Wacom Tablets

#1 I have a Wacom Tablet and I used it for a bit but switched to the new Logitech Laser Mouse (20x precision of optical without the glaring red light). I use it in Photoshop, MAX...well, everything! It's VERY nice. :) I like the Wacom Tablet but it seems to take some getting used to - so you are probably not missing anything...except practice :) I think it's just a matter of preference for mouse vs. tablet. I think that when I get more into the art aspect of my game, I will give the tablet a try again.

#2 I have had a few tablets so far. I started out with just the small $100 grafire wacom tablet which I still have. Then I moved to the $2500 (at the time) Cintiq 15x wacom LCD tablet( it is now like $1500). I sold that and moved to an ACER 14" laptop tablet($2000).
Tablets are the greatest thing. I havent found a negative from any of the ones that i have owned. Ive been able to wip out textures and concept art faster than ever and not have to worry about running out of paper, ink, pencil etc.
My advice with you just starting in the art side would be to start off like I did with just the cheap small graphire from wacom. Now the nonLCD ones you have to get used to cause your looking up at the screen while your drawing down on the tablet. Kinda wierd but you get used to it.
thats my 2 cents on that

#3 Depending on what art style you're aiming for (from your post, I take it you're looking at digital painting of sorts), you should probably start with art fundamentals. It may not be exactly what you're looking for, but there's no trick to using a tablet over, say, using a pencil or paintbrush (aside from the fact that it's less hassle and certainly not as messy ;). One book I always recommend to anyone starting out with art in general is Betty Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. It's what I started with a few years ago, and it comes highly recommended from established professionals as well. It's a bit theory heavy (I personally lap that sort of stuff up), but the exercises provided are really quite effective, and introduce you to some of the key fundamentals to drawing and art.
Andrew Loomis' books are also a fantastic and time-proven resource.
Another thing you'll want to look at is some books or resources on color theory and its applications.

Now, some web links.
Ron Lemen on blocking
Prometheus' tutorial
CGTalk.com Art Discussion Forum

You'll note that none of the stuff I've provided is specifically geared towards digital art, for the reasons outlined above. One word of advice, too, is to steer clear of the tutorials of the "Tips and Tricks" variety (you mentioned the ones on the Wacom site, which are exactly that). The reason being that all they really tgive you is a process with which you can approach a specific type of situation. They can be useful here and there, but they're typically less than helpful, and certainly so for a beginner. Another tip that cannot be stressed enough. Buy yourself a sketchbook and pencil, go out to the park or mall, and draw from life. Keep at it, don't let initial forays discourage you, should they turn out less than satisfactory. I hate to bring up the cliche, but practice makes perfect (well, better, anyways, since art can never truly approach perfection ;).

I reckon I should step off the soapbox now. :-p Hope the above helped some, and welcome to the fray. :)

#4 Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated.

Jacob: Reason I wanted to try the tablet was pressure sensitivity. Makes for some pretty effects in Photoshop. Not sure if that can be achieved via the mouse. The laser mouse sounds awesome for 3DS though.

Dale: I've actually already bought the smallest intuos without too much expenditure. Been getting acclimatized to it by using it for normal navigation as well.

Lotekk: Very helpful. I pretty much knew that a tablet won't create art by itself, like TGE won't create the next big game without work and skill. I was more interested in finding out how it would differ from traditional art in terms of technique and workflow. But, fundamentals are always welcome. God knows I need them! ;)

#5 This is a generalization, but what you do with any drawing tablet is no different than what you would do with pen and paper and paint. If you learn about fundamentals, you will be able to put your tablet to good use. If not, you can still have a lot of fun, but Im not sure how much quality art you are going to be able to produce.

#6 As a Lefty a Wacom tablet is must for me in Photoshop, ZBrush, and XSI. I just tap into a another level of creativity when I use my Left hand with a Wacom Tablet rather than my Right hand with a Mouse. I picked up a Graphire3 two months ago and my work has drastically improved. Below are two images I did for web and print since getting my Wacom. I had to complete both images within a day so they are rushed and I used a ref pic for the second image. I'll also be posting some free concept art I've been working on next week. Sorry about the format, but I have not made jpegs of the images without text yet.


Now that I have used the Graphire3 for a while I wish I would have gotten the Intuos. With the Intuos you get twice the level of pressure sensitivity, but most of all it tracks your pen's angle! I did not know that Graphires did not track the pen angle when I had bought it and have found that I cannot fully utilize some Photoshop pen tablet features.

As for learning to use your Wacom try Lynda.com. $25 a month for unlimited access is much cheaper than buying the CD-ROMs. Their introduction to Corel Painter IX has a great section on setting up and using a Wacom Tablet. The Photoshop vids do too, but I have not checked them out yet. I have found that watching someone work makes a huge difference when building confidence and learning.
http://www.lynda.com/
http://movielibrary.lynda.com/html/modPage.asp?ID=124

If you want to get deeper into Digital Art I highly recommend The Gnomon Workshop, especially if you can get a student discount. You get to learn from industry pros as they work on high quality projects.
http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/

Just keep in mind as you are watching that you are learning one persons' process. The process you use to create images may be completely different. And of course, remember that everything takes practice. Start and complete some images and your confidence, knowledge, and skill will grow quickly.

By the way, my background is in programming as well.

#7 Exactly what I was looking for Joe! Combined with Teck's stuff, I've got a lot of material to get started with.

Thanks!

#8 I'd be careful about recommending resources such as those for now. Don't get me wrong, Gnomon is an amazing resource with a wealth of information, but it's tailored to those with a very firm grasp of the fundamentals.

#9 Yes, I was giving those links as an addition to the resources you mentioned. Yours focus on getting the fundamentals down where I tried to focus on resources for getting up to speed with the tools.

#10 Good point. With that in mind, I'll second the Gnomon Workshop (I'm not familiar with the other resource linked, but it looks pretty thorough, to say the least). The Sijun forums were another amazing source of inspiration and knowledge when I was starting out. The Digital Art Discussion section can get pretty theory heavy, but if you're into that kind of thing as I am, you'll likely find it very enlightening. Also check out the speedpainting threads in the Works in Progress section, as those are some real eye-openers.

#11 If you've done some classical "pen'n paper" drawing before, there's one tip that might help those just starting to tame tablet - one of the weirdest things with tablet, is the lack of usual friction between pen/pencil and paper. At least it was for me, and i had used to it a lot. Just put a paper sheet over the tablet (scotch it on or something) - dont choose too thick paper, though. It helps alot taming the wacom.

#12 I got a little Wacomm Intuos 2 a few months ago. Strangely enough i'm worse with the tablet than the mouse. I cannot draw a strait line to save my life, but with a mouse i can do them no problem. It's frustrating as on paper i'm not anywhere as bad.

#13 One word of caution if you decide to use a sheet of paper on your tablet. You'll go through pen nibs like they were going out of style. ;) Not that the replacement nibs are at all expensive, mind you.

#14 First of I'm with Teck Lee art is not something you just get "into", but I will save you the lecture :).

As for a Wacom tablet don't approach it to much as pen and paper but more like canvas and brush.
Don't think you are going to be drawing straight lines and sharp outlines now that you have a pen in your hand..

I usually do quick sketches which work fine with a wacom. After that I start blocking out shapes with big brushes and collors and work from there every pass putting in more detail with smaller brushes.

Apart from that there are to many techniques and tips for making good art into great art but first you will have to learn how to make it "good". Make sure you know your lighting rules as well as perspective and anatomy rules to name a few. Invest time and practice as much as you can you will see progress soon with or with out a wacom.

#15 I think everyone is capable of producing art. Art is something that comes from the soul so anybody should be able to get "into" it. It comes in many forms besides traditional or "fine" art. Personally, I have not tried to create any art with my Wacom yet, only Illustrations. Each project has had a strict deadline too.

I think in most cases people pick up a Wacom not because they want to create Art on their PC, but because they want to be more productive at Illustration, Digital imaging, or Production Art. For these people I would advise that they not look at their Wacom like it is a Pencil or Brush and then ignore the funtionality of their software and hardware. Don't change your workflow because of the Wacom. Keep using Layers, Lasso Tools, Flood Fills, and your Scanner. If you are aiming at becoming more productive then it can be useful to view another professional's process.

I might not be able to draw lines as smoothly with my Wacom as I could with a Pencil, but I do not really need to worry about that. If I want a straight line I can use a Line Tool. For smooth curves I use the Pen Tool with Bezier Curves. If you know how to use Photoshop with a mouse don't start using it any differently because you got a Wacom. In fact, I don't look at my Wacom as being very different from my mouse. It is just more comfortable to use, more intuitive, and makes me more productive. I even use it in 3D apps like XSI.

Of course I could be wrong and you actually do want to paint and draw on your PC. In that case start with traditional media because if you cannot get it down with traditional media then a Wacom and PC are not going to help.

#16 Great art can be made with a mouse, too!

www.naomichen.sanctuslegacy.com/GR

gunnerromantic.deviantart.com

Nothing there was made with anything but a mouse, and physical tools. Although a tablet (even a Graphire3 4x5 for $99) can streamline or speed up production, a mouse can do every function (although, it's nearly impossible to do hair strands). Don't expect a tablet to instantly make you a great artist. As with every new art tool, a tablet takes some experience to get used to it.

#17 Here's a tutorial I like by an artist I like. It covers a few different techniques and some broader principles of working with a tablet and photoshop.

www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=18980

#18 Jeff... Fantastic link. Thanks!

#19 I can't believe I forgot the ConceptArt.org forums. :)

#20 Tom,
If you can't draw a straight line, and you also have dual monitors, you need to go into the wacom settings and make sure it's set up for only one monitor. Otherwise it stretches the tablet across both monitors, distorting your drawing. Good luck!