So you bought yourself a new tablet. Pen tablets are all the rage in the design industry as an extraordinary asset for any designer or artist. Their incredible technology allows artists to have the comfort of traditional pencil to paper methods without all the fussy mess or extra supplies. Whether your new to tablets or just upgrading, getting comfortable with the handling and basics of the tablet is very important to its use.
Old Tablet vs New Tablet
My first tablet was an affordable UC-Logic version purchased at a computer show three years ago. The tablet is 5.5×4 in size with an accompanying ballpoint-like pen and holder. In fact, this setup often confused people at work who would reach for the nearest pen only to discover it had no ink. Although it wasn’t as stylish as the latest tablets on the market, it did its job despite the abuse it encountered. Three years later and you’ll see the pen is covered in teeth marks and taped together from a clumsy accident, which bent the metal securing the battery inside. Both the tablet and pen still work but it was definitely time for an upgrade.
My new tablet is a Wacom Bamboo much sleeker in design to my previous one. The pen is very solid with seemingly no chance of bending from my clumsy design habits, and actually took some time to get used to despite being a previous tablet owner. Firstly, the detection of each pen to the tablet differed slightly. I often found myself bringing the Wacom pen back to the center of the tablet for freer movement and better detection, whereas I had less restricted movement on the UC-Logic grid. However, the red tab at the bottom of the Wacom tablet is a much more convenient addition for portable pen storage by keeping both tools together at all times.
The biggest concern for new tablet owners is getting comfortable to the handling of the device. "How can I see what I’m drawing on the screen if I’m looking at the tablet," is the question I get asked the most from non-owners. So, here are four easy ways to break in your new tablet.
1. Use Tablet For Everyday Browsing
Programming yourself to use a tablet is similar to learning how to type without looking at the keyboard. For the most part you’re looking at the screen the entire time until you take the pen too far from the tablet. One of the best ways to get used to this is to first use your tablet for everything except digital art. Use it to surf the web, highlight text, and scroll up and down a page. Also get familiar with the button on the pen, which can be used to bring up a program’s normal options by right-clicking.
2. Experiment With Settings And Tools
One of the incredible benefits of using a pen tablet is the beautiful artwork that can be created. First make sure the tablet’s driver is properly installed in order to reap the benefits of pen pressure in Photoshop. Pen pressure can only be utilized while using a tablet, otherwise the brushes stay solid without the ability to taper at the end like a pen stroke. Experiment with the brush settings to create custom brushes for your next project. Though tablets are more widely known for their use as tools to draw with in Photoshop, take advantage of using other tools with ease such as the pen, lasso, and slicing tools, amongst many others.
3. Practice Your Signature
Our signature and handwriting is something that stays considerably constant throughout our lifetime. Because handwriting often results in quick, swift strokes, writing in Photoshop is an easy exercise you can do to get used to a new tablet. Practice your signature a dozen times or write a few lines of sentences in order to get comfortable with the tablet’s pen. When I first tried this, I was surprised to feel and see a difference in signature from the old to the new tablet.
4. Start A New Art Project
The best way to improve in any endeavor is to practice, practice, practice. Once you get used to the tablet the next step is to simply dive into a new art project. The first painting I created as practice with the Wacom tablet was a "Ladle of Awesomesauce." Though it looks rather simple, it actually took about 15 hours just because it was my first painting with the Wacom Bamboo. Now that I’m a couple of paintings in, I’ve realized the benefits of upgrading to the new device.
Conclusion
Breaking in your tablet can be a fun experience that enters you into a realm of possibilities with digital art. These simple tricks will make you comfortable with the unfamiliar handling in no time. Good luck!
Enjoyed this Post?
Subscribe to our RSS Feed, Follow us on Twitter or simply recommend us to friends and colleagues!
By Melody Nieves
Join our newsletter!
Create a Tutorial, Get Paid!
Have something to teach the world? Want to earn money doing it? Tutorials, screencasts, and articles published here on Psdtuts+ are largely contributed by readers just like you! We'll pay you great money for good content. Find Out More
Thansk for the article.. I’m going to buy me a tablet – wacom bamboo 3rd gen.. Any experinced users here who can recommend it?
I just bought my third generation bamboo online. I’m not an experienced user what so ever, it’s my first tablet ever. But I really love it. It all feels so natural, the pen is pretty nice and the new design makes it look a lot better than the old ones. I don’t use the eraser at the end of the pen at all. It’s just faster to select the eraser tool or use the hotkey…
Thanks for the tips! I will buy the Intuos 4M soon and now I exactly know where to start :)
Glad they could help! Would love to see a review on your new Intuos (:
I highly suggest against the M, L, or XL models. I recommend the entry level the small. You will have less strain making single lines. Instead of reaching all across the board you only move a few inches. Hope this didn’t confuse you, but you will save money and hardship.
My office bought me a Large. It’s nice but takes up a lot of desk space. The Medium is a great size.
I would like to know how to customize the pen tool so I can click on the top or bottom button on the pen to increase or decrease brush size in Photoshop.
I know it can be done.. just not sure how to make it work.
It’s better to keep it set for right-click. Then you can hold Ctrl/Cmd + Alt and right click while moving your pen side to side to increase/decrease size, and up and down to increase/decrease hardness.
…or just use the keyboard shortcuts [ to decrease, or ] to increase
I agree with bryan, for me, using the keyboard shortcuts [ and ] along with my tablet result in a really nice work flow..makes you a lil more ambidextrous too ;)
I have the same Bambootablet haha:D (and love it!)
Great post. Like your take on the topic.
I produced a training at video2brain which is all about Wacom tablett settings and how to use it with photoshop.
http://www.video2brain.com/de/products-670.htm
If you have any questions feel free to get in touch with me!
Martin (Wacom evangelist)
That’s a commercial product plus it ain’t even in English…no thank you
Because here in the English speaking world we expect everything to be free…
Once again awesome article. I am one of those that had concerns about being able to design on a tablet. The concept wasn’t clear until I read this..thanks! Now, for a first timer…which tablet would you recommend?
Currently, I still use older Bamboo Wacom tablet. I don’t have plan to upgrade it.
I find that mouse is still easier to use. I only use Wacom to paint in Photoshop. Other than that, browsing and drawing shape in Illustrator, I still rely on my mouse because it has greater precision.
The “Digital Art for beginners” tutorials here on the site is also very good as a starting point for new tablet users – http://psd.tutsplus.com/sessions/digital-art-for-beginners/
I have the Wacom Bamboo (first gen) and hate the scraping of the pen over the surface.
Does the Intuos feel different from the Bamboo?
i have no experience with the latest intuos, but ive used the original one for years and it seems very smooth to me.
thanks!! successful for this site.
Sniff, sniff…I want a new cintiq!!!
Then make one!
There are a lot of DIY Cintiq builds out there. One of my favorite ideas is one that uses an IPS display for drawing at all angles.
Or buy an Asus ep121 (eee Slate). I have one and it’s amazing for Photoshop CS5 (there are problems with the pen drivers with CS4). It’s only got the same pressure levels as a Bamboo, but that’s pretty good. Include the fact that it is a stand alone machine that’s more powerful than many laptops and you’ve got one great tool.
Nice Article!! Thanks for sharing
I absolutely love the Wacom Bamboo that I ordered from Amazon. I got a factory refurbished one, so it was cheaper, but it still had PS Elements (another dream come true) with it, and it works fine. It’s much easier to use than a mouse for pretty much everything (except gaming) and the drawing and painting possibilities are endless. It only took me ten minutes to figure out the ‘position of the cursor relative to the position of the pen on the tablet’ thing (the mouse mode is annoying as heck, though). Oddly enough, I prefer using the tablet to draw with than an actual sheet of paper since I have the ability to screw around with layers, colors, and opacities as well as zoom in for detail work. Also not having my hand partly blocking the view of my drawings helps, as well.
I’m sorry for taking up more space, but is it easier to use an Intuos than a Bamboo?
There isn’t that much difference between the two. The intuos line has more buttons but most of those are ignored if you know that appropriate keyboard shortcuts in photoshop.
I love my Bamboo, been using it for almost 12 months now. Pretty much everything in Photoshop is done via the Bamboo……..except the ‘Pen Tool’ and creating ‘Paths’ which I just can not get the hang of, using the pen. Everything else is just way more easier than using any mouse…….and I’ve used quite a few of the years.
Are Bamboos useful for Illustrator or are they more geared for digital painting?
Yes, tablets are very useful in Illustrator. Though it depends on your style. If you want hyper precise positioning then a tablet it probably not for you. I use it will the pencil tool to get my rough lines laid down and then go in with a mouse to refine the positioning if needed.
Just my one cent worth, but I find them useful.
When using Illustrator and Photoshop, I couldn’t draw ANYTHING because I couldn’t get the hang of using the mouse with my right hand. I even tried using the mouse with my left hand, but couldn’t get the hang of that either. I finally bought a tablet & I just love my Vistablet Muse! The pen is comfy and doesn’t use a battery. The tablet has express keys on both sides (which is perfect for a lefty), the pen has awesome precision and tilt, there are macro keys to add shortcuts to my favorite sites and programs, and I can even program it for each application I use and easily switch from one to another! The icing on the cake…it has an eraser key! I use it with Dreamweaver, InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, but I also have programmed settings for Word. It’s just AMAZING!!! It has changed everything! :)
Be sure to check the specs on any tablet you’re interested in because each one has different compatibilities and may not work with your OS.
Are Bamboos useful for Illustrator or are they more geared for digital painting