How to Draw With a Wacom Tablet

Wacom makes some of the best and most affordable digital illustration tablets on the market. You can rapidly undo any mistakes as well as apply numerous textures and effects with the tap of a pen. Drawing with one of these tablets mimics the brush strokes and feel of real illustration supplies better than any mouse ever could.

Things You'll Need

• Wacom tablet and pen
• Photoshop or Photoshop Elements (Elements usually comes free with many Wacom tablets)

Instructions

1. 

   Install the drivers for your tablet on your computer. Follow the steps in the installation disc to calibrate your tablet pen. This will allow you to set the pressure sensitivity and apply tools or functions as shortcuts on the tablet itself. This can be extremely useful. For instance, on a PC you can map Ctrl+Z to a button on the tablet. This will allow you to undo any mistakes with the click of a button.

2. 

   Load Adobe Photoshop. Select the airbrush tool and set the pixel size to 5. This is a good standard size that will allow your pen and tablet to function like a pencil. Place the pen on the tablet. Press down lightly for small thin strokes. The more pressure you apply the thicker the line you will create.

3. Experiment with different line strokes. Vary the width of a line within the same stroke by applying and releasing pressure as you draw the line. To switch tools without going back to the mouse, hover your pen 1/2 inch above the tablet. This will allow you to click icons without drawing lines. To erase your lines, simply turn the pen over and use the end shaped like an eraser.

4. 

   Color images with your Wacom tablet. Click the "Layer" dropdown menu in Photoshop. Select "Duplicate layer". Change the mode of the top layer to "Multiply". Now you can color on the layer below and keep your line work intact. Hover your pen a half inch over the tablet and select whichever colors you wish. Use the pen just like a marker or colored pencil.

5. 

   Change brushes on the fly. On the Wacom pen there are gray buttons. Click the top button, or the button closest to the eraser end, and select a new brush. This is an excellent option for adding different textures to your painting.

Tips & Warnings

• Warm up on the tablet before you start an illustration. Open a new file and practice making different shapes. This will accustom you to using the tablet before you start an important project.

• Be careful not to push down too hard with the pen. You can leave scratches on your tablet if you are not careful.

Resources

• Check out Wacom's website for different tablet products and examples of digital art.