Digital drawing
I've been poking around with computers and drawing for years, but it's only fairly recently that I've gotten serious about digital drawing. Not just using Photshop to scan and clean-up and color inked lines, but fully paperless drawing. The technology is definitely good enough for it, and I think it's affordable enough now that if you're interested, there's no reason not to. Here are my suggestions about how to do it. Others' thoughts, tips, etc. are invited.
The cheapest way to get started is to steal the stuff. Short of that, take any reasonably modern computer that you already have, add a used Wacom Graphire or Bamboo tablet-with-stylus, install a free program like the GIMP or ArtWeaver, and you're in the door for under $100.
Wacom's tablets getter better with each generation in terms of levels of pressure sensitivity and lines-per-inch resolution. Which is nice, but they reached the "good enough" level a few models back. The professional-grade Intuos models are generally a step ahead of the Graphire/Bamboo models of the same year, but if it's a Wacom and it was made in the last 5 years, it'll be fine. Yes, there's a "disconnect" with these tablets between your eyes up on the screen and your stylus down on the tablet, but if you've been using a mouse or trackpad for a while your brain is already well on the way to getting used to that. One friend of mine has a MacBook Air and a matching Intuos tablet and finds it both portable and productive.
If you're getting a tablet to go with an existing computer, try to get one the same shape as your monitor(s). Wacom used to have widescreen versions of some of the Intuos sizes, which are invaluable for use with a widescreen monitor or a dual-monitor system. Alternatively, you can get two tablets (one for each screen), but make sure they're the same type and generation (e.g. both Intuos 2, not an Intuos + Graphire or Intuos2 + Intuos3); otherwise the styluses won't be interchangeable.
Size is a matter of preference. Bigger is not always better, depending on how much you like to move your hands while drawing. I like my Intuos3 6x11", which fits well with my 20" iMac and a 17" outboard vertical monitor.
If you want a display-tablet (so you can draw on the screen itself), that'll cost ya. But not as much as you might think. TabletPC computers have what amounts to a smallish early version of the Cintiq built into them. The "convertibles" with a screen that rotates and flips around are workable, but a bit heavy and clunky (though you can sometimes use that base to your advantage is keeping the screen steady). "Slates" that come with attachable keyboards and stands are far better, IMHO, but before the iPad came along, most manufacturers avoided them (because you really do need a keyboard to make Windows usable). Motion Computing makes them, and other manufacturers had some nice ones here and there (e.g. HP TC1100).
TabletPCs are more expensive than a standard laptop, however they can be remarkably cheap when you buy them used. Especially now that the iPad is out, showing how lousy TabletPCs are for mobile web surfing and pretty much everything else that people used to buy them for. But on a drawing tablet you don't care about the OS interface, because all you need it for is drawing. That stupid stylus is just what the artist ordered. (If you really cannot stand Windows, or you have Mac software you really want to use, there's the ModBook: an Apple MacBook professionally converted into a slate. That's gonna cost you at least $1850, or $900 plus a used White MacBook.)
TabletPC screens aren't big; they start at 10" and rarely get bigger than 13". Resolution tops out around 1280x1024 (and 1024x786 is more typical). That's more of an issue than the size of non-display tablets, because you need room on the screen for menus, tool palettes, etc. Try to avoid "widescreen" formats; they're needlessly cramped in one direction. I mostly use my slate vertically, but I've been known to spin it around on my lap.
If you have the money to spend, just buy a big Cintiq and hook it to your Mac(Book) Pro. But the portability of a slate is huge to me.
What about the iPad (and its imitators)? Well, a touch screen is great if you're finger painting; it sucks for drawing. Even the styluses available for them are just small-tipped fingers, which don't provide the line quality you get from a pressure-sensitive stylus. Fun to play with, pretty much useless for drawing work. Most of the iPad-alikes also use touch-only operating systems (Android, WebOS) which limit your options for drawing apps.
Since the iPad came out, the TabletPC manufacturers have been fumbling around trying to copy some of its good features (weight, battery life, solid-state storage) and apply them to new slates. The Asus Eee Slate EP121 and the upcoming Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 look like slates I'd consider buying if I had the money to spend. Some of Motion's current slates look nice, but as a company they're focusing more on "rugged" designs rather than features that make for great drawing tablets.
OK, so what about software?
Photoshop is (theoretically) the Cadillac of drawing programs. It's not perfect though. It's a huge program that does a whole lot of things that have nothing to do with drawing (e.g. photo manipulation, web graphics), and it's priced accordingly. Unless you can finagle an educational discount, just PS alone costs $700. Get it if you need those other feautures, but it's worth look at alternatives. You can use Illustrator for drawing too, but... I've never used it for that.
Manga Studio is a great tool. Unlike PS it handles multipage documents, and it knows what panels and word balloons are. You can rotate the image on-screen like a sheet of paper so it's at the best angle with your wrist for drawing curves. The interface is also better for working on a slate, with small on-screen buttons for most of the things you'd need to use a keyboard for in Photoshop (e.g. Undo, Save). The "Debut" version is pretty usable and only costs $50, and the "EX" version with all of the "pro" features enabled is $300 (but frequently on sale for $100). It's what I've been doing nearly all of my drawing in for the past couple years (except for when I don't have a computer and have to use paper).
If that's still too much dough, there's the GIMP. The GNU Image Manipulation Program is to Photoshop as Linux is to Windows: a free, independently created program that does most of the same things, but does them differently, and requires some tinkering under the hood to make the advanced features work right for you. A couple other low-cost/no-cost optons (depending on which OS you use) are Pixelmator for Mac and Artweaver for Windows, both of which are essentially lower-end Photoshop-alikes. And there's Photoshop Elements, which has most of the basic PS features for only about $100.
I'm not suggesting that anyone who knows and loves their pencils, pens, or brushes throw them out. But if you want to test the waters with digital media... what's stopping you?
The cheapest way to get started is to steal the stuff. Short of that, take any reasonably modern computer that you already have, add a used Wacom Graphire or Bamboo tablet-with-stylus, install a free program like the GIMP or ArtWeaver, and you're in the door for under $100.
Wacom's tablets getter better with each generation in terms of levels of pressure sensitivity and lines-per-inch resolution. Which is nice, but they reached the "good enough" level a few models back. The professional-grade Intuos models are generally a step ahead of the Graphire/Bamboo models of the same year, but if it's a Wacom and it was made in the last 5 years, it'll be fine. Yes, there's a "disconnect" with these tablets between your eyes up on the screen and your stylus down on the tablet, but if you've been using a mouse or trackpad for a while your brain is already well on the way to getting used to that. One friend of mine has a MacBook Air and a matching Intuos tablet and finds it both portable and productive.
If you're getting a tablet to go with an existing computer, try to get one the same shape as your monitor(s). Wacom used to have widescreen versions of some of the Intuos sizes, which are invaluable for use with a widescreen monitor or a dual-monitor system. Alternatively, you can get two tablets (one for each screen), but make sure they're the same type and generation (e.g. both Intuos 2, not an Intuos + Graphire or Intuos2 + Intuos3); otherwise the styluses won't be interchangeable.
Size is a matter of preference. Bigger is not always better, depending on how much you like to move your hands while drawing. I like my Intuos3 6x11", which fits well with my 20" iMac and a 17" outboard vertical monitor.
If you want a display-tablet (so you can draw on the screen itself), that'll cost ya. But not as much as you might think. TabletPC computers have what amounts to a smallish early version of the Cintiq built into them. The "convertibles" with a screen that rotates and flips around are workable, but a bit heavy and clunky (though you can sometimes use that base to your advantage is keeping the screen steady). "Slates" that come with attachable keyboards and stands are far better, IMHO, but before the iPad came along, most manufacturers avoided them (because you really do need a keyboard to make Windows usable). Motion Computing makes them, and other manufacturers had some nice ones here and there (e.g. HP TC1100).
TabletPCs are more expensive than a standard laptop, however they can be remarkably cheap when you buy them used. Especially now that the iPad is out, showing how lousy TabletPCs are for mobile web surfing and pretty much everything else that people used to buy them for. But on a drawing tablet you don't care about the OS interface, because all you need it for is drawing. That stupid stylus is just what the artist ordered. (If you really cannot stand Windows, or you have Mac software you really want to use, there's the ModBook: an Apple MacBook professionally converted into a slate. That's gonna cost you at least $1850, or $900 plus a used White MacBook.)
TabletPC screens aren't big; they start at 10" and rarely get bigger than 13". Resolution tops out around 1280x1024 (and 1024x786 is more typical). That's more of an issue than the size of non-display tablets, because you need room on the screen for menus, tool palettes, etc. Try to avoid "widescreen" formats; they're needlessly cramped in one direction. I mostly use my slate vertically, but I've been known to spin it around on my lap.
If you have the money to spend, just buy a big Cintiq and hook it to your Mac(Book) Pro. But the portability of a slate is huge to me.
What about the iPad (and its imitators)? Well, a touch screen is great if you're finger painting; it sucks for drawing. Even the styluses available for them are just small-tipped fingers, which don't provide the line quality you get from a pressure-sensitive stylus. Fun to play with, pretty much useless for drawing work. Most of the iPad-alikes also use touch-only operating systems (Android, WebOS) which limit your options for drawing apps.
Since the iPad came out, the TabletPC manufacturers have been fumbling around trying to copy some of its good features (weight, battery life, solid-state storage) and apply them to new slates. The Asus Eee Slate EP121 and the upcoming Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 look like slates I'd consider buying if I had the money to spend. Some of Motion's current slates look nice, but as a company they're focusing more on "rugged" designs rather than features that make for great drawing tablets.
OK, so what about software?
Photoshop is (theoretically) the Cadillac of drawing programs. It's not perfect though. It's a huge program that does a whole lot of things that have nothing to do with drawing (e.g. photo manipulation, web graphics), and it's priced accordingly. Unless you can finagle an educational discount, just PS alone costs $700. Get it if you need those other feautures, but it's worth look at alternatives. You can use Illustrator for drawing too, but... I've never used it for that.
Manga Studio is a great tool. Unlike PS it handles multipage documents, and it knows what panels and word balloons are. You can rotate the image on-screen like a sheet of paper so it's at the best angle with your wrist for drawing curves. The interface is also better for working on a slate, with small on-screen buttons for most of the things you'd need to use a keyboard for in Photoshop (e.g. Undo, Save). The "Debut" version is pretty usable and only costs $50, and the "EX" version with all of the "pro" features enabled is $300 (but frequently on sale for $100). It's what I've been doing nearly all of my drawing in for the past couple years (except for when I don't have a computer and have to use paper).
If that's still too much dough, there's the GIMP. The GNU Image Manipulation Program is to Photoshop as Linux is to Windows: a free, independently created program that does most of the same things, but does them differently, and requires some tinkering under the hood to make the advanced features work right for you. A couple other low-cost/no-cost optons (depending on which OS you use) are Pixelmator for Mac and Artweaver for Windows, both of which are essentially lower-end Photoshop-alikes. And there's Photoshop Elements, which has most of the basic PS features for only about $100.
I'm not suggesting that anyone who knows and loves their pencils, pens, or brushes throw them out. But if you want to test the waters with digital media... what's stopping you?
Comments
(I think this older model is good enough for learning, and considering my artistic ability, nobody's going to notice the difference anyway.
I talked about going digital with Colleen Doran, and what's stopping her from going digital is economics: she can sell original art, but not if it's digital.
"Fortunately" I don't have Colleen's art sales as an income source to lose by taking the digital route. With the aid of Undo, I've managed to reach a level of competence using digital media, but I don't think I'd ever get the mastery of traditional media that would result in people wanting to buy my original art as an objet d'art itself. (Not enough hours in my days, and not enough years left on my body.) If I ever did get into selling art, it'd be as commissioned drawings where the focus is on the subject matter not the medium (translation: "it'd be porn"), so one-off prints would probably be acceptable.
Don't sell yourself short. People even contacted me about selling them original Made of Fail art. It paid for art supplies.
Still, it's no solution to the "digital media has no original art boards to sell" problem, because... seriously: it's a ballpoint pen. No one wants to buy original art that's done with a ballpoint. And even Wacom is positioning it as a sketching tool, a way to get images into digital form for further work "...for the front end of the creative process. Later, refine your work on your computer..." So I don't think it's useless, but isn't quite the holy grail of a digital tool that works just like natural media.
I use mouse and tablet for touch up pencils and fixes, and sometimes for black fills, but I am not able to get a good enough line out of it for inks.
Then again, I'm a terrible inker with traditional media, too. Don't have the patience for it; don't enjoy it. I'm happy to let someone else do it.
I could probably pencil digitally if I really wanted to, but I spend so much time in front of the screen that I enjoy sitting down with a piece of artboard.
(And again, folks: please read my previous poorly-worded generalization in context. I've been seeing people (not here) respond to a slick promotional video, going "ZOMG! With this I can work digitally and still have my original art pages to sell!" and I think those people have simply unrealistic expectations of what this device will actually do for them.)