Hawg wild!

[a4hire]

Im trying something new lately. I got me a new Wacom graphics tablet and been playing around with it. well this piece was started as a sketch done with pencil and paper, then I scanned it and I traced the lines with Xtreme, much easier to draw with than illustrator and I exported the lines to PSD and then proceeded to paint it in photoshop. Most of it was done using a mouse but I did use my tablet to add the shading and the highlights and some details.

[Mike Bailey]

I got me a new Wacom graphics tablet

Congratulations

[kinetica]

I too like to do cartoons and I used a drawing tablet once, a long time ago. I cannot remember the manufacturer of the tablet, but it was not Wacom, I know that. I could not get on with it at all. I wonder how long it takes to get used to using one, I think I gave it a couple of days before I unplugged it and went back to my mouse.

[a4hire]

Thank you Mike and Kinetica
well I did not like to use the tablet in Xara Xtreme. it was clunky and did not work right. I tried to use the free hand tool and you just can not get it to act like a real pen or pencil. It is much easier to draw with the tablet in Illustrator or photoshop. So now I find my self using a combination of different programs.

[raynerj1]

Very nice Bruce. I have to agree, that there is not a perfect program, but xara is pretty durn close in my book.

[a4hire]

Thanks John, yes Xtreme is still one of my favorite programs. If only I could sketch in it like I can in Illustrator and paint like I do in Photoshop.

[morphonius_821]

Thank you Mike and Kinetica
well I did not like to use the tablet in Xara Xtreme. it was clunky and did not work right. I tried to use the free hand tool and you just can not get it to act like a real pen or pencil. It is much easier to draw with the tablet in Illustrator or photoshop. So now I find my self using a combination of different programs.

Congrats on your new tablet...
By the way don't be put off the tablet if at first you don't warm to it to the same degree that you had hoped...
I made this mistake... i was disappointed that it was not "the answer to life the universe and everything", but eventually reversed many of my initial biases over time (it took me nearly 2 years as i was so miffed i couldn't even bring myself to use it initially)....as you will (even though you may not see how this could happen in the light of your current disappointments...) ...it will...
This will start to occur when you actually start to prefer it to a mouse or can use it just about as well as a mouse generally. There is more of a learning curve than you would expect....good luck....

[a4hire]

Thank you Morphonius
yes there is a bit of a learning curve with the tablet, I am still learning, I just need to use it more and become comfortable with it as you have said.