Does anyone ever make drawing with a mouse rather than a wacom tablet?

Question

I don't have a scanner and I really really can't afford even a cheap wacom tablet. Is it realistic for me to make drawings using my mouse? Does anyone do this? If yes, is there any big downsides to it that I need to be aware of?

Answer 1

Well, since you do not have a tablet, then you have nothing to lose by trying this method!

I often make paths of images by using the pen tool. The pen tool can be a real pain sometimes, but once you work with it for awhile you will get the hang of it. The pen tool, by the way, is vector art (continuous line) instead of raster art (which is comprised of pixels like a photo).

Choose the first pen tool in the popout menu (with the letter P on the far right). Start tracing your image, or drawing your design by clicking right where you want the outline to begin. Then move a little ways up and click again to put another dot on your outline. I am sure to take very small steps and put in a lot of anchors points so that I get a very smooth line and not boxy shaped lines. Continue tracing or drawing your design click by click with the pen tool until you are finished and have come back to where you started. A small circle will show up to let you know that when you click you will be connecting the path.

From there, you have a shape that you can work with in whatever colors you choose to add, etc. You may add more shapes over this first on on another layer, etc. etc. I could go on forever. I realize this might be tedious, but is is a way to get started, and you will build your skills.

Some good things to know about the pen tool. If one of your anchor points are off a little bit, you may hold down the control/command key to be able to go back, click on that point, and move it to where you want it repositioned.

Also, if you end a path line without connecting it to finish it, before you add more anchor points, you must go back to where you left off, and click on that ending point while holding down the shift key to join the path again.

If you want to delete some anchor points, go back to the tool palette and select the pen tool that deletes points.

Here is a link to a very well know instructor in the world of graphic arts. You will be amazed, and learn a lot by watching some of his clips. I am directing you to the last page, so you may start with lesson 1 and build from there.

http://www.revision3.com/pixelperfect?page=6

If you want to do this badly enough, just jump in and start learning. Don't get discouraged if the results are not what you want at first. The point is to start learning one technique upon another until you get that tablet.

Best wishes!

Answer 2

It is possible to use a mouse for drawing, once you are comfortable using one, there are no big downsides – it really comes down to personal taste and ergonomics. The main thing is that there is nothing that can be done with a tablet that cannot be done with a mouse, especially if you were to end up buying a smaller tablet. Personally I find that for bezier drawing (vector softwares like Illustrator use beziers to draw) I can work faster and with more accuracy with a mouse than a pen and as fast with pixel-based software (PhotoShop etc).

For drawing I would suggest that a scanner is more important and useful.

Answer 3

Freehand drawing with a mouse is very slow and cumbersome. When I was taking design courses, many refered to the technique as "drawing with a brick." Of course, it can be done. There was a period of time, in the development of digital design tools, before the introduction of inexpensive drawing tablets, when we ALL had to practice drawing and creating masks this way.

Some of us got pretty good at it, but, when it came time for putting REAL work into the production process, MY short cut was to sketch and ink on paper, then scan the result into the computer for coloring and finishing.

The tablet, however, saved, even this, step of the process and most of my illustrations are created, directy on the computer. Saves time, and, in the business, time really does equal money.

I have seen many people, here, on Yahoo Answers that caim they can draw with mouse as easily as they can on paper. Most will say that they have better control than they do with a digital tablet and stylus. I say that they have, simply, not given enough time to get used to the tablet. NO ONE can claim that they picked up a mouse, for the first time and was able to draw in any natural way. They HAD to have spent a LOT of time, getting used to drawing that way. This method also requires some learning curve, but, I can almost guarantee, not as much as drawing with a mouse.

A tablet and stylus is a much more natural feeling. These tablets are coming down in price, some for under $50. Check this one out at the Computer Geeks site (www.geeks.com) Part number 5540.

Answer 4

I'm not too knowledgeable in this area, but I'd guess no unless you're quite exceptional... After practice you may be able to do a decent simple drawing, but if you're serious I'd definitely recommend getting a tablet.

Answer 5

If your using photoshop i think this will help you.Open photoshop go to brush presets and go to brush tip shape and put spacing to 1%.Then go to shape dynamics and instead putting it to pen pressure put to fade and put 62%. Hope that helps.