Adobe Illustrator w TabletPC

November 7, 2005 6:16 AM

Tablet/Wacom to Adobe Illustrator using the Pencil Tool setup

Boy I'll be surprised if there is even one response to this question.

Hello all you Adobe Illustrator users out there, I've got a question for you. I use a Tablet PC to do all my sketch work and then when I move on over to Illustrator I use my mouse. Lately my hand and wrist has been killing me so I know I've got to make some changes.

So today I'm experimenting with using the Tablet Pen and the Pencil function in Illustrator. I'm having the worst time getting a setting "just so." The "Fidelity" and "smoothness" and "edit selected paths" really throws me (even though I've read through the manual).

Basically all I want to do is to be able to do my vector line work with the Tablet Pen instead of a mouse but get the most fluid look to it. Does anyone have any thoughts or responses about this? Thanks!

posted by Hands of Manos to media & arts (12 comments total)

I know the guys from Penny Arcade use a tablet but I dont know what software... You could go the the forum on their site and ask.
posted by nimsey lou at 7:57 AM on November 7, 2005

Can you not just use the pen as a surrogate mouse and create vector artwork by clicking to create nodes and then manipulating the handles using the direct selection tool?

If you want to "draw" using the pen, maybe you ought to look at using Expression (or Acrylic as it is called now). As much as I hate to recommend anything from Microsoft, it can create the most wonderful naturalistic artwork using vectors. I sometimes create stuff in Expression using a Wacom tablet, and then import the file into Illustrator to clean it up and manipulate it.
posted by ninthart at 8:22 AM on November 7, 2005

You've got kinda a funny question ... Your wrists hurt, so you are switching to a device that should put more pressure on your wrist. As you bring your fingers closer together to hold the stylus and cant your wrist back to put the stylus on the tablet, this should be worse. I say this as a painter and former graphic designer / illustrator. (In fact, I just got my Wacom out for the first time in awhile yesterday, to use in Illustrator.) In fact, when I read your question again, I really think you might not have properly isolated what's hurting your wrist.

Without more detail, I don't know that I could help. I can say that I do line drawings on paper, ink them, scan them, select blacks, make path (tinker with settings most every time), export to Illustrator and then spend quite awhile cleaning up. If I wasn't worried about file size or whether it could properly run the laser cutter (what I use Illo for), I would use the classic comic book cheat : to make something look smoother, draw it bigger (scan it high resolution) and then shrink it for final output. This smooths out the little hiccups that hand drawing introduces (by making them too small to see, that is).
posted by Slothrop at 8:23 AM on November 7, 2005

okay...here comes some self links, but I'm only doing it because this I feel this discussion would warrant it.

I use the same thing Jerry and Mike use (at PA), Alias Wavefront Sketchbook Pro:

LINK

And then I finish it in Adobe Illustrator using the Pen tool

LINK

I use the pen tool, manipulate the handlebars with a mouse but it's very difficult with a tablet/wacom pen. So I thought I'd try the pencil tool but I'm finding the settings to be a nightmare.

Does this help?

once again, I'm not self linking to get people to look at my artwork...but just as a point of reference
posted by Hands of Manos at 8:57 AM on November 7, 2005

FWIW, I fail to produce any desirable results using my Wacom and Illustrator together in this manner. When I first got the tablet I experimented with trying to find a happy medium that would allow me to "sketch" in a "natural" manner as you describe, but it never really works out.

I've always operated in pen-mode, and like yourself I was rather dissapointed at the results of my initial pencil experiments. I've found customizing the buttons for specific tools to be the most helpful, being able to use modifiers (alt, shift, etc) without having to reach somewhere awkward is what kept me sane.
posted by prostyle at 10:06 AM on November 7, 2005

many thanks, prostyle
posted by Hands of Manos at 10:19 AM on November 7, 2005

I find the mouse/pen tool combination is really the best way to work in Illustrator. The tablet is much better suited to Photoshop work.
posted by designbot at 10:31 AM on November 7, 2005

designbot, yes...but I'm afraid I'm about to start having medical problems with my hands as I'm working in Illustrator 8-10 a day. Henceforth why I wanted to make the switch if possible.
posted by Hands of Manos at 10:36 AM on November 7, 2005

Just use the pen as you would the mouse...click and drag control points. That, or get a mouse more suited to your needs. A trackball, perhaps?

Personally, I only use the pen in Illustrator when I want to do some pressure-sensitive brush strokes. But, I understand your concern about your wrist. You really should examine your working position and, as I mentioned, think about a different mouse.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:55 AM on November 7, 2005

I think I'm going to go pick one up today, Thorzdad. your answer was one of those "well duh, why'd you not think of that before!!!
posted by Hands of Manos at 11:19 AM on November 7, 2005

While I cannot help with your Illustrator settings, may I offer you some suggestions based on my experience with Wacom?

Note: I use a Wacom Cintiq monitor, not a Tablet PC, but I believe the issues would be the same.

Have you tried drawing the rough sketch in Macromedia Flash and then exporting to Illustrator to add the effects? Yes, going from Sketchbook Pro to Flash would be like going from Corel's Painter to MS Paint (well, maybe not THAT bad) but I find that Flash's brush (with pressure modifier activated) has a nice, natural feel to it and works well with Wacom's pressure sensitive stylus. Also, Flash is lighter than the more robust drawing applications (such as Illustrator or SketchBook) so there will be fewer jerks or delays (and hopefully fewer redraws) if you have limited RAM or processing power.

If your wrists are hurting, doing all of your net browsing with the stylus may be a good way to reduce the pain (Note: IANAD - Slothrop may be right in that the stylus introduces more stress. Personally, lowering the monitor's angle and using the stylus to surf is quite relaxing because you can rest your hand on the screen.). Depending on your stylus or OS (if you are using WinXP Pro instead of Windows Tablet PC Edition), right-click may become an issue when browsing. One app that I found very useful is Soft Right Click (by our very own kindall). While my stylus does have a right-click button on top (and I would imagine that yours does, too), it is nice to be able to right click without changing your grip on the pen.

I absolutely love the Wacom Smart Scroll (SS-200) (in Japanese - sorry, could not find this product on Wacom's English page). It lets you scroll (trackball), scale (wheel), cut, paste, etc. (customizable buttons) with the left hand while keeping your right hand focused on what you are drawing (less switching from pen to mouse to pen again). I don't know if they are available outside of Japan but, if you can find one, it may take some stress off your right hand and improve your workflow/browsing. Note: The SS-200 does not play well with Firefox (the software drivers that come with it are quite poor) so it may not help when browsing but it still makes life a LOT easier when drawing.

What kind of chair are you using? Does it have arm rests that let you change the height and angle of the rests? This allows you to rest your arms and keep wrists straight when you are typing, using the mouse or drawing on the monitor. This (sorry, Japanese again) is one of my favorite chairs but any chair with similar arm rests should do (look for something with padded elbow rests that are adjustable both horizontally and vertically). If you intend on using arm rests when drawing with the stylus, get a chair with a good maximum seat height and one where you can set different heights for the right and left arm rests (especially if you intend to use the SS-200 mentioned above or keyboard commands while drawing).

If changing chairs is not an option, then an Ergorest may help. Note: Although I have no experience with Ergorest brand, I used a nearly identical Japanese product (until I started using the above chair, of course). Important: It will NOT help you when drawing with the stylus but can take the edge off when using a mouse. Since your wrist is on the pad for extended periods, it will get scummy fast so avoid white if you can (the Japanese ones were dark blue). Also, after using it for several months the pad may start to slip on the plastic but it is easy to re-adjust it. Fixed wrist rests (like the soft gel pillows attached to mouse pads) should be avoided because they make you overextend your fingers (but you should confirm that with your doctor).

Finally, if your livelihood depends on your hands, doing a carpal tunnel exercise on a daily basis and visiting your doctor would be strongly recommended.

Sorry that I couldn't be of any help regarding Illustrator. Hope the above is of some use to you (and your wrists).

On preview (Re - trackballs):

While I have had good experiences using the trackball on the SS-200 (it only uses the trackball to scroll / move the canvas around), I cannot say the same for using a trackball as a primary pointing device (no disrespect intended towards Thorzdad). I have tried quite a few models (Logitech mainly) but found using the trackball difficult for fine pointing and clicking. Unless you are really good with a trackball, it may take some time to get used to. If you have a friend with one, perhaps borrow it for a day or two before buying one. The Logitechs were not cheap but they all ended up gathering dust pretty quickly. In general, I found trackballs with bigger balls easier to control but still my overall impression was not good (but it may be a problem with my lack of dexterity than with trackballs). Personally, I would surf with the stylus since you already have one (and because it is so fast and accurate).
posted by cup at 11:52 AM on November 7, 2005

cup, you rock.

Also, my friend uses a trackball and illustrator and he hated it at first, but now loves it. However I will take a look at the links provided and see if they will help. You made one mention about hands...and I'm left handed which curses me a bit more with XP....but I've dealt with this all my life so no big

thank you again, I'm so stinking amazed people posted on my question.
posted by Hands of Manos at 12:12 PM on November 7, 2005