Wacom graphire3 drawing tablet - tutorials, help, etc?

[cb911]

okay, more of my work, because you asked for it.

this time, it's up on my DeviantArt gallery:

CD cover design for Rob Zombie's "Dragula"

http://www.deviantart.com/view/11300798/ - the actual CD label

http://www.deviantart.com/view/11300872/ - the back of the CD cover

http://www.deviantart.com/view/11300894/ - the front and inside-front cover.

i'll have to come back and post the rest. i also did a CD cover for Meat Beat Manifesto's "Prime Audio Soup". i dont' mean to hi-jack the thread, but Inkmonkey did ask for more.

 

[zen]

Bah, I'm so envious of you people who can draw. I'm just a-learnin'. Hopefully at 26 I'm not too late!

Zen

 

[howard]

Bah, I'm so envious of you people who can draw. I'm just a-learnin'. Hopefully at 26 I'm not too late!

Zen

i'm in the same boat as you!

i'd love to draw, and i know i could if i practiced, but i'm so ashamed of what i draw when i doodle that i just don't practice that much. hehe

i've been thinking of picking up an old graphire2 4x5 or a new graphire3 4x5

what do you guys think of first of all the size 4x5 for an AMATEUR and also the difference between the graphire 2 and 3

thanks!

 

[zen]

Do you mean 6x8? I thought the two sizes for the graphire were 4x5 and 6x8.

I've got a new graphire3 6x8. The size is pretty good for me (being a beginner like yourself).

Most people would probably recommend an Intuos but they are just way too expensive for hobbyists. I'd say give the graphire3 a go. Not sure what the difference between the graphire2 and 3 is.

Zen.

 

[howard]

yeah, i got the sizes mixed up... 4x5 is what i meant

i can't afford an intuos, and i can't even afford a 6x8 graphire. so basically if the 4x5 graphires are worthless i might as well either hold out until i can afford a 6x8 or don't got either.

i thought i read somewhere on the http://www.applegeeks.com site that the guy who draws that comic uses a 4x5 graphire, i'm not sure, i'm searching around for a quote right now...

 

[howard]

ah here we go:

http://www.applegeeks.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=502


also what do you think of tablets from these guys:

http://www.aiptek.com/

 

[iMeowbot]

i can't afford an intuos, and i can't even afford a 6x8 graphire. so basically if the 4x5 graphires are worthless i might as well either hold out until i can afford a 6x8 or don't got either.

You really want to find a place with demo units and try them if at all possible. The smaller pads a great for portability, and can be fine for freehand work. If you need to work on finer detail, you can always zoom your image.

The bigger pads do give you more detail at higher resolutions, and they win if you ever need to do any sort of tracing.

The Graphires are decent pads, and might be a wise choice if you will be carrying them around and exposing them to the possibility of damage or theft. They don't have as many pressure levels as the Intuos, but you can still get plenty of expression out of them.

The big benefits of the Intuos pads are really more in the selection of optional pens and the extra programmable surfaces. The Graphire pen feels like a cheap ballpoint, while there are nice solid-feeling ones available for Intuos. Those things may or may not matter to you.

All the models will give you smooth and natural-feeling movement. the rest comes down to individual comfort.

 

[iMeowbot]

http://www.aiptek.com/

the price looks great, but there are still no drivers for OS X.

 

[howard]

the price looks great, but there are still no drivers for OS X.

oh jeez i didn't even realize that

i would love to demo a pad but i have no idea where i could go. I usually don't see them at your average computer store.

 

[cb911]

on the subject of other tablets, i'd try and stay away from then. they somehow seem cheap and cheesy. at least you know that Wacom is a reputable brand.

also, check my DeviantArt gallery for more stuff.http://mugget.deviantart.com/gallery/

also, check back regularly, i'm going to be making some wallpapers...

sry, now - back on topic.

 

[howard]

cb911,

what tablet do you have? have you used the 4x5 graphire's? what do you think of them?

also if there is a big difference n the graphire 2 or 3, cause i could probably pick up a graphire 2 off ebay for 1/2 the price of a 3


ok...this may be a very stupid question about tablets but..

how exactly do they work, i mean, how do you know where your pen tip on the tablet relates to where you are drawing on the screen?

 

[cb911]

i actually use a Graphire 2, 4x5". that's the only tablet i've ever used, it's been really good for me so far.

next tablet (if i have the cash after purchasing a Dual-core 17" G4 PowerBook ) i'll probably look at getting an Intuos. the new 'TouchStrip' looks to be really handy for scrolling etc., plus it has twice the amount of different pressure levels.

but the Graphire has been very good for my needs. i don't really use it that often, i guess i should be using it with Shake... i don't really know about the Graphire 3, if you can find a good Graphire 2, might as well go for it.

tablets are a very different way of working. if i could afford it, i'd have a Cintiq any day.

about knowing where you tablet is on the screen... your pen simply takes over from the mouse cursor - you can only use the mouse or tablet, not both. the tablet just uses the regualr mouse cursor.

now the tricky part comes from setting up the tablet... you can set it to either stretch, so the area of the tablet area corresponds to the whole screen area (this is a bit tricky, because the tablet ratio is quite a bit different from a wide-screen res.), or you can just set the tablet to have a 1:1 ratio with the screen, so 1cm on the table = 1cm on the screen. but then the tablet will only be active on a certain part of the screen.

i use the first method, where the tablet is effective over the whole screen. you've just got to look at the screen while you're working. althought, with the Graphire 2, there is a clear piece of plactic on the tablet, so you can put a drawing under it and trace over it with the tablet...

hope that helps you out.

 

[howard]

that does help a lot, thank you.

my only question now is how do you "click" and also, say you are drawing in photoshop, how do you set it to draw lines, instead of just move the mouse cursor around?

i feel like i'm missing something, i apologize again if these are stupid questions.

 

[zen]

The pen acts as the mouse. By tapping the end against the tablet you can click, double-click, select, choose an option, operate a button, etc, just as you would with a normal mouse. My Graphire3 pen also has a couple of ergonomic buttons on the side which you can click with your finger as you hold the pen.

The thing that is hard to get around when you first start is that the tablet area corresponds with the screen area. It's not like that with a mouse so it takes a little while to work it out. But once you get the hang of it you can operate everything in say Photoshop with the pen while you are drawing. It's a lot of fun!

Regarding drawing lines in Photoshop, you drag the pen around the tablet surface and it will draw. It's like holding down the mouse button, whenever the nib of the pen is in contact with the board you are "clicking". In fact my graphire has an LED to indicate what it is doing - green when the nib is in contact, orange when it is not.

To move around without actually drawing you just lift the pen and move it to where you want to go (say to operate a menu or select a new option, etc). The pen will actually track the cursor on the screen while it is not touching the tablet - in other words, you can follow the cursor moving if the pen is about a cm away from the surface of the tablet. It's not hard, I found it quite a natural thing. I just drew, lifted the nib a little and slid my hand across to select something, then went back to drawing.

Because the tablet area corresponds to your screen in a 1:1 ratio, you can of course lift the pen completely clear of the tablet, then "click" with the nib on the area of the tablet that corresponds to where you want to go on the screen. This takes a bit of trial and error!

Hope that answers your questions. As I say I'm a tablet novice myself but after a couple of hours doodling I feel quite comfortable with it now. In fact I was doing some text layout in photoshop the other night using the pen, and I didn't draw a single line!

Zen

that does help a lot, thank you.

my only question now is how do you "click" and also, say you are drawing in photoshop, how do you set it to draw lines, instead of just move the mouse cursor around?

i feel like i'm missing something, i apologize again if these are stupid questions.

 

[howard]

thanks a lot zen, thats pretty much what i needed to know.

that really makes me want to buy a graphire!!

 

[Inkmonkey]

i dont' mean to hi-jack the thread, but Inkmonkey did ask for more.

I did ask. Thanks.

You do some great work. You have a unique style.
Is this your main line of work?

 

[Inkmonkey]

Bah, I'm so envious of you people who can draw. I'm just a-learnin'. Hopefully at 26 I'm not too late!

Zen

Never too late. The thing to get around is not trying to copy someone else. Develop your own style that you are comfortable with. I can draw cartoons but I'm terrible at drawing realistic life stuff. So I don't.

And just pratice lots. You'll improve everyday. And I've heard taking an occasional drawing class doesn't hurt. I have to try that.

 

[Inkmonkey]

thanks a lot zen, thats pretty much what i needed to know.

that really makes me want to buy a graphire!!

I did buy an Intuos2 but only because it was a great deal from the Apple Education Store. Was only $20 more than the Graphire. Almost seemed like a mistake so I snatched it up before they changed the price on the site.
Many artists I've spoken to use a Graphire. A Graphire2 will do everything you need if you can find one cheap. The 3s just have a few more buttons that you may never use as a beginner (or even advanced user) anyway.

 

[cb911]

I did ask. Thanks.

You do some great work. You have a unique style.
Is this your main line of work?

very kind of you to say so. i did those CD covers last semester when i was at college studying graphic design. now i'm studying visual FX (for movies and stuff ) hopefully i'll get to have editing/FX as my main line of work...

about how you click and draw on the tablet - you just think of it as a normal piece of paper. you put the pen in contact with the tablet, it draws (and acts as if the mouse button is clicked). to move the cursor, you just sort of skim it accross the top of the surface of the tablet, without touching it. if the pen is about 1cm from the tabet surface, it'll pick it up, so you can move the cursor like that.

best to go to your nearest Apple store and ask for a demo some time.

about not copying someone else's style... i'd say sure, dont' copy people, but nothing wrong with trying to emulate someone's style. i even used to try and copy other drawings, you'll be amazed how that can help your own drawing progress, and you'll pick up alot of different techniques that will blend together to make your own style. just remember to break objects down into their basic forms before trying to draw detail into them. this way you can get the proportions and perspective right before you start on the details.

another tip - it's not always necessary to have lots of tiny details. for example a hand doesn't always need to have 5 fingers (well, 4 fingers and a thumb ) drawn on it. if it looks ok, just draw a sort of shaped blob, or maybe 3 shapes coming off the hand, and let the viewer fill in the rest of the details. if you have the right movement, shapes and colors to suggeset an action, the viewer will usually fill in the rest.

 

[howard]

I did buy an Intuos2 but only because it was a great deal from the Apple Education Store. Was only $20 more than the Graphire. Almost seemed like a mistake so I snatched it up before they changed the price on the site.
Many artists I've spoken to use a Graphire. A Graphire2 will do everything you need if you can find one cheap. The 3s just have a few more buttons that you may never use as a beginner (or even advanced user) anyway.

hmm for me there are no price cuts on the educational store

 

[Inkmonkey]

hmm for me there are no price cuts on the educational store

This was the Canadian Apple Store. And the Intuos2 isn't even listed in there anymore. Was taken down shortly after I ordered mine. I assume because they will be selling the 3s soon.

 

[cb911]

i just found an example of how to best use the blue lead pencil i was talking about. check it out here:

http://www.victordavila.com/sketchbook/david.html

hope that helps to clarify that.