Thanks, Sark.

I do have a tablet, a Wacom, but it is older by today's standard and the active area is only 3" x 4". At work I do not have a tablet.

Size isn't that important when working on a computer and using a drawing tablet unless you had a huge monitor. Repositioning the pointer has been working for me all this time and my work is satisfactory. Although it is on my list of fun things to buy if I have the money of course. In which case I will change my tune I suppose.

To me, it is more about knowing an efficient way of working and which way works best. In Photoshop, I use the vector tools when I want to simulate a long stroke anyway, because it saves time. I can get the stroke I want almost every time right away, and since Photoshop can stroke a path with simulated brush pressure effects better than if you did it by hand, why bother getting a bigger tablet.

Sure, if I got a bigger tablet, I'd take my smaller one to work and use the new one for my experiments at home. After all, it is a cool toy.

Most of my work is done either in DRAW, PhotoPaint, Illustrator (I like the brush strokes which are available) and of course Photoshop. At home I paint about as much in PaintShopPro as in Painter because of the mixing palette gives great effects.

Yes, I draw and paint well by hand. And sculpt. Sculpting aids drawing in being able to feel the three dimensions that you are simulating with pencil and paint. It was required study for learing anatomy along with life drawing. Today, I don't know if people see the relevance. And when I am not sure of where to begin, I sketch by hand first, somtimes even scanning in my drawing as a basis of a new design.

A person with an artistic eye is more observant visually. You can't draw what you can't see. And if it is in your head what you are drawing, you are still seeing the final result in your brain.

If I do web graphics, I do like to use Xara a bit more.

Heck, I like to use them all. I find a lot of use for PhotoImpact, it has great textures.

Nothing does everything, you just use each program as a tool, choosing the one for the best effect, the best way from point A to B.

And when I am not doing artwork, I design knitting and crocheting. And compose music, write poetry.

I had a teacher tell me that you work on the whole design and don't concentrate on the details of one area, but leave the details till last (except f you want to render one area completely in developing a style for the whole peice--othewise you can have drawings which are out of perspective--a real waste of time). Most of my drawings are executed fairly quickly, but to give it the last bit of polish, takes more time than building up the components.

Outside of being female, I think I would have fit in well in the Renaissance. I am interested in just about everything.

Your tenacity to figure things out, qualifies you in the same light.