I just got one for Christmas, and I don't know where to start. Any tips or tutorials that might help?

I have a WACOM tablet that a friend gave me over two years ago.

I've tried using it three or four times, but just can't quite get a feel for it.

Besides, I draw better with a mouse. See here: viewtopic.php?t=9073

Nonetheless, I could certainly stand to read through a few tutorials myself and give it another try.

I've figured out a bit more. The disconnect between drawing on the tablet and following it on the screen isn't as bad as I thought it'd be, but it's definitely going to take some getting used to.

And seriously, I couldn't drawn anywhere near that well with a mouse. Very impressive.

Wow, me either! I can't draw an even line with the mouse to save my life! It looks like a series of conniption fits when I get done.

Thank you. Thank you.

I played with the tablet a bit tonight, and just got frustrated.

Then I found that I could adjust sensitivity, and that should make a big difference.

But I got bored by then and didn't even bother trying to use it.

And I have never played around in Photoshop either, even though I have Photoshop 7 on my computer.

I have some catching up to do.

Fixed

Finally getting the hang of things. I still have some quirks to work out, like how to get it to work in GIMP, and barring that, how to ink, color, and letter in Corel Painter Essentials 3.

I didn't save my first scribbles, but here are the first few drawings I did today.

The correct order of those is reversed.

I couldn't live without my Wacom. It's my second (the first one still works fine, but requires an old style mouseport).

I guess you have to fiddle with the settings a bit, but I've never had any problem. My first exposure to computer graphics was on an Aurora Weather Paintbox back in 80's. It had a huge stylus pad and from the second I picked up the stylus I was off and running.

I've had my current Wacom for about 6 years. I've dragged it around with my laptop, used it for work, home, and it's holding up fine. When I hit the lottery it'll be replaced with a Cintiq monitor. Other than that, I don't see a reason for me leaving my Wacom.

And don't feel bad if you don't have the big pad. The tiny pads work just as well.

I only use the 6x9 (or whatever) tablet - works great for me!

And I have no idea if there are any online tutorials.

Yeah, I'm a big help

I'm at the point where I'm drawing about 95% as well as I did with a pencil and paper, so I'm happy. Strangely, I find myself doing a lot more underdrawing than I ever did with a pencil. Next step is figuring out how this "digital inking" thing works. And if there's a way to do a comic strip that doesn't require using Corel Painter AND Gimp.

I do all my drawing in pencil, scan it, color that a nice cyan, create a new layer, and "ink" that layer with my Wacom tablet. That's how I got the Chuck and Fritz drawings I use in my avatar. (And they're technically two different files, so I can position them relative to one another how I require).

I really wish I'd thought of doing the simple-drawings-in-Illustrator-so-I-could-build-up-a-vocabulary-of-elements thing that Rich Burlew came up with for The Order of the Stick.

I pencil, scan, Wacom. I don't see myself pencilling much on the computer until I can get a pad/monitor that allows me to spin the canvas/pad around easily. A lot of times with inking, my hand and arm stay in the same position while I move the paper around.

Ditto.

Hiya Matt-

Boy someone must dig ya a'plenty to gitcha a wacom as these are still pretty pricey.
Yeah, there are alot of tutorials, but they tend to be more on what and how to use your wacom WITH (Photoshop, painter, etc).
I recommend you grab yourself a version of Photoshop. Its a great program with tons of tools to use thats ideal for coloring comic strips.
I used traditional for a long time for my stuff. I still do for the pencil drawings, but for the work I do now. But I DO pretty much use all digital for the work. Its just fast and efficient and once you get past the weirdness of looking at a screen instead of at your paper....it'll feel like second nature to ya.

I recommend you mess with your 'opacity' levels and bring it way down to where your line is very light--so that you can get some light sketchy lines. Put another 'layer' down over that layer, and start to put a more cleaned up (DARKER) line, to try and refine your drawing.
Your stuff is fine now, so once you get the hang of the tech, Your really going to like where ya go from there.

Cheers!

Steve-

Welcome to IMWAN, Steve!

Agreed, welcome Steve! And thanks!

Sure thing and Thanks for the welcome fellers.

This guy does a lot in Adobe Illustrator:

http://www.briandenham.com/?cat=12

Brian Bolland use to have the definitive tutorial on his website, but it's been down for like 2 years now. The cashed version doesn't have pictures tho. He does everything in Photohshop (like PS 9?!?!)

http://www.methart.com/tutorials/digi-ink.html

http://daggerpoint.deviantart.com/art/D ... p-18624162

Thanks, Matt. Looks like I need to transfer Photoshop from my old laptop.

There used to be a great online resource where someone had asked a ton of famous inkers what tools they used. Great answers, some very detailed.

Bolland had a detailed answer about the brushes and pens that he used, then he had an updated answer that was a short phrase, something like, "Photoshop Pencil".