Thread: Drawing tablet? Anime program?

You know what you did with the drawing over a traced picture with Photoshop? Why don't you just continue doing that? Or you could go solo and draw them yourself.

I don't have an opinion on tablets, but I'd recommend going to best buy and asking the geek squad, They usually have pretty good suggestions.

Originally Posted by Jdeadevil

You know what you did with the drawing over a traced picture with Photoshop? Why don't you just continue doing that? Or you could go solo and draw them yourself.

I don't want to keep tracing stuff...I can draw but it would make things easier for me if I had a tablet. I could easily edit my work in photoshop than pencil and paper. Plus I don't have to worry about smudges or anything...

Plus using the pen tool takes forever...

Anime program? You mean, like an anim-ation program? The only one I know of is Flash, which is expensive (unless you pirate it, but no one does that). If you just mean something that's conductive to anime/manga style drawings, I guess a vector art program would be good for cell shading, but I think you can do vectors in Photoshop.

Yeah I mean anime/manga. And you can do cell-shading in photoshop too. But theres probably something out there that makes it easier to do.

Originally Posted by Mark75

Anime program? You mean, like an anim-ation program? The only one I know of is Flash, which is expensive (unless you pirate it, but no one does that). If you just mean something that's conductive to anime/manga style drawings, I guess a vector art program would be good for cell shading, but I think you can do vectors in Photoshop.

Yes, you can. And Paint Shop Pro.

Originally Posted by slayer

Yeah I mean anime/manga. And you can do cell-shading in photoshop too. But theres probably something out there that makes it easier to do.

Probably. You might want to look into vector art programs, then.

Originally Posted by Jdeadevil

Yes, you can. And Paint Shop Pro.

I hate that program.

I'll bet the feeling's mutual .

I have a Wacom Intuos 3, it's really great. Adobe Illustrator is good for vector art.

I've got a Wacom CTE-440. I'd suggest nothing less than Wacom. (It's really the only one I have experience with, but I've heard a lot of horror-stories about other brands.)

Originally Posted by Seismosaur

I'll bet the feeling's mutual .

Uh... because a program hates me? Is that what you were trying to do there?

...No.

I'm sure that Final Cut Studio 2 can do that easily, but it's expensive. I guess if you can afford Photoshop then you can afford FCP though.

I'd think Photoshop would work just fine, after all, South Park is made in Photoshop.

There is no software to help you draw anime. It's drawn by hand just like any art.
How you draw it, on paper and then scan it or via a tablet, is your choice, but nothing will replace a hand-drawn sketch and Photoshop for colouring and shading, though that requires some studying too.

I agree with the Wacom as far as tablets. Photoshop is the graphics and image manipulation software of choice - although if you want to do some realistic painting effects, check out Painter (now Painter X). I don't have this latest version, but back in the day it could simulate different types of media (watercolor, pastel, oils, etc.) and different papers. Can't imagine how much fun this new version would be.

As far as technique, I'd like to recommend one to you if you like anime:

Draw your subject
Scan it
Pull it into a vector program (such as Illustrator)
Trace the lines (using the pen tool and least amount of points possible)
Experiment with different stroke types, like marker, brush, straight, etc.
Save it
Open in Photoshop
Make sure your drawing is on the top layer then set its mode to "multiply"
Create a layer beneath it and start coloring!

It's as if you were working on a traditional animation cell.

Originally Posted by Tornado Joe

As far as technique, I'd like to recommend one to you if you like anime:

Draw your subject
Scan it
Pull it into a vector program (such as Illustrator)
Trace the lines (using the pen tool and least amount of points possible)
Experiment with different stroke types, like marker, brush, straight, etc.
Save it
Open in Photoshop
Make sure your drawing is on the top layer then set its mode to "multiply"
Create a layer beneath it and start coloring!

It's as if you were working on a traditional animation cell.

Wait, so inking really is outdated?

In the sense that the outline can be traced in Illustrator and you have a clean scan? But won't that reduce the...smoothness? Or is the tracing in Illustrator done through the tablet?

I've just always been under the impression that anything but colouring and shading done with software turns out rather...stale, fake looking.

Wait, so inking really is outdated?

I've just always been under the impression that anything but colouring and shading done with software turns out rather...stale, fake looking

No, inking is still done and an artform in itself which takes great skill. However, for someone not as skilled and specialized in inking, tracing the image with a vector program will yield incredibly clean and smooth lines (obviously), gives you the ability to 'undo' any mistakes instantly, and an infinite number of ways to correct the line. If you've ever used the pen tool in Flash or Illustrator you know what I mean. And you would not use the tablet for the tracing. You could, but it's much easier clicking on points and using the bezier handles. It takes practice just like anything else, but once you learn it's great.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this method if you were doing an entire comic book - and specially not an entire animation sequence!! But for one piece of art it can really make a difference. If fact, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if the dude with the white hair in your sig was outlined with vector lines. Those curves look way too smooth and angular (and appear to be tinted with color, a technique used a lot in some animations such as the ones found on campchaos.com)

Ok so all I really need now is a tablet? I don't think I have Illustrator and I don't feel like getting it. I can do my stuff in photoshop. But whats a good cheap Wacom tablet?

What about this one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823100045
It seems good and it's the cheapest one on newegg. I have yet to look at Ebay for anything.

Is there really that much appeal in a tablet?
What makes it better than sketching by hand and scanning?

I haven't used a tablet but I'm guess it would be a whole lot easier because you wouldn't have to worry about eraser smudges and if your using photoshop, you can make new layers and keep things more organized.

Aye, but it's a...tablet! This awkward...thing, lying there...and making you look to the screen instead of your drawing space...

Maybe it's just me but I can't imagine drawing on anything but paper with a pencil. o.o

Originally Posted by Merlock

Maybe it's just me but I can't imagine drawing on anything but paper with a pencil. o.o

Only a philistine deprives himself of the wonders of MS Paint. For shame, Merlock.

Digital inking! Illustrator power!

I can't believe I've been turned away from drawing all this time due to not being aware of it...
I kept thinking that I'd have to trace the sketches by hand or whatnot...
Oh, the injustice of my own ignorance.

What makes it better than sketching by hand and scanning?

Sketching and scanning is still recommended. The tablet is most valuable when doing the coloring or airbrushing because you can control things like size and opacity of the stroke depending on the pressure you apply.

Aye, but it's a...tablet! This awkward...thing, lying there...and making you look to the screen instead of your drawing space...

It's just another tool that you learn how to handle. Didn't you find it awkward the first time you tried using a brush (compared to a hard-tipped medium like a pencil)? Ever try calligraphy?

it's really weird at first, but you eventually get the 'feel' of the pen on the tablet and it's effect on the screen. Only thing that can get tricky is if your tablet is at an angle while you draw - it's accuracy suffers a bit.