On Friday I decided to give the drawing tablet a go. For those not sure of what Im talking about, a Wacom tablet is digital tablet that comes with what is known as a stylo and allows you to illustrate on computer, without havign to use a mouse. Prior to that, I've always used a mouse to draw, which is why my previous illustrations, including the recent not so wonderful cake one, are in that cartoony style. It's just much easier to execute that style with a mouse.

Anyway, I gave the tablet a go. I wanted to see if I could imagine the shading of a person correctly. Im satisfied with my first attempt because I used no reference. Although, having just looked at it again, referece would have been a good plan. The face is too long, hair too high and it looks smudged and stained instead of shaded. Aww, but I is liking it anyway (evidently, this lack of self esteem is precisely why I need to spend more time practicing than complaining about the results).

The stylo is impressive of note. It is pressure sensitive all over the nib, not just the very tip, so the strokes vary in both width and depth. And it's very sympathetic to hand movements, so it emulates drawing on paper wonderfully (in other tablets, curves tend to go squarish-try drawing loops with the pencil tool and a mouse in photoshop-it looks kinda like that with a stylo that is not as great).

I love it. The Wacom tablet, I mean.I want to marry it and have its pixelated kids. Gareth will understand.



EDIT: Strangfely enough, the topic this week (June 05) for Illo Friday is "Portrait" so I've submitted this image for it. Looks like I was a week ahead, hehe.