Design, Typography & Graphics with tips and tricks for design, printing, photography and publishing of all kinds
The official publication of The Design & Publishing Center. The best place to start is with the latest issue of the Newsletter

Introduction to Digital Painting (continued from previous page) Digital Tablets for natural painting At this point, you may be thinking, "Can I do this kind of thing with a mouse?" and the answer is yes. Some pioneering artists have been working digitally for years, using a mouse to create all sorts of professional illustrations. With a mouse, though, you need a slightly different technique, and a bit more patience. I'll explore mouse & tablet technique in more depth in other articles. ___ If you're in the market for a tablet, Wacom (www.wacom.com) is the world's largest manufacturer. Here are your two main options from them: Wacom Graphire2 - Beginner tablet. - 4" x 5" workable area - 512 levels of pressure sensitivity - cordless 2-button pen + eraser - cordless 3-button mouse with fingerwheel - bundled with Photoshop LE and Painter Classic - USB only - retails for approx $99.95 US. . Wacom Intuos2 - Professional tablet. - Comes in five different sizes: 4x5, 6x8, 9x12, 12x12, and 12x18 - 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity - cordless easy-grip pen - smaller sizes come with a 3-button mouse, while larger sizes come with a 5-button mouse, both with fingerwheel. - bundled with Painter Classic. - USB or serial port - Ranges in price from approx $199.00 to $749.99 US, depending on tablet size . The main difference between the two is tablet size. Having used both Intuos and Graphire tablets, I can honestly say I found no difference between the levels of pressure sensitivity. While both come with a mouse, the pen is more important. The tablet can be used together with your traditional mouse, which most people prefer. Once you get used to the pen, you might end up using it for all your navigation. ___ With regards to size, many people panic and assume that a Graphire2 is too small. As the old saying goes, "it's not the size that matters, but what you do with it!" In fact, you tend to get used to whichever tablet you use. When you consider the price difference, ($250 US for the next size up) suddenly a few extra inches don't seem so important. Also, some people complain that larger tablets require too much arm motion, and are tiring. Bottom line is that a Graphire2 is perfectly fine for the average person. This brings the introduction to an end. We've briefly touched on the artistic and the technical side of digital painting. If you're interested, try one of the suggestions above, or just do some doodling. I think you'll find that digital painting can be a great creative outlet, and with the boom in exposure and acceptance it's getting, there are tons of people to share with. Happy painting! Jeff www.jeffpriest.com Introduction to Digital Painting, drawing and painting, tablets. (c) 2002, Jeff Priest, all rights reserved. www.JeffPriest.com

.
.
.