Tried doing my comic backgrounds with a mouse versus a cheap tablet... yeah, that didn't go well.

I was working on a panel for a cyberpunk scene, all these neon signs and rain-slicked streets. For the first version, I just used my mouse to draw the buildings and perspective lines. It took me like 4 hours and everything looked stiff and wobbly, the lines just wouldn't flow right. My buddy finally said, 'Dude, just get a basic drawing tablet, even a $60 one.' So I did, a Huion model. The difference was night and day... I redid the same background in under an hour. Having that pressure sensitivity for the rain streaks and the ability to just sketch naturally made the whole piece feel alive, not like a robot drew it. It was honestly frustrating how much time I wasted fighting my tools. Has anyone else had that 'oh, THIS is how it's supposed to work' moment with a piece of hardware?

2 comments

2 Comments

reed.ray15d ago

Yeah, it's crazy how the right tool just gets out of your way and lets you work.

lisa67115d ago

Sometimes the "right" tool just means you haven't hit its limits yet. @reed.ray, a tool that gets out of your way might also hide problems or make you lazy about learning deeper skills. That smooth feeling can trap you in one way of working when a different, slightly harder tool would push you to do better work.