ElementalInsanity wrote:Coming from an artist from this site I'm glad to hear all this advice. X3 Heaven knows I need it.
I've heard a ton about Wacom too and so that's the brand I'll be going with, would you mind me asking what tablet you got? Also how easy/hard is it to use how to use the Wacom? Does it feel natural using it? Or is it kind of hard to get use to?
Questions are never irritating! Goodness knows I've had lots of them.
I have an Intous Pro Medium - it's very nice, though I honestly wouldn't have minded getting a slightly smaller one, but it was Christmas present so I have no complaints. XD
It took me a few hours to install and set it up, but I think that's mostly due to my general incompetence with technology. Wacom actually has videos on it's website for help with the installation and things. Now that it's all set up, I just hook it up into my computer when I want to use it, grab the pen thing, open Firealpaca, and away I go (there's also a wireless option, but I haven't used it). It takes some getting used to, but it's a lot more natural feeling then a mouse for drawing, and a lot easier to get the hang of. If you've never worked digitally I can see how it would be very intimidating. I mean, I was intimidated just coming from doing mouse work! I think you just gotta keep at it. And that's the key - just keep on drawing and drawing until you get the hang of it. I spent the whole day drawing and sketching with it when I first set it up. And I'm still doing that now - drawing and sketching with it when I normally would be doing traditional art, or doing something else, just to really get the feel of it, and get better at it.
@spiritmoon
I know nothing about technology either! Or rather - I know just enough to get by, which usually boils down to: look it up on Google. XD
I think my statement above answered some of your questions? I'm sure it's different for every tablet, but for mine, I just had to plug it in to my computer and it started the installation process, though I had to go online to download the latest driver. It also came with a CD if you had to install it offline. Then I had to fiddle around with the settings and things, and restart things, but once I got it all sorted, it was easy enough to jump into drawing. Also, as I said, if you choose Wacom there are video tutorials available online for setting it up, and I'm sure other brands have online guides as well.
I work on Windows, but I'm pretty sure it will work on a Mac. It would depend on the individual tablet though. It should say in the devices System Requirements.
Also thank you. ^^ It was all done with a mouse (so far at least). XD I'm still new to it though. Most of the other site artists use a tablet and have a lot more experience then I do with it - they've actually been very helpful to me.
I'd also recommend checking out
Aaron's Art Tips (this is like the millionth time I've recommended this, and I don't care. I will keep recommending it until the cows come home). He does a lot of digital art as well as traditional paintings and drawings. Most of his videos focus on teaching art and animation skills, and not so much the technical things or features of tablets, but, if you're interested in any sort of digital painting I think they're worth checking out. He works with a Cintiq, I believe, and in Photoshop, so he can do a lot more fancy stuff then a free program like Firealpaca can, but it's helpful to watch nonetheless. He was also originally a traditional artist - and his videos also partially inspired me to try out a tablet finally. XD