Chit-Chat: "L'art pour l'art" - DCC

[SvelteDonut]

Word up! Mine is 5+ years old and still kicking! I bring it everywhere withe me.

 

[Sylphiel]

I don't think I could live without a tablet by now. :'D I mean, I could and I have, but it definitely makes computer painting so much easier.

(Although mostly just the painting for me, oddly enough. Other things like lineart, not so much.)

 

[Ice1]

I'm glad that I don't have to make that expense for sprite art, haha, but I kinda want to get into drawing, and such a tablet seems really cool.

 

[SvelteDonut]

A tablet does have quite a bit of a learning curve tho. Transitioning from paper is a bit hard IMO.

 

[Fairy]

Tablets and pixel art don't quite mesh for me. I find it's hard to maintain perfect control for some reason? Like my hand wants to draw but my brain wants to plant one pixel and everything gets complicated.

Though, my tablet is approaching three years old now, and it may be time to put her out to pasture. :( Poor thing has seen better days.

 

[alisaie]

Yeah I don't quite see how Pixel Art and Tablets can work. But I can't imagine not having my tablet anymore which is funny because with my first tablet I didn't like it haha. But coloring and lineart and just... everything is so much easier with a tablet than a mouse and especially easier than a touchpad.

 

[Sylphiel]

Yeah, pixel art is definitely better done with a mouse, I've done sketches for pixels before using the tablet but it's far easier placing the actual pixels with a mouse. A little more precision, I guess.

Oh god, touchpads. I've never used those seriously for art and from what I've tried before I don't want to.

 

[Ice1]

I think keyboard and mouse is the best way to approach pixel art. A tablet seems like it would be less precise/quick when placing pixels.

All old drawing tablets can be send to me, if you really don't want them anymore.

 

[alisaie]

I used to color scans for icons and such with a touchpad it was a paaain but I managed. Never going back to that now that I have a tablet though hahah.

 

[Circuit]

I wouldn't go back to using a mouse for graphics and stuff that I do, now I have a tablet. Though I do need to get it out more, I just haven't got the time or energy to do much at the moment :/

 

[Fairy]

I wouldn't go back to using a mouse for graphics and stuff that I do, now I have a tablet. Though I do need to get it out more, I just haven't got the time or energy to do much at the moment :/

Ah.. same. To be honest, I've kind of... lost my drive to doodle? Like I draw in my sketch book all the time but actually breaking out the tablet has become a bit of a chore. I almost feel like whatever I'm working on isn't good enough for a digital format, you know?

/sigh art slump :(

 

[Nina]

Hey look I appeared again just to work on the contest haha. I wish we could show progress but I understand why we can't, judging at all. I at least got an idea of what I want today, but I should go to bed soon.

In the discussion of tablets, it's pretty interesting the difference between each use. I try to use my tablet to do sprite art sometimes, but I have to zoom in 500% with a grid, so it's easier to use a mouse honestly when you're getting down to a pixel to pixel to level. That's when doing sprite art with photoshop, which now that I have a mac is what I do. I used to do everything on MS paint and would redownload the xp version on every new computer because I was so used to it and had problems with the vista one!

Right now I have a wacom drawing tablet, but during my time in college I got really used to the cintiqs and honestly...nothing can beat drawing directly on the screen! However due to cost and space room I have just a mid sized tablet. I got a bigger desk just so I could always have my scanner and tablet ON the table at all times so I can't ever get lazy about drawing to doodling. I've made it as easy as possible to pick up my tablet and draw. If I keep it clean I can even keep it above my keyboard and just swap them when I want to draw, but right now I have too many things on my desk and too tired after work to clean it.

Yeah, pixel art is definitely better done with a mouse, I've done sketches for pixels before using the tablet but it's far easier placing the actual pixels with a mouse. A little more precision, I guess.

Oh god, touchpads. I've never used those seriously for art and from what I've tried before I don't want to.

I don't know how, but my very talented graphic design friend has and continues to do all of her design work in illustrator/indesign/photoshop pretty much always on a touchpad. She has a mouse if she needs it, but she's so pro at using the touchpad and is really fast at it and I have no idea how she does it!

 

[SvelteDonut]

What do you guys think of the Surface as a tablet? It looks like it's got great potential.

 

[Circuit]

If you mean in regards to anything to do with graphics, I would never sacrifice an actual graphics tablet for it, no way. It is an iPad laptop convertible. That's it lol

 

[Nina]

What do you guys think of the Surface as a tablet? It looks like it's got great potential.

I had a little bit of forward money, so I decided to try one out by buying it and returning it within the limit and that's what I did. This was when the Surface was at Pro 2. This is the full windows one, not the mobile one.
It ran full fledged photoshop + illustrator while I was working on very large panting canvases very well! The pen worked with good precision, and I could really see people using it professionally as a drawing tablet, as well as a general computer as it runs video games better than any computer I had at the time.

The only problem I had was it was just a little too small for me. I could probably get around it if I used those on key shortcuts, but I didn't have enough time to optimize. I didn't end up keeping it as I needed that money for future rent, and what I was looking for was something I could work 8+ hours on comfortably. I could do pretty well, but with already having back problems, I needed something large enough that I could see and prop up/be at my eye level, so it wasn't for me.

But man if I had some extra money that would be an excellent drawing computer/tablet! It's nice to just draw while you're on the couch and what not. : )

 

[Fairy]

Oh wow, that's for such a comprehensive review of the product! I admit, I haven't done much research into the unit since those usually don't catch my attention, but your opinion is really helpful. I think Svelte said it best, it has potential. I don't think I'll be getting one myself, though. I have a hard enough time using my existing tablet as it is and I really can't be spending money on something I might use in the future.

Still defs gonna check it out if I ever see a display though.

 

[Nina]

Oh wow, that's for such a comprehensive review of the product! I admit, I haven't done much research into the unit since those usually don't catch my attention, but your opinion is really helpful. I think Svelte said it best, it has potential. I don't think I'll be getting one myself, though. I have a hard enough time using my existing tablet as it is and I really can't be spending money on something I might use in the future.

Still defs gonna check it out if I ever see a display though.

Unfortunately half the time at best buy the Surface displays are broken/not working. I attribute that to best buy thou, not the product. :|

It's also good to reiterate that this was last year I did this and there's a newer model out that can only be better!
You are right thought that if you haven't been constantly doing digital art/need it to be mobile it's hard to justify the cost. It really is a pretty penny for the appropriate model, comparing the cost to getting a desktop + normal drawing tablet. (Which is what I ended up opting for. Having a huge desktop screen plus a second display is pretty great for doing art or design.)

If I ever end up getting one again I'll make sure to give everyone a more comprehensive look!

 

[Fairy]

Ugh, typical Best Buy. I wouldn't be surprised if there's no working model on the entire east coast lol.

But yeah, with an existing tablet/computer set up that works, I can't justify the purchase now. Though I'm definitely at least going to do the research about it because it seems like it could be really convenient (and fun!). Especially if there's now an updated, more efficient model out. My tablet, while I love it, has gone a little unresponsive on me? It's an older wacom and it's got some wear and tear, so I'm probably due for an upgrade at some point in the future anyway.

Though I'm old and stuck in my ways soooo we'll see lmao.

 

[Candy]

I haven't touched my tablet since last year. The drivers aren't working well on my laptop anymore so I just kinda gave up. Leaving home for college also helps lol.

It's also almost 3 years old lol I actually just noticed that as well. Man time flies.

 

[Circuit]

I love having two screens for graphics and stuff. It's super helpful for dragging stuff around, separate designs and such like. After I've been shopping today, I'm going to get to work on doing some graphics and getting that new gallery opened. Sigh. It's raining too.