoy drawing and creating art.
- RELAX! Remember, digital art is supposed to be fun! Even if you are working for someone else you don’t need to get uptight. The more relaxed you are the better and more creative your art will be. So chill, be cool and enjoy your work.
Natural Artistic Rhythm
The following exercise is to help you get into a good rhythm with your pen. The most common mistake people make when they first use a tablet is to get too tense. They literally scrape the pen across the tablet hoping to get that “perfect first line”. Some results will come from this.
- Maybe drawing too slowly and as a result get wobbly lines
- Not relaxing their arm or hand and as a result may strain themselves.
- Will normally find the pen is sliding around on the tablet too much from the excess pressure. As a result they’re not drawing as accurately as they would like.
- Getting frustrated and drawing too quickly and not getting accurate lines.
Here’s the trick, relax! Just take a deep breath, breath all the way out and then loosen up all your muscles and joints in your arm.
Imagine you are holding a delicate brush in your hand and treat each stroke confidently and fluidly.
Now, start out by drawing the following pattern. Repeat it over and over again. Try and keep the loops even and the lines as fluid and curved (not wobbly) as you can. Don’t go too slow, and don’t go too fast. Go at a comfortable flowing and confidant speed. Try to concentrate your eyes on the pointer rather than the whole drawing.
You’ll notice:
- When you go too slowly, the lines on the loops may seem a bit wobbly. Just speed up your stroke a little and add more confidence to it.
- When you go too fast you may notice the loops are less uniform or of varying sizes. Simply slow down a bit and try to concentrate on the pointer a bit more.
- When your attention wonders off the pointer, you may notice your accuracy is not as good as when you looking at the pointer.
You’ll also notice:
- When you are going at a perfect speed you’ll see the loops get gradually more uniform.
- The better you become at looking at the pointer rather than the whole drawing, the more accurate you become.
- The more confident you get the smoother the loops look. This is now your natural artistic rhythm.
Now try some of these other loops:
Try to incrementally increase and decrease the size of the loops. Do this a few times over.
Now try and draw loops with varying pressure, going from lighter to heaver lines. Again repeat this exercise a couple of times.
As you can see, you do not need to be a grand master at these exercises. My loops are by no means perfect, but they achieve what they set out to do. They are simply used to help you loosen up and get into your natural artistic rhythm.
I’d recommend doing these exercises before any work you do on a tablet. It is a great way to get warmed up and get into rhythm with the tablet. It also helps to relax your mind and muscles.
Improve your accuracy
This is the bit that most people get really frustrated with. The trick here is to make sure you always stay at your natural artistic rhythm (see last section), and practice, practice, practice! You cannot just pick up a pencil and expect to sketch like Leonardo da Vinci, you must practice first. Nor can you go from that and expect to do the same straight away on a tablet. Again you need to practice first.
Try the following exercises from an hour to two hours a day and you’ll see dramatic improvements in your skills with a tablet.
Before you begin, start with the “natural artistic rhythm” exercise from the last section. Once you feel relaxed and in rhythm begin with the next few exercises.
Draw a simple dot on the screen, then try, without deleting the last dot, to repeatedly draw a dot in exactly the same place. When you first start with this you may notice that the dot ends up looking a bit smeared, but the more you practice the less the smear happens.
Next try the following lines. Repeat them all at least eight times.
Now draw two dots and try to connect them. This will help to improve your line straightness and accuracy, and is a perfect technique if you wish to use your tablet for technical drawing. Try a few test strokes in the air just above the tablet first; this will train your arm to do the line before actually drawing it.
Repeat this exercise several times over. I personally try and practice this exercise as many times as I can. It is the best for getting good at free hand straight lines.
Now try to draw the following shapes, repeat each one at least four times. Try and get them the same size and as equal as you can.
Next try and repeat a series of ovals.
Now let’s see if we can improve your circles. Remember, very few artists (even famous ones) can draw a perfect circle. This exercise is simply to try and get your hand eye coordination to work in better harmony.
Draw a circle, and try and draw another one of the same size, try and get it to be rounder and smoother than the last one. Then move to the next circle. Try to draw ten in a row.
See as you move along, if you are in a good rhythm the circles improve, if you’re not in a good rhythm, they may get worse. If you need to, repeat the natural rhythm exercise from the last section to help you get back into rhythm.
The next exercises will help you to get a steadier hand. If you need to, go back to the natural rhythm exercise again before attempting this. The more relaxed, confident and in rhythm you are, the better the lines and dots will be. Try to repeat these at least four times each.
Now try and draw some interconnecting and crossing lines. No real pattern is needed here. Just try to cross over some lines and then draw another line threw the place they meet. This is a great exercise for getting good at drawing perspective lines.
Now we’ll try to use your refined skills to draw some technical shapes.
Improving pressure levels
Ok, so by now you should be feeling a little more confident in your work. But there is one thing you must master if you wish to become a great digital artist, pressure!
By working on how hard and soft your strokes with the pen are, the better and more imaginative your drawings can be. Any good sketch is made whole by the shading the artist employs. It’s not just knowing were the light and shadow is falling in a drawing, it’s also having the ability to shade those areas properly.
The next exercises will help you improve this skill.
Before you begin go back and repeat the natural rhythm exercise a few times.
First of all, try the following shading patterns.
Now draw some random shapes and then shade them with any of the previous ways.
Now draw two vertical lines. Try and shade from your natural hardest pressure, right up to your lightest pressure from one line to another, then try and reverse it. Increase and decrease the distance between the lines. Have the lines go horizontal to each other and again have them vary in distance each time you draw them.
Remember to try and get a good steady rhythm going. Don’t press too hard on the pen just get it moving nicely and fluidly across the page.
Conclusion
I practised these exercises for at least an hour a day, though I would normally try and practice for two hours, if I had the time. I would always make sure to have a five min break every 20 mins or so to give my body and mind a rest and then go back to it afresh.
So there you have it! I hope you find this useful to your needs, and I wish you many happy hours of drawing and designing. You deserve the best of it and this should give you a good foundation to work from.
I’ll see your art in the galleries, websites and magazines of the world.
Mark. A.K.A Dusty @[^.^]@
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Durian
So pleased I found this! I to have just bought a GT from a store, a cheap one the see how I go and was so disappointed my wobbly stick figures were even more wobbly and dire looking! I am by no means an artist but like to dabble with photo manipulation and would love to add painted bits to them. I will certainly be trying these exercises, thanks for sharing this…maybe all is not lost for me!
No problem! I’m glad you found it useful.
Just stick with it, it will all come together eventually.
Cheers for this. Just got a new pen and I have been doing these exercises every night. You are right. You do see improvements quickly.
Cheers,
Paul
I hope so! Certainly putting in the hours
Good to know you don’t have to have an expensive one to begin with, what with photoshop and everything else, it soon adds up…lol
I just bought a cheapie tablet from the grocery store and when I used it felt exactly like what you described. I’m not an artistic but I bought it to compliment my photo editing and such but put it away after an hour of frustration. Two weeks later I decided to Google for a tutorial and happened across your site.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, this is just what I was looking for.
Dude! this is great! just that simple but very very great.. I just bought me a wacom intuos3 and needed this to practise. please keep it online! greetings from holland
No worries Ziggy, I’m not planning on ever taking it offline.
glad you, MrBrownThumb, Pink and Paul L find it helpful.
Thanks for these fantastic exercises!
They are helping, I brought a bamboo fun tablet and as soon as I got it I tried to work with it by expecting to digitally draw my manga characters but I helplessly failed and got fustrated. Now I am getting a lot better
Thanks a bundle
No problem, but I can officially say after this:
http://blog.dustyghost.com/?p=168 (My new toy!)
It’s good to get a bigger tablet than an A6 size one.
Though don’t get me wrong, an A6 is a good place to start.
Though I’m going to say that if you can afford it, start at A5 as a minimum.
thank you for this,dusty.i was having just the problems that you describe.i got myself a cheap a4 tablet and will now be doing your exersises.cheers and happy christmas! its a great help.
This is a fantastic tutorial. I come from doing digital art with a mouse and just got a tablet, and your exercises are tremendously helpful in not just learning how to use a tablet, but learning how to become comfortable drawing manually. You’re my hero.
I have been doing artwork with a computer for a year or two now and I just got a tablet for Christmas and hooked it up and installed it right away– I really was expecting alot and was frankly disaponted *laughs* and this really raised my spirit! Thank you so much!
Heh! good on ya!
Stick with it!
And Merry Christmas to all!
I just received a digital art pad for Christmas and experienced the exact same frustrations mentioned here in this blog. Luckily, I only recieved it on Christmas Eve, so I have not had many days of self-loathing.
I am looking forward to practicing these excercises. I definitely noticed that my posture was completely different from how I usually “sit” while drawing with a pencil and paper. I knew I was doing something wrong.
Do you happen to know of any good program tutorials? I use Sketchbook Pro and Photoshop CS2 at the moment.
Thanks in advance!
Any of the training DVD’s or videos from Lynda.com are good!
There are plenty of other books out there for you to try.
Many of the SAMS Teach Yourself range are good.
A well recommended one is the Photoshop CS2 Bible, as for Sketchbook Pro, not sure on that one sorry.
Good Luck!
hi i just bought a graphic tablet and was very grateful to find your tutorial on line
i am a mediocre artist who thought a graphic tablet would help and was dissapointed now i know it will thank you
how do I change the pressure on the pen?
B
brenda,
that entirely depends on the make of the pen tablet and what software you are using.
In both cases I’d check with the product documentation.
Dusty
I don’t think getting a wacom is going to make me draw better on the computer. I get DAMN upset with the results of the “drawing tablet”.
That said, I draw fairly well on paper (I am an artist oil painting mostly these days)…Have used a tablet for about a year and I draw horribly (I use it mostly to color…inking is almost impossible for me…which I can ink well on paper)…I have tried my own exercises without any success. I will try these excersizes for 2 hours a day for 7 days to see if there is any improvement. Will report back my results with you guys then. BTW-
Using “Lapazz” drawing tablet (again, I don’t think getting a wacom is going to make me draw better on the computer)
Agreed, buying a Wacom is not the answer to all your needs. But they are VERY good at making tablets that work well.
I admit that having a Wacom of the size I have makes life easier, however, you still have to get used to the change of method.
Please Michael, if you could let us know how you get on.
Feedback is always welcome and will help improve this tutorial.
Thanks,
I will report back with my results in 6 days…I recorded my work the first day and will compare and save my work the last (7) day look for improvement if any.
How you getting on Michael?
Thank you so much for your wonderful examples on how to start using a digital tablet. I never used one before and there was nothing out there explaining the basics. I had the same experience as you I ran out and purchased a note taker digital tablet, I had no idea I could not draw on it, LOL. I will be visiting often, Carol Fitz
Thanks so much for this tutorial! I’m waiting for my wacom tablet to come through (is arriving in 6days) and I was searching the web for a tutorial like this on how to practise techniques as I’m currently hoping to use the tablet for textiles designing in the future and really needed to practise my starting techniques and getting comfortable wit the thing as I was nervous abou getting one
Thankyou so so so much, this is really the best tutorial on the web! You’re great xD <3
Just wanted to say biggie ups for the very helpful tutorial. Not that much of a klutz after all. Cheers
Awesome tutorial! It’s helping a lot! XD
Thanks so much! <3
Does it matter what level of zoom I’m working at when doing these excersizes? I have a tiny tablet, so I find that working at 300-500% zoom makes things much easier.
Also, did you do all of those demo patterns freehand? :O
Actually I found that zooming in on a smaller tablet was much more helpful.
Having a larger tablet is easier, as you get less movement on the screen and be more accurate, but zooming in does help on a smaller tablet.
And yes I did all the drawings for the tutorial free hand. Though some of them I had to do more than once.
Wow! I could’ve sworn that first perspective drawing was done with the line tool. Damn, I guess I REALLY need to practice
I suppose I’ll keep zooming in, then. Everybody tells me to use my whole arm to draw rather than my wrist, but doing it on an itty bitty tablet is really obnoxious -_-
Just got a touch screen pc (awesome) and remembered this tutorial here, tis veru helpful
Thanks a lot for your tutorial!
In enjoy doing these excercises.
Greetings from Hamburg
Thanks for this tutorial
I guess time for me to go back to basics
Absolutely perfect timing! I am a natural pen/charcoal/pencil artist and am currently in school for Graphic Design. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Wacom Intuos 4 which should be here tomorrow. I am so excited! I asked a professor at my school a software question and she sent me the link to your tutorial. (I’d be proud if I were you as it is one of the top G.D. schools worldwide!:-) ) I never thought about how awkward it will be to start although I did set a lot (months) of time aside to learn how to use the tablet. I have Photoshop CS3 and the CS4 upgrade. Heck, I’m still learning CS3 let alone the new 4 or Corel Draw and Paint!
This is a wonderful tutorial and I am sure that having your suggestions in mind from the beginning will ease a lot of the stress I know I’ll encounter! Thank you and I’ll keep you informed as a new tablet user using you advice from day one!! Thanks!
Wow! Thank you for your kind comments!! I am indeed proud to hear this tutorial is being used in a top GD school!! Where is that BTW?
And I’m a little bit envious of you having that Intuos 4! I have an Intuos 3 and they are amazing!!!
The difference between CS3 and CS4, painting wise, is minimal. It’s the 3D parts that really make the difference! If your more of a natural medium artist, such as charcoal and pencil, PLEASE consider getting Corel Painter 11! The new features in this are amazing and specifically designed to work with the Intuos 4!!! Well worth it!!!
Please let me know how you get on!!
just purchased a second hand tablet for now to see how I get on. look forward to trying out your tuts.i have added a link to a family members work using a graphics. I am amazed at her work, she is only 16. would love to know what you think.
http://lazyperson202.deviantart.com
thank you for sharing your tuts and your work amazing
16! Wow! this is some great work! I can see that this 16 year old is going to grow to be an amazing artist! Even more amazing than she is now!
Thanks for sharing!!
I just bought a graphics tablet, and google brought me to you, I find this post REALLY useful, thanks.
I bookmarked it for future use & will recommend it to others.
I am a graphic designer who got a tablet on recommendation of friends. I’ve been doing graphic design for 9 years with a regular mouse, so a tablet at first was.. well, hard. Just another thank you for these exercises. Even if I am not an artist, they stilll really help.
I read on the net if it is possible to get a fiber tip nib on your dig pen it has more drag on the surface of the tablet. I don’t know if that is possible but it sounds good. Another way is to tape paper over the pad to get that tooth on the surface.
Were I using a brush and paint, I’d have to get the “feel” of that. This the first tutorial I’ve seen on getting the “feel” of a pen and tablet. Thank you so much!
Huhu, thanks for this great tutorial. I really love the amount of diffrent exercises you present. I went through a similair story with the tablett in the corner. Was looking for a while on the internet for something like this that would encourage me again to Draw on the tablet rather then on Paper. I’ve been doing the diffrent training methods for 2days now about 1-1.5hours i noticed already a small diffrence. For example i could draw straighter lines a few lines earlier then the first time. Once again great Tutorial. Keep it up so others will benefit aswell. Wish you the best
HuhuFTW
This has been tremendously helpful. I only did the exercises for about 2 hours and I was up and running with it. I have a SUPER CHEAP Tooya Pro that is 10×6.5THe pen isn’t all that accurate or smooth, but it does what I need it to do and has improved my capabilities. This tutorial was tremendously helpful. Thank You
i bout my tablet 3 days ago and it suked i tooght i cude be better but was real down until i saw this give me the confidence to continue thank u for sharing this hailin u all the way in the carribean thankx dusty thnxxxxx
Hello,
I have been practicing these tablet skills for a while now however i do not find I am getting any better.
When I draw on paper, i have not learned eye co-ordination; and my lines lack control. When I draw on paper, I sometimes rely on long fast strokes across the paper to make lines I want. This results in rather messy sketches. When I ink linert (going over the top of sketch pencil lines with a ink pen) I struggle very much at the accuracy of my lines, and my long sweeping strokes because of the ink flow not being able to ‘keep up’ and also because a ink pen can not be angled as much as a pencil.
Do you think it would make life easier if I learned how to draw on paper before I tried to do it on the tablet? Or is tablet drawing not any harder if I didn’t know how to draw on paper?
Please reply.
Thanks,
Wilson
That’s a very good point Will.
They are both different art forms, that share similar methods.
2 things I could offer based on your comments:
1) Yes, learning to draw properly is always going to help. Taking your drawing skills from paper to tablet and visa versa is going to improve both areas. But they are like the electric guitar and the acoustic. Both are similar, but ultimately different instruments. Both have qualities and similar skills are required, but both require unique learning from each other.
But that’s not to say that you can’t use your skills in either method to benefit the other.
2) You mentioned long stokes. Well if you’re using a smaller tablet, that might be hindering you. I too am used to using longer stokes in my work, and a larger tablet REALLY helps!!
Try not to get too uptight in your learning. Remember this is about fun!
Try not to run before you can walk, start simple! These exercises are not going to turn you into Leonardo Divinci. Only getting the basics right and working your way up from there persistently and constantly will do that.
Try and do only 10 mins of these exercises now per day, and spend the rest of the time actually drawing stuff. Again keep it simple. Google for anatomy pictures and go to youtube and other places for videos on learning to draw. You can take the basics from each of these and apply them to both pencil drawing and tablet drawing.
But keep that chin up!!! I’m not a natural artist, but I’m getting there.
So if I can do it, ANYONE CAN!!!
hey, i just want to say that your tutorial helped me alot, i bought an el cheapo tablet from my local supermarket, i read your article before i bought it so i knew it would be tough at first. I was surprised to see that my transition from pencil and paper to using the graphics tablet was quite easy, i started with your tutorials and everyone around me has commented at how much better my drawings have gotten so i just wanted to say thank you for helping and im going to recommend my friends to this page. =D
Wow, never thought I would ever be jealous of someone’s curls… Great tutorial, I’m definitely gonna practice with this. =D
Thanks!!!
great advice!!
Dude! I’m just picking up drawing for real this time. And I’m actually going straight to the digital medium to save money on buying paper and sketchbooks, not to mention pencils and other supplies that never run out on a computer.
On a tight budget like mine, starting with an endlessly re-usable tool and supplies is like going to a candy store.
I’m going to start with these exorsizes right off the bat, they sound so easy but seem quite efective.
Like the earlier comment above if I can do it (someone with limited motor skills in THIS area of work) then anyone can ^_^
I just got myself a 7×12 Genius tablet (can’t afford a Wacom of that size just yet
) and was dismayed at my wobbly lines and poor accuracy. I’m doing the loop exercises now, I can’t thank you enough for this post! 
I bought my tablet last week, a little Wacom Bamboo, i knew my drawing skills with it wouldn’t be perfect.
today I saw your tutorial, I’ve been doing all the different parts over the span of an hour, and I’ve noticed a grand improvement already. thanks
I just got my first tablet and this tutorial is exactly what I needed to get started with it. Many thanks!
Thank You Mr. Dusty. When I bought my (inexpensive) tablet I assumed that my drawing skills would be transferable to the new medium…however my pathetic scribblings so far have reduced my self confidence to subzero..I trawled the web for help and found this blog. YAY!
Having read your tutorial I feel so much better about the whole thing. I’ll try the excercises and get back to you.
Thanks again
CPB
Hi Dusty, firstly, congrats on a beautiful son, Thomas, and I’m sure the fireworks were for you, your missus and Thomas.
My BIG THANK YOU is for the tutorial. I’ve just found Mac software for the budget GT I bought for PC, so can now go to town using CS4. But, like others am having trouble with controlling it. Will do your tutorials and post before and after pix of my attempts…should be a laugh! Thanks again Dusty. If it wasn’t for people like you sharing your skills the www would be a desert.
Jane
Okay, this was very helpful. Actually, I’m left handed. Do you have any tips for that? First of all, the pointers turn the opposite way than they should be for lefty handed people. I tried tilting my board to the the right, helps a bit.
I love this tutorial, do you have more?
Well, it depends on what application you are using. For example, Corel Painter (version 8 and above I think) allows you to go to your preferences and turn the pointer as you see fit. In fact in version 10 using the Intous3 tablet, it will show your tilt and bearing in the icon!
When it comes to the exercises, You should find you can use them on either hand. Just make sure to take note of the posture you’re sitting with.
The more you practice with a tablet, the more you don’t think about how the tablet its self is rotated. Your mind just adjusts automatically to slight changes in angle.
As for more tutorials? Well I have a ton of stuff I would like to teach, but to be honest most of that already exists in tutorials on the web. The reason I made this one is that I couldn’t find anything like it on the web anywhere. I still have a long way to go in my own skill levels, but one day I would love to create some videos showing my workflow. But right now with new baby, poorly wife, and general business with work and such…. well you know.
Hi there Dusty! Just wanted to say a big thank you for creating this article. It’s so well-written and it inspires me to get off my butt and start drawing to improve myself. I’ve been trying it for at least 15 minutes and I see a slight improvement already. Not a major one but I can see my curls getting neater and more even. I hope I’ll remember to check back on this website tomorrow and report my progress so far. I’ll even homepage this if I have to. =) Thanks again. ^___^
Thank you very much for this tutorial. I’m 21 and have dysgraphia ( spatial recognition and fine motor issues ), I’ve never been able to draw in my life and have been learning CGI. I just came to the point where I’m going to have to texture. I also ended up with carpal tunnel..
So I decided to completely change my interface with my computer, sunk some money into a tablet, and am now learning how to use it.
I’d never in my life dreamed I could be able to draw, but after two days of doing this tutorial I can see significant improvement in what’s been up until now a frustrating barrier for me my whole life. It isn’t miraculous, but it’s measurable. Especially spatially, this is helping immensely.
Thank you very much for posting this up. I was referred here by a person on blenderartists.org .
Hey buddy!
Thank you for your comment! That’s truly inspiring!
I too have a mild disability. It’s a very mild form of autism, and has meant that I have very bad hand eye coordination.
The whole reason I used these exercises all those years ago (for sketching, before I had a tablet) was get past that bad hand eye problem.
What I found is that when I first started drawing, I was concentrating sooooo hard on keeping my hand stready and in the direction I wanted it to go. Most people would just simply give up and consider them selves “Bad at drawing”
But after a while I no longer needed to think about how my hand was doing and I could concentrate on drawing technique better.
Eventually with enough practice, I see that we won’t even need to think about drawing technique and can just create what we want to create. But recently I have been very slack in my own drawing practice. But seeing your comment has made me want to pick up the pace again.
Again thank you for dropping by my site, and I wish you all the best.
Mark (Dusty) Johnson
This is great, I just got a new tablet, not a brand name but above basic and felt the same way as you describe. I was shocked that I can draw fairly well by hand, but with the tablet my coordination is terrible. By just doing the first exercises for a little while has giving me hope.
I will keep on going.
I appreciate your tutorial so much.
Happy New Year!!
Thx for this tutorial, it was very helpful. My hands are shaking but i manage to draw something decent from time to time
Hey man I just bought a cheap genius tablet with gift card money form the holidays so I could dip my toes in the water before taking the financial plunge. I’m used to working with Photoshop but am starting to learn to draw. This was awesome. its been about an hour so and I feel totally comfortable using the pen, even to browse the rest of my computer activities lol.
As an aspiring graphic designer, I’d just like to say thanks, I now have the confidence to continue learning to draw. And the confidence to continue the pursuit of my career!
Thanks!
Thanks for the Tutorial Dusty, this will help alot with getting used to my new tablet. I’ll get straight to it when I can tomorrow.
Now the only problem that I should have facing drawing should be my “avoid-tedious-work-attitude,” which i’m also working towards losing.
Thanks for taking the time to publish this Tutorial. I’m 55 years young and just got my first Genius Graphics Tablet (from Santa) for Christmas. I am interested in Creating Unique One Of a Kind Designs to place on my Online Store Items, but This Genius Graphics Tablet and I haven’t been seeing Eye to Eye on How I want the Designs to Turn Out. I will definitely try your suggestions and “NOW” Have a Better Feeling about my decision to try Computer Aided Designs.
Thanks again, Guy
Thanks for the great tutorial! It’s not only helpful, but it lets people know thier inital reactions are not un-common. You should contact Wacom and have them include this tutorial with each tablet!
Thanks for the tips mate! I feel like I’m back at school when it comes to using a tablet, but your tutorial is very helpful. I’ve been drawing & painting traditionally for about 20 years & only now am I getting around to evolving digitally – it’s like you say, re-training the old skills learned when I was a wee lad.
I hope to combine traditional with the digital, I know I have some great ideas, just getting used to the difference in hand-eye co-ordination will take some getting used to. Once again, thank you very much!!
Wow! I’m so glad I found this page, it’s exactly what I’m living right now, cause I actually bought a tablet yesterday! And I was starting to feel so frustrated but now I feel so much better reading this, I’m going to do these exercises everyday to improve as much as I can. Thanks for the help!
Oh, ohhhhh. Thats why I lost 10 years worth of drawing experience switching to the comp. Seems like this will work. Alright then, ill give the tablet another go.
Hey, great tutorial. Almost reminds me like WRITING teaching in basic school. Really it is
And its good in that way let me tell you 
Do you have to treat your arm and the pencil as if they were phantom? Like ehterial, since pressure on tablet is nothing like normal fysical pressure on paper?
Also, i am drwain fantasy – landscape -cityscape art… therefore are there any special problems or conditions with those?
Hello Anojat,
Thanks for your comments. Not sure what you mean by “phantom”, I’ve been messing with a tablet now long enough where I don’t even think about my arm any more. A tablet really is like a musical instrument; You spend some time learning where you’re fingers and hands are meant to go, but after a while it becomes second nature. The whole key is regular practice.
landscape and cityscape art, although different to anatomy or creature creation with different techniques, essentially benefits from these lessons too. The whole idea is to get used to a tablet to the point it becomes second nature. After that, you do what ever you want! It’s all about foundation.
Reply to you:
By “phantom” i mean transparent, like a ghost. Hand just moving over the tablet not making much pressure or stroking as with paper.
Hmmm second nature? I guess when children learn how to write for the first time, would be similiar experience to this?
Still i think building and cityspace needs some use with pentool and Linetool, but the problem that i have “At the moment” is that my tablet seems to be little off as if its either too small or that i am holding it/pen wrong or both…
Yeah sorry I see what you mean.
Phantom wise, TBH I just draw with the same pressure I do when sketching. Thing is when sketching lighter lines are far easier to get darker, but darker lines are MUCH harder to make lighter, even with a good eraser as you can “scar” your paper.
When using a tablet I sort of naturally keep that in mind and so my strokes do tend to be lighter, even though technically it does not matter on a computer.
But no matter your pressure, you should be able to adjust your tablet in it’s settings. Try not to over think it too much. If you do you won’t be in you’re natural artistic rhythm. Just flow with your strokes, not too fast and not too slow (See the tutorial for details), and the pressure will sort its self out.
City Scape wise you would need a lot of lines and hard edges as the buildings are normally less organic.
Things I could recommend:
1) Use a flat edge brush to get the hard edges whilst still keeping it “arty” See an example here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQL4NGm3tHA
2) Another trick, I’ve really only just found out about. If you’re using Photoshop (and some other applications) you can use the brush tool and still paint straight lines. You click once, then hold down the Shift key, and click again and you get a dead straight line.
Though to be honest I prefer to try and draw lines free hand as it’s good practice.
3) I’d recommend looking at the Gnomon DVD’s from Ryan Church (master painter at ILM) as he goes through just this sort of stuff. HERE
i couldn’t help to not comment…
you gave me hope… i thought i should’ve bought bigger sized tablets…
thank you very much…
im so glad i found this to, im 14 and have just started using my tablet, my training starts tomorrow
thank you this is very useful.i have problem to draw vertical lines do you know any trick about it?
What a relief to come by this post at the time of need, I seriously gave up on the tablet and concluded that I needed the Wacom Cintiq to get the rhythm I wanted, but the price was too much to bear so it left me frustrated.
Thank you so much for this.
If you’re using Photoshop or Painter, they have the ability to rotate the canvas (at least in the latest versions anyway).
If you don’t have this ability, try drawing from the top of the canvas down, rather than away from you. Simply put, if you struggle with anything like this, the only way around it is persistent and consistent practice.