Help me learn WACOM

If your new to the wacom, spend a few days using the Mac OS X with the pen only. Then for tracing, make a layer on top of a pict and trace it using your walcom. You can also use illustrator is live trace something and then layer it and trace it. Don't exspect to get good at it over nite. Its going to take 1-2 weeks.

What size is your tablet and monitor?

Benjamindaines said:

4 x 5 and 17" iMac

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I see. Well in that case I would suggest you get an A4 tablet if you possibly can as it would allow a 1:1 ratio between screen and tablet and this would make gestural strokes much more natural. Especially if you want to be able to draw as well as copy.

It takes a while to get used to a wacom especilally since when we draw we usually look at the pen and image, but with a pad, you have to look at the screen and draw... just takes longer to get used to it... but once you do it feels very natural.

xparaparafreakx said:

Don't exspect to get good at it over nite. Its going to take 1-2 weeks.

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Can somebody recommend me a good tutorial on how to color line-drawings with Illustrator? I just don't get it, what's the right/best way to fill areas (especially if the faces are sometimes open, as in cartoons)??

Im am thinking about getting a wacom tablet and I cannot decide if i should get the 4x6, 6x8, or 6x11. i was wondering if there was a way to change the tablet so that it does not control the menus and such but just controls a 4x6, 6x8, or 6x11 area on your screen. My desk is pretty is really small but I should be getting a big L desk soon so thats not much of a problem. i will be using it mostly for the creative suite apps and the studio apps including photoshop, illustrator, flash... I am only 12 and know a good bit about photoshop from lessons in the adobe photoshop cs2 classroom in a book book. I know a little bit on how to create games in flash and I am getting a adobe Illustrator cs2 classroom in a book soon so thanks for helping me.

I have the Intuos3 6x8 and absolutely love it. I had the biggest Intuos2 and realized that it was much bigger than I needed. I sold it and bought a smaller one when the new ones came out. I end up not using the whole area since I prefer to draw with a small stroke. It really depends on what you want to do and your way of drawing. With a bigger one you can always set it to use a smaller area of the drawing pad thus not having to make such big strokes. But if you prefer to have it this way most of the time then the extra space is wasted and with the desk I have now I can hardly fit the drawing pad and keyboard side by side as it is. That's just my opinion but I hope it helps. *S*

linkinpark said:

Im am thinking about getting a wacom tablet and I cannot decide if i should get the 4x6, 6x8, or 6x11.

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I used to use an A3 Tablet with a 21" monitor. But now I use a 17" monitor and an A4 Tablet. If you ask for advice on what size to get you will always be told how happy people are with their little wacoms, but you follow that advice at your own future loss. I guess a big tablet may seem expensive for you, but instead of looking at the cost of an A4 look at the difference in cost between an A4 and a smaller tablet instead. Also consider that unlike a computer or monitor or hard drive, a tablet can last you for 20 years and more.

My advice would not to get less than A4 size, you will never regret it.

Fotograffiti said:

I have the Intuos3 6x8 and absolutely love it. I had the biggest Intuos2 and realized that it was much bigger than I needed. I sold it and bought a smaller one when the new ones came out. I end up not using the whole area since I prefer to draw with a small stroke. It really depends on what you want to do and your way of drawing. With a bigger one you can always set it to use a smaller area of the drawing pad thus not having to make such big strokes. But if you prefer to have it this way most of the time then the extra space is wasted and with the desk I have now I can hardly fit the drawing pad and keyboard side by side as it is. That's just my opinion but I hope it helps. *S*

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Same here. I had the 12x12 intuos and that thing was way too big. Ended up never using it. I switched to the 6x8 bt graphire and love it.

weg said:

Can somebody recommend me a good tutorial on how to color line-drawings with Illustrator? I just don't get it, what's the right/best way to fill areas (especially if the faces are sometimes open, as in cartoons)??

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Well in Flash I have the fill area set to large opening but you could just draw a line to connect the "open end/area">fill with color>now delete that line you just put in and your set. That is if your using layers until the end or you feel good about an area to cut and paste it on one layer whenever.
So, that's how I've done it in Flash as I've yet to dabble in Illustrator. Hope this might help you out

I'll vouch for the 6x8 size. On a range of screens from 12-19" it worked well for me. It also worked well, regardless of whether it was 4:3 or 16:9 ratio screen.

I find my Graphire BT somewhat limiting though as I can't tilt the pen thing as much as I like. I don't like wires though, so it's not that bad a compromise.