Intuosity

intuos.jpg

I never used a graphics tablet for drawing, in the past if I needed to draw something I’d use pencil and paper then scan the results. In recent years, however, I’ve grown dissatisfied with this process, especially after I rearranged my work area and packed away the space-hogging Ikea table I used to use as a drawing surface. This left me without a decent drawing area so this week I’ve finally capitulated and bought an Wacom Intuos tablet. The Giger-esque mess above is the result of playing around in Photoshop for a couple of hours. Having spent years using the blunt instrument of a mouse for Photoshop painting the combination of pen and tablet had immediate benefits, and I’ve found them both very easy to use. The sensitivity of the pen is impressive, something I was always dubious about. With the right brush selection it’s almost exactly like using a pencil or pen. Almost. I’m still not feeling as entirely in control of the end result as you do when drawing on paper, but I’ve not even used the thing for a whole day yet so I imagine that will change. I’m also surprised by how quickly the nib wears down; fortunately the pen comes supplied with a small stock of fresh nibs. The next week or so will be spent in further experimentation so if any interesting results materialise I’ll post them here.