#the wacom one can be around 200-300 i think but the screen tablet i used before it died on me was an xp-pen and i believe theyre a bit

[time-woods]

hiya! so real quick question that’s probably been answered before, but, do you use a drawing tablet or another device? I’m so curious since I just draw with my finger and my phone. Also what programs do you use? I’ll probably stick to my finger and my phone since I’m broke but it does make me a lil curious :)

also, WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR BRACELETS. I saw like an ancient post of you with bracelets on my dash and OH MY GODS THE GENDER ENVY I GOT tysm for being [enter end of sentance here]

i use a tablet with my computer ! its a wacom one that i got as a gift- (its not even a year old yet i dont think)) and i use clipstudio paint ! i didnt even buy it for myself- my friend got one of those cd downloads and couldnt figure it out so he let me have it before i even had my pc - ( i refuse to update it and pay for whatever subscription fee theyre doing now))

honestly you can make such amazing stuff with just finger art on your phone ! thats how i first did digital art when i didnt have a computer or tablet ! honestly the one reason i got a better pc was so i could use art programs more efficiently-

and for the bracelets- it depend on which ones your talking about ! if theyre the beaded ones (probably glass beads or plastic) its most likely ones i made ! but if theyre bangles or more complex shaped ones theye probably ones i got from antique stores/ thrift stores ! thats where i get most my stuff

[genericpuff]

When it comes to a drawing tablet do you recommend a beginner get one with a screen or one without specifically for webcomics?

So what you use the tablet for ultimately doesn't matter. Webcomics, illustration, animation, they're just different expressions of the same overall skillset. I've gone from using desk tablets to screen tablets and then back to desk tablets again. My current setup is a Huion Inspiroy Giano which is a very large desk tablet (no screen) with a Huion Kamvas 22 Plus as my display (screen).

(hi jim lol)

Now this obviously seems INCREDIBLY redundant but the reason why it's like that is because I used to use the Huion Kamvas 22 Plus as my screen tablet... until the pen input stopped working :)""" But it still works perfectly fine as a display! When I was shopping around for new drawing tablets though, I wasn't sure if I wanted to take the financial risk on another screen tablet. The Huions are a lot cheaper than the Wacom models which is great for people looking for inexpensive options, but if it meant I'd have to replace my screen tablets more often than my old Wacom Cintiq, then it wasn't gonna be worth it (but I didn't want to dump $2k on a tablet again LOL)

So I wound up getting a desk tablet instead! I had used Wacom desk tablets a lot prior to screens, and while it had been a few years, I re-adjusted in no time. The Huion Inspiroy Giano is, so far, a very reliable tablet. It just connects with a USB, no crazy 3-in-1 cables like the screen displays. It satisfies my need for a large tablet (seriously, if I can offer any piece of advice in regards to tablets, size does often matter because if a tablet is too small you'll be over-relying on your wrist for motions which isn't good for line integrity or your hand health!!!!) but it didn't break my budget like the Wacom tablets (and didn't feel as risky as buying another Kamvas 22 Plus after what happened the last time).

The only downside to it is that it has a bit of a rough surface to it which I find does a lot of initial wearing down on the nibs. I mean fr look at this thing-

And that will happen after only like, a few hours of use LOL that said, I've been using this nib for like 2 months now and it hasn't worn down more than that, so if you don't mind your nibs having a visible slant to them, it really doesn't cause any other issues.

That said, I've only had this tablet for about half a year now. I also used to sing praises for the Kamvas 22 Plus until it suddenly decided it wasn't going to work anymore without explanation, so... take my review of the Inspiroy Giano with grains of salt. At least though if this thing mysteriously stops working like the Kamvas did, I'll only have to pay $200-$300 to replace it vs. the Kamvas' $700+. It's still not a small amount of money, but it pays itself off quickly (and it's a lot cheaper compared to the equivalent Intuos Pro line from Wacom, which costs upwards of $500+ for a decently sized one).

Screen tablets are definitely helpful to have though, and I wouldn't object to returning to the screen displays once I can justify dropping money on one again. I still use a screen display on the go via my iPad Pro. But I don't think desk tablets should be taken for granted as a perfectly viable tool either, I think the initial learning curve tends to intimidate people a lot, but they're really quite comfortable to use once you adjust to the translation of desk tablet to monitor. You can also adjust the screen settings through the tablet driver anyways, which is what I did for my tablet because it was a little too big in spots where I had to reach really far to get to the color wheel tab on the right... so I just reduced the screen ratio to make up for it :)

I find once you learn how to use both - and learn your foundations in digital art - the desk tablet vs. screen tablet debate just boils down to personal preference rather than any real difference in what they can do for your art. I've drawn stuff like Rekindled on screen displays, desk tablets, iPads, etc. You might try a desk tablet and not like it after a while (though again, with the initial skill ceiling of adjusting to it, give it a few weeks of trying if you can, you will not immediately get used to it overnight!!!) and decide that screen tablets are more up your alley.

It really depends on what you're wanting to pay for a tablet. Though like with any new skillset that you're just getting into, I wouldn't recommend dropping money on the most expensive tool because ultimately the differences between expensive and cheap aren't going to be noticeable to you until you actually learn the skill itself, and it's not uncommon at all for people to pick up a new skill, shell out shitloads to learn it, and then get discouraged when it takes a while and makes the expense feel like a waste. Those higher end tablets are often more suited for professionals, not because they're "only meant for pros", but because pros will be able to fully utilize all their upper-skill features in a way a newbie who's still learning how to use a desk tablet won't.

Thankfully, it's easier than ever to get an affordable tablet that's easy to learn and Wacom is no longer the "only option", so I highly recommend looking into brands like Huion, XP-Pen, and Gaomon, as they offer very inexpensive tablets with a wide array of options from desk tablets to screen displays. Make sure you do your research on them, check out places like reddit for actual human reviews, note that every brand and tablet will come with their pros and cons, so it's really just about weighing out what you feel will work best for you and what you're trying to achieve!

And of course, if you're looking to draw comics specifically, look into Clip Studio Paint! It goes on sale at least twice a year, the PRO version is literally all you need to get started (EX comes with some helpful features like Teamwork, but like those fancy high end tablets, they won't necessarily be useful to someone who's just starting out). The PRO version comes with all the rulers, panel cutters, text tools, etc. that you need to get into making comics, it's a great piece of software !!!

I hope that helps!!! Best of luck!! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

[ligerbombz]

hi liger~! if i may ask you what program/app do you use for your art & are you using a ipad or a drawing tablet? i am trying to branch out with my digital art because using my phone for this is oof lol. i am unsure what everyone’s using & you’re one of my favorite artists so I thought i’d ask ya c: at least if you’re ok with me asking that is. either way please & thank you 💖💖

Hi! And thank you so much im very honored 🥺💖 For drawing I mainly use a huion Kamvas screen tablet and Paint Tool Sai (though most people use clip studionpaint now a days)

The cheapest huion screen tablet only goes for around 220 USD, which is significantly cheaper than an Ipad! And I've been using my older huion tablet for 5 years now! It's pretty durable too. I've dropped it twice and it still works fine 😭.

*Edit

I was gonna say that with a screen tablet like this you're required to have a pc or a laptop to use it because it's only an external display you can draw on (unlike an iPad) but by the looks of it you can just plug the new version into ur phone and use it as an external display there too! 😳 that's pretty cool

Speaking of phones

I know ur probably tired of phones but I also use my phone half the time too 😭 But I do have a phone that comes with a stylus (samsung note phone) with medibang for android!!

I hope this helps 😤

Oh and I've also used desk tablets, the ones without the screen for a long long time before this. But I think screen tablets are becoming more accessible now that Wacom finally has proper competition. IDK If anyone remembers the intuos (non screen) tablets? They would go for like 300 dollars back then or something insane like that 😎 but now u can get a screen tablet for just 200 dollars?? Instead of 1000!!

[lemongogo]

what art tablet / programs would u rec for someone who is only Vaguely familiar with art tablets but wants to get more into digital? :0 I was thinking about getting an ipad and using procreate, since it seems like one of my cheapest and easiest options, and it's about as close to an affordable display tablet that I can find rn lmao .. but I also wanted to see ur opinion bc I have such high respect for u as an artist I look at ur art everyday and am filled with wonder and joy

hi !! so sry it took me forever to respond ! i guess it all depends on what you're looking for in a pen display tablet. i think the ipad (or any related tablet device) would be reasonable for someone who's looking for dual-purpose // something that isn't just an interactive screen monitor. as in, if you're in school or looking for something useful outside of art, that might be more "cost effective" in the long run

however, if you're okay with investing in something that acts strictly as a screen monitor / drawing tablet , i recommend looking into some XP-PEN or Huion tablets. these can pretty costly on their own (given that they only function as a drawing tablet / second monitor), but are pretty good alternatives to the unnecessarily expensive wacom/cintiqs (which range in the thousands :/)

here are some links that you can check out jic

XP-PEN Artist-Display 12 Drawing Tablet ($200) (and other XP-PEN Artist Display tablets)

Huion Kamvas 12 ($219) , Huion Kamvas 13 ($240) , (and other Huion Pen Display tablets)

and while i know you mentioned display tablets in particular, i still think non-display tablets can be really good tools . they're a bit harder to grow accustomed to imo, but they're wayyy way way more affordable; usually in the sub hundred range (they average around $60 from what ive seen).

Huion pen tablets are ranged $25-150, XP-PEN from $26-100s, Monoprice ($50+), GAOMON ($60+), and even some Wacom intuos from $75+ . ofc these aren't the only manufacturers out there && i'm sure you can save on cost if you buy them used or second-hand

overall, i'm not too confident with my knowledge on tablets to give u a direct answer, but hopefully that's something worth considering ! i don't own an ipad and don't think i would buy one in the future since i enjoy the specificity of drawing tablets (conformation, pen pressure, etc) BUT if you're looking into it, don't let me dissuade you either AHHA

ive only ever used two different types of tablets, both of which are now discontinued . the wacom bamboo capture ( ~$40 non-display pen tablet; precursor to the intuos i think) and the huion gt-190, which is like a $300 pen-display . i can def go into more detail about either of these / my experiences with them if you'd like, but i still use both of them today if that's any consolation !!

i hope that helps a little bit :-( if anyone else has any recs or advice to offer, feel free to leave a msg

[karenoldarts]

Digital Art Tips and Tricks

I had a fellow artist who is new to digital art ask me if I had any tips. I figured I should share some of them with anyone else who may need help! This will be a bit lengthy, so grab some popcorn, get your scolling finger ready, and keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times. Here goes!!

1. To start off, Layers. Use as many layers as you need to. Don't think you have to put all the background details on one, spread it out! If you need to or want to merge two layers later, you have that choice if they're separate!

2. On the topic of Layers, LABEL THEM ALL. It makes keeping track of your Sketch, Lineart, Colors, and Shading so much easier if you have them named!

3. Look for a FREE program. Dont fall for the people that say "ya need ta spend $50 a month on (insert program name) or else-" no. No you don't. You do not have to spend a fortune on supplies to be good at your craft.

I use a program called FireAlpaca, and its DIVINE. Other great options are Gimp, Krita, and Sketch Book Pro. ((I had some links but I lost them ;-; when I find them again I'll edit this!!))

4.  I find it easier to roughly sketch it out on paper, then scan it in and do the lineart digitally. When you're just starting out try doing the lines with ink (use a dark pen/marker!!!) And THEN tracing the lines digitally. Its great practice! Once you're comfortable with that, try doing the rough sketches on paper and then the digital lines! OR if you're feeling super confident, go ahead and try the sketches just on your tablet. ;D

5. Speaking of Scanners. I've been made aware that this is kind of a foreign subject now in the age of digital art. In fact, you may already have one and not know it! 90-95% of printers have scanners built into them, so peek at yours and see if you have one of these magnificent hybrids.

The scanner I have is a very standard printer/scanner/fax machine that can fit to any computer. Go to your local Best Buy or electronics store and ask around there to see what printer/scanner would work best with your computer. Again, you don't need to spend $2k on a scanner. I think mine was about $200-$300, and I (and my family!!) use it every day for school, work, and art. It's close to 5 years old and still going strong!

6. Tablets. Tablets are a heavensend to the digital artist. And like scanners and programs, you don't need a super fancy one to make wonderful stuff. I have a basic less than $100 Wacom Bamboo tablet. My best friend, who is a professional comic artist and graphic designer, has a $500+ tablet with a screen built in (the brand escapes me at the moment...).  

So if you just want to do digital art for fun, don't break the bank. You can still make incredible art and spend no more than $150. Now if you want to turn this into a profession, I would definitely consider looking into something more hi-tech and fancy. Ask your favorite artists what tablet they use, or what brands they recommend. Take another trip to the electronics store and peruse their wares. They might have some good brands as well!

7. Don't be afraid to use references! There are some people who make a side job off of making references and stock photos for people to use! I highly recommend SenshiStock on DeviantArt (https://www.deviantart.com/senshistock). Pinterest is also a great place to look. I actually have a Pinterest full of references and tutorials.

8. While I'm talking about references, I want to cover a topic that is kind of sensitive to the art community: Crediting. Crediting can be hard to do, especially if you are a newbie with art. But it's okay! Many  artists love it when you reference their art, or if it gave you inspiration to create your own ideas.

But then there's the actual crediting. Most artists are okay with a simple link back to their profile, or to the original image. Of course, there are others who are sticklers about crediting. They want borderline MLA College paper crediting. Thankfully there aren't too many people like that, but thery're still there. A fairly safe way to put crediting into text is this: "I used this picture here (link) as a reference. The original artist is Jane Doe on Website (link).

Ex. I used this picture here (https://www.deviantart.com/karebear-4ever/art/Sitting-Lilly-Colored-776084363) as a pose reference. The original image belongs to Karebear-4ever on DeviantArt (https://www.deviantart.com/karebear-4ever).

I'll make a seperate post about all the possible ways to credit, but these are the bare basics!

That's abotu all for now! If anyone has any more questions, PLEASE don't hesitate to ask. I'm more than happy to help. <3