how often do you draw?

[bahn]

I have a tablet for my pc... I do pretty much all of my current "real work" on it these days. It really doesn't need a lot of room - 'tis a wee Graphire2 that I love to death, but I've been using this pc cart thing for my desk for over a year or so now, and it's finally just starting to wear too thin. I want a desk where I can keep some of my reference materials, cds, etc near by, right where I can reach them, and not feel cluttered.

I always wonder, how does one "sketch" on that thing?

Hero: my job doesn't allow me to just sit around and scribble.

[Lenneth]

Yeah, I believe "oekaki" is pretty much like "doodle" or such in Japanese, as opposed to "rakugi" (something like that, I forget exactly) which is "sketch".

Sketching with a Wacom takes practice. *laughs* My main method of sketching these days involves mainly the airbrush tool in a given program - I've been using Painter a lot lately, also a very simple little program called openCanvas. I'll start with very soft strokes and vague shapes, then darken the color and decrease the size of the airbrush or switch to the pencil tool, and add detail and clarity, like so ... these are the best examples I have handy, I guess. It's still not quite the same as having a pencil in your hand over a piece of paper, but it works for me. It certainly doesn't limit my creativity, and that's the most important thing.

Also, if you do purchase a tablet from Wacom, one of the pack-in programs is Painter Classic, which is a very fun and helpful to experiment with. It's got plenty of tools to experiment in, including pencil, inks, actual paint brushes, etc. It has one of the nicest watercolor tools as well, and quite a bit of flexibility in general.

[bahn]

wow. that's impressive. I had no idea that wacom's offered that much flexibility. hm, something to definitely consider as a future investment!

[AaronChance]

The best thing about getting Painter Classic free is you don't have to use it. But with it you can purchase Painter 8 upgrade, which is far cheaper than the full version.

I sketch with airbrush tool with a light grey to get my lines, then I add another layer and go over them with black. Use the same density, though my grey lines tend to be much thicker since I'm working out the general shape of the image. I draw two sketch layers actually, one is just the body and I do another layer over that for clothes so I don't disturb my body lines and accidently erase something. The final black lines are a merger of the two, basically.

The best thing about sketching this way is you can pull apart your image while you're still creating it, resize and rotating things with ease. Any little problems with things not syncing up because of this are fixed when I draw my final lines.

I really need to practice my coloring though. Painter 8 has so many coloring tools and I'm barely even aware of them.

[bahn]

yay!

today i did a sketch of hibiki, but i didn't like it. i have to get used to her character design and play around a bit more. ...least I am drawing.

[Phil Death]

i need to start drawing more... ill sit there with the pencil in hand and look down at the empty page..and then fustration sets in.....
ive come to a self realization that when i "try" it never works.....
ill post the newest pic ive done later today when i finish it .....
its funny because it started out as just some bull sh*t sketch i did while waiting for the clock to strike 8:00 am so i could leave work...

*for wacom tablet owners *
would you happen to know where i can purchase some new "nibs" or points for the pen...i seem to have misplaced my back up..??
thanks

[Atlas]

I have to say I don't draw as much as I should/would like to. I tend to draw when I need to escape from something, whether it be school, work or my personal life. It calms me when I am stressed, and when I pass them on to other people it seems to make them happier too...

[FuryFox]

would you happen to know where i can purchase some new "nibs" or points for the pen...i seem to have misplaced my back up..??
thanks

I haven't run out yet, but I'm pretty sure you can buy them from Wacom (www.wacom.com) directly. I think the University computer store sold them too.

[Saigon Radio]

Pretty much everyday.

[Knomer]

ev-very day
all day, not as much on weekends, but if there is a pencil in my hand an' paper in front of me, ill draw.
thats probably why my grades are crap.