[Retsof]

Basically I was wondering how hard it is to get used to drawing on the tablet while looking at the screen.  It seems like it would be hard to draw when the surface you are using does not have anything on it.

[headdie]

i imagine its like using a mouse in that if you want to learn it you would adapt quickly, must ad mit i have often though about getting one

[Hippo]

I use a tablet pc and a pen tablet, and the pc version is very much easier than doing it arbitrarily

[bobbtmann]

It's not very hard. After a few drawings I didn't even notice that the image was on the screen. I found tablets are expensive but worth it.

[jdjtcagle]

I have a Bamboo version of Wacom. Only about $80-$100

It's not hard at all... I've been doing it for a little over a year and my pen feels more natural then my mouse. At first it might be difficult but give it a couple weeks and it grows on you very quickly. Just make sure you don't tilt your pad its best just to keep it straight.

[Lucika]

Well I guess it can be compared to touchpads in a sense.

[Bob-san]

Here's a tip from 1st hand experience; pay the extra money for a bigger tablet. 4x6" is tiny and you'll cramp trying to use it. You don't need 8x12", but definitely don't buy the smallest model unless you plan on throwing it out. And here's a second tip--DON'T DROP THE STYLUS!

[Titan]

I have a Wacom Bamboo also. Don't have enough free time to get used to it, or otherwise I spend much of my free time gaming, but it has worked well.

[Thaeris]

OR YOU COULD DO IT THE HARD WAY!

I DO!!!

I make use of actual paper, a real pencil, and a scanner. And, at some point, GIMP to expand and enhance physical drawings.

[Black Wolf]

Tablet is great for doing some detail work on textures, like applying dirt and paint and scratches, but you're still going to need the mouse for some other things. You use them both, and it's very easy to go back and forth. And I'd agree that in this instance, size matters. Get as big as you can afford if you're expecting to use it much.

[Bob-san]

I personally used absolute positioning on my tablet--it made writing with it a lot easier. You'll probably want to do the same. Setting pen for absolute and mouse for relative positions will make it most comfortable to use, especially if you're smart and get an 9x6 or larger tablet. There are some non-Wacom 12x9 tablets which you'll probably love, though if you can afford $450, Wacom is almost surely the best option with an Intuos4.

[Colonol Dekker]

I've got a wacom bamboo too. Cost less than forty quid new from pcworld.
 
It really doesn't take that much time to get used to. It's like drawing without looking at the paper. Try writing out the alphabet without looking at the paper.
 
Now try it with a mirror angled so you can see the paper. That's about it.
 
Pressure sensitivity makes a MASSIVE difference in flash and photoshop.

[Ransom]

I swear by mine. I'll echo others here - don't bother with a small tablet unless you just want to give it a trial run.

It'll take some time to feel natural, but it will happen. Anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, I'd say, depending on what you're using it for and how accustomed you are to your current tools.

OR YOU COULD DO IT THE HARD WAY!

The difference isn't that one tool is harder and the other is easier. A tablet is not a shortcut. They are different mediums, and both have uses that the other can't replicate.

[asyikarea51]

I had a tablet but I never got the hang of it. Extremely small size was one, not having something to look at was another. Oftentimes the next touch after a quick lift-the-stylus rest break is well away from the previous marking, whereas with pencil art I can get a reasonable level of accuracy that I want (I say reasonable because accuracy itself has been a ***** to me in manual art before).

I'm still too used to the direct feeling of paper (and even then I'm still not good enough in manual art), but I've long come across some shortcomings of manual drawing already and it's pissed me off enough times. Not to mention paper art is nowhere nearly as useful as a model produced in a 3D application, but that's a different topic.

But, on a more related note, Wacom's Cintiq series is seriously expensive... enough to keep it well away from the reach of the casual indie user.

Shoot... but then again there's bound to be enough reasons as to why it costs so much, so no point for me to argue really.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

I can use a tablet, but only at gunpoint. I really dislike using it unless if I really have to, or if I'm using Zbrush in school.