The best programs for drawing on a graphics tablet. Drawing on a graphics tablet - programs, settings, tips

It is extremely important for a modern artist to learn how to transfer the results of his talent not only to paper, but also to the computer screen. It should be borne in mind that drawing on a graphics tablet is not the same as transferring mental images to paper. So please be patient. In addition, having received a precious product, you should configure it and only then begin to master the program for working with graphic images.

This article will tell you how to choose, configure a graphics tablet and learn to draw on it.

Where to start? Choice r graphics tablet

Apple pie starts with selecting apples from your local market. Anyone who wants stunning success in working with a graphics tablet needs to choose it wisely.

The most budget option today is the model Bamboo, which is well suited for both office and home work. Everything you draw on the tablet will be displayed on the computer screen.

Bamboo Connect Suitable for drawing and communication. Model similar to her - Bamboo Splash.

Bamboo Capture– most popular model. Good for photo editing and drawing.

Bamboo Create- the most expensive model Bamboo line.

Graphics tablet Wacom Intuos aimed at professional users.

The most expensive and prestigious is the graphics tablet Wacom Cintiq. It allows you to see the drawing on the tablet itself, and not on the PC screen.

Equipment and configuration

After purchase, the graphics tablet will be pristine - it will have to be configured. To do this, you need to either download the drivers on the website of your tablet model, or use the installation disk.

The pen that always comes with the tablet can also be used as a mouse - moving it above the surface at a height of two centimeters. If you want to draw, you should draw directly on the surface. Comfortable!

Moreover, a button on the side of the pen replaces the right mouse button. And using the ring on the tablet, you can change the screen scale.

Get familiar with the pen attachments and get used to them. To speed up the process, sit at your computer with a graphics tablet when you're not working on images.

Having configured the working tool, you can proceed directly to training.

Websites and Video channels to help the beginning artist

The following resources will help you master the profession of illustrator and improve your skills:

... - lessons on working with a graphics tablet for beginners. The video explains how to work with a sketch, tutorial, and transferring illustrations from paper to digital format.

Drawing and digital painting lessons in Photoshop (and not only) for both professional artists and amateurs. Also here you can find works of different illustrators, their concepts and sketches.

It should be borne in mind that different artists use different programs. Each has its own characteristics, therefore, when searching for a demonstration of a technique, you can specify the program in which you are used to working.

Convenient and easy-to-use programs for drawing on a graphics tablet have become widespread.

This is due to the fact that more and more artists are starting to work digitally, abandoning classical materials to create illustrations or paintings.

However, both the convenience of work and the quality of its implementation largely depend on what software the author uses to work on the tablet.

Peculiarities

Most tablet artists now use software Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. This is high-quality, functional software, however, it is not the only one. It is worth choosing a program based on functionality and ease of working with it.

The capabilities of your tablet will depend on which program you choose. Therefore, you need to choose software taking into account the technical data of the device. In addition, there is also universal programs, suitable for any tablets.

<Рис. 1 Планшет>

Paint

This application is suitable for artists who are just starting to master working on a graphics tablet. It has general functionality, a simple and familiar menu, and therefore you will not need to spend additional time getting used to it (although a novice author will still have to get used to the tablet).

Having a certain level of skill and getting good at it, with the help of such software you can create quite high-quality works. The advantages of such an application include:

1. Its presence by default in standard assemblies of all Windows versions(although it is recommended to work with those included in XP assemblies 7, 8, 8.1, 10);
2. Extremely simple interface and menu - almost every user knows how to work with Paint;
3. Quite wide (for a basic program) functionality.

From functional features Programs include drawing with a pencil with lines of varying thickness and density, drawing with a brush at different transparency and stroke widths, filling the selected area with one color, and working in several layers. You can also act with the finished image - select and copy zones, cut out areas, enlarge, stretch and flip selected zones. Saves pictures in several formats.

You should start getting acquainted with the functionality of a drawing tablet with this software. Moreover, it can be basic for those who do not draw professionally, as well as for those who periodically make minor edits in graphic files.

<Рис. 2 Работа в Пейнт>

Gimp

This software for creating drawings has wide functionality and significant power. You can download it from the official website www.gimp.org. Works with all types of graphics tablets, and also with some other input devices.

The disadvantages of such software include the following:

1. Quite a significant load on both the hardware of the computer and tablet;
2. The interface is quite complex, it takes time to get used to it.

<Рис. 3 Работа в Gimp>

However, it is still considered that the application is intended for beginners. It has quite a wide functionality:

• Working with photos - brightness, color correction, adjusting levels, contrast, etc.;
• Photo editing - removing unnecessary elements, cropping, and other standard Photoshop functions;
• Suitable for web designers as it allows you to create and edit website layouts;
• Drawing pictures – equipped with the functions “brush”, “pencil”, “filling an area with color”, etc., and in several types;
• It has an individual image saving format.xcf, which can save data with a picture, text insert, layers, textures, etc.;
• Simple integration with the clipboard – pictures and photos can be opened in the program by simply copying them;
• Opens files intended for editing from other known graphics programs eg .psd;
• The developer's open code allows you to create and install your own plugins, add-ons and extensions for this software;
• Allows you to quickly archive files.

This software is very versatile. It is suitable for both beginners and non-professionals, as well as professional illustrators.

MyPaint

The program is designed to to a greater extent for artists working in classical genres. It is not so much designed for drawing simple illustrations, but for creating works of art, paintings in classical style. For this reason, it has quite broad and complex functionality, and a not very simple menu.

Most artists take some time to get used to it. However, it is believed that the interface of this program is simpler than most similar ones with similar functionality. You can download the application at .

<Рис. 4 Работа в MyPaint>

The main advantages of this application are:

• Unlimited canvas sizes;
• The ability to customize the contents of the menu bar, include assignable buttons, etc., resulting in the implementation of the function fast switching between teams and easy access to frequently used functions;
• Very wide selection of brush types when available fine tuning everyone;
• Function for importing strokes and brushes, generating, customizing and editing them;
• Works with many types of devices and supports them well;
• Unlike most similar programs– works in many ways operating systems– Linux, Mac OS, Windows, Ubuntu.

Drawing in this software should be fast after the user gets used to its interface. However, non-professional artists, as well as illustrators and comic book creators, can make do with other, more simple applications(both in interface and functionality).

Graffiti Studio

The program is designed for creating graffiti; its main functionality is designed for this style of drawing. Can be successfully used by those who create comics, as well as illustrators working in a similar style. The program has a very simple and intuitive interface.

An interesting distinguishing feature is its relative realism. The whole process of work is reminiscent of applying graffiti “live”. And as a canvas you can choose the ones you are used to street artist surfaces - walls, asphalt, cars, buses, etc.

<Рис. 5 Работа в Graffiti Studio>

The features of this application include:

• Use of more than 100 color shades of paints, such as could be used in real painting;
• Creating drips and stains, applying to “dry paint”;
• Changing the specifics of application, depending on what surface you have chosen (as in reality);
• Changing the distance from the artist to the canvas (the distance from which virtual spray paint is applied to a vertical surface);
• The use of markers and other means that are actively used in real graffiti.

Although this style is not as popular now as it was a few years ago, it has not completely disappeared. Largely thanks to the emergence of such programs.

Artweaver

The program is complete analogue Photoshop. But, unlike it, it is sold completely free of charge. You can download it from the official website.

It has functionality completely similar to Photoshop. And besides, a similar interface and external design. It is quite capable of replacing this graphic editor.

However, she also has some additional features, which will be convenient for artists. Its main advantage is that authors who are accustomed to working in Photoshop will not have to relearn. In addition, this application uses less computer resources and is less heavy.

The application allows you to create paintings using media that imitate oil, pencil, watercolor, and chalk. At the same time, various tools are presented here - brushes, markers, pencils, pens, pens and others (of various types, moreover).

Like Photoshop, it has full functionality to change photos - color correction, adjusting brightness and contrast, levels, cropping, cutting out sections, compression, rotation, reflection, stylization, etc. well-known analogue, supports working in layers.

<Рис. 6 Работа в Artweaver>

SmoothDraw

You can download the program and a manual for working with it from the official website. It is suitable for working with any type of tablet. It has quite a wide functionality with a relatively simple interface.

Allows you not only to create new images, but also to process, change and edit old ones, including those created in other programs. But mainly the application is aimed specifically at artists who create a picture on a blank canvas. Suitable for both illustrators and web designers and artists working in a classical style.

Allows you to simulate work with various tools - brush, pencil, pen, pens, colored pencils, felt-tip pens, etc. Interacts well with tablets; there are no crashes or bugs when performing basic functions. Since the software has a simple interface, it will make the creative process relatively simple and fast.

<Рис. 7 Работа в SmoothDraw>

PixBuilder Studio

The most accurate description for this program would be a lightweight version of Photoshop. It combines most of the most used functions of this program, but removes unnecessary or rarely used features in order to simplify the interface and reduce the load on the hardware and software of the computer. You can download the program from the link.

Has the following functionality:

• Editing the image according to parameters: brightness, contrast, color correction, color enhancement, etc.;
• Cutting and transforming photos, stretching, compressing, reflecting, rotating, both the entire image and a selected area;
• Generating complex shapes, objects, etc.;
• Blur and sharpen functions, image stylization options.

However, in general, the application is more designed for editing existing images than for creating new ones. For this reason, it is not suitable for professional artists. Rather, it is suitable for those who edit photos and pictures, but sometimes make their own edits and additions to them.

<Рис. 8 Работа в PixBuilder Studio>

Inkscape

It differs significantly from other programs in the list primarily in that it allows you to create vector graphic images. In fact, it is more advanced and functional version familiar to most CoralDraw users. You can download it from the official website, but you must indicate your operating system, since there are builds of this program for all operating systems (which is another significant advantage).

What are the advantages of this application? First of all, in principle vector graphics, that is, drawing with directed segments. Such segments, unlike point fragments (in which all other programs described above work), are easy to edit at any stage.

At the same time, when editing the shapes and sizes of segments in this way, there is no loss of picture quality. You can even enlarge the entire image several times, while maintaining its quality.

For this reason, the program is popular among web designers and designers, logo designers, etc., because they often need to edit the image size. In addition, the application is actively used in printing, creating banners and booklets.

<Рис. 9 Работа в Inkscape>

Livebrush

Simple and interesting software, intended rather for creative exploration and inspiration than for creating a classic work. In addition, it has quite a wide range of image editing functionality. You can download the software from the link.

There is only one tool here - a brush. But it comes in many forms different types, both in width and density, type, etc. In addition, many types of brushes can be downloaded, edited, created, etc.

In addition to traditional brushes - lines, there are also complex geometric shapes, which are also considered brushes in this application. The program is suitable for creating abstract illustrations and some design works.

<Рис. 10 Работа в Livebrush>

Paid programs

Many developers also implement paid programs for working with graphics tablets. In terms of functionality, they are not always superior to free ones, so it’s worth weighing the pros and cons before purchasing. The most popular commercial programs are:

• Corel Painter X3 works with traditional materials - brushes, pencils, etc. Simulates dry and wet coatings and effects. The works turn out to be realistic, and the drawing process is familiar;
• Painter Lite is a cheaper version of the previous program, with narrower functionality. Equipped with only the necessary drawing tools, it is suitable for beginners or for those who are not yet ready for significant expenses;
• Clip Paint Studio Pro was developed for creating anime and manga. However, you can create comics and illustrations of any type in it. Its developers have made so many changes to the program that it can now be used for digital painting. It is convenient to have standard manga poses and figures that can be used as models for classical drawing;

  <Рис. 11 Работа в Corel Painter X3>

  Another good paid program is Affinity Designer. But it has a significant drawback - it is designed only to work with MAC.

  Computer drawing programs

  In this video, I took six programs that you can use to draw on a computer with a tablet and explained which program is best suited for whom and also revealed the criteria for choosing a graphic editor for everyone personally.

Today in this lesson we are learning to draw a magic totem on a tablet. I think many people have an idea of ​​what a totem is; you can often find them in adventure films and films about Indians. Very often they look like pillars with images of sacred animals, idols, or some kind of religious symbols. In our case, we will learn to draw a totem on a tablet in the form of a stone pillar, on which we will depict symbols that glow when addressing the totem.

I will try to make the description of the lesson on drawing a totem as detailed as possible, I don’t know how it will turn out, but let’s start implementing the idea.

So, let's launch Photoshop, create a document of arbitrary size, I created 1024x768, filled in the background #aabcc8 color, I select a simple hard round brush with parameters press = size (this means that the size of the stroke depends on the pressure on the tablet with the pen) it usually costs 4 by default on the left. I check its settings and press F5, it should be as shown in the screenshot below.

First stage: drawing a sketch

The brush is set up, now we can move on to sketching our totem. We create new layer over the background and begin to sketch out various options on it, thereby creating a contour sketch. I ended up with a sketch like this, and I’ll leave it for further work. Also sometimes I create a rough palette for an image, like in this case, which you can see in the left top corner in the screenshot below.

Second stage: set the primary colors

Create a new layer, place it under the outline layer, and set the main tone for the elements of our image. Painting over the base on a tablet is quick and easy. I use it for the stone itself #58676e color, for grass #6e9b0a, for artifacts on stone #b12121. And finally I reduce opacity at the contour to 65% . And I move on to next stage drawing a totem on a tablet.

Third stage: light, shadow

Apply shadows in the required places #34393d color while applying shadows in the right places, I change the opacity of the brush.

After we've set the shadows, let's move on to the light and illuminate those places. #78858d the color where we assume that our surface is illuminated. When painting light, we also change the opacity for our brush. As a result, we should get approximately what is shown in the screenshot below. I also decided to erase the outline of the grass and add light to the blades of grass.

Stage four: stone detailing

At this stage we will learn to draw small details of stone on a tablet. First of all, merge all layers except the background into one, select the same hard brush and brush size 1-3 pix. Depends on the size of the picture, choose the color #b5d1dc and using small strokes we create sharp edges on the stone.

I would like to note that in some places they run next to the contour line, and in others they replace it; there is no need to draw it all over the stone. We erase the stones lying below a little and make them more detailed.

I also texturize the stone a little, apply small dots of different diameters and shades of light and dark in a chaotic order in different places on the stone. The main thing is not to overdo it.

Fifth stage: work on the artifact

Let's carefully draw the ornament of our artifact in red #7b191a color.

After we have drawn the ornament, we need to make a dark outline around it, create an outline using #34393d color and hard brush size 1-3 pix.

Next, we need to create highlights on the edges of the stone along the edge of the ornament. For this we choose #98aab4 color and hard brush size 1-3 pix. Let's apply highlights and change the opacity of the brush in some places.

Create a glow inside the pattern with flowers #b12121 #fb7f81. It should look like the screenshot below.

Since our artifact glows, it should accordingly cast light onto the stone. So, let's create a new layer, place it on top of all layers, set it to chroma/color mixing mode. And with a soft brush large size Let's draw a glow on the totem from the artifact, and then reduce its opacity to what suits us.

Stage six: final chords

Well what about at the moment We have already achieved a good result, but there are still a few things that need to be improved, these are grass and shadow. Select a hard brush 1-2 pix. And flowers #4d651b, #6d9b09, #98c411, #d8e507 slowly we begin to draw the grass, making strokes from bottom to top. We use more dark tones below, and correspondingly light ones on top.

Let's increase the sharpness of the totem slightly using a filter Sharpen > Contour Sharpen. The values ​​in the filter must be set to the minimum so as not to overdo the image. And let's add a little shadow, I didn't bother with it very much, I created a little under the entire totem and slightly darkened the bottom of the grass and that's it.

That's all, you can see the final result below, on it I created a small glow behind the totem, for this I took a soft brush with a large diameter and a color a little lighter than the background and painted a glow.

Today we learned how to draw a totem, in the next Photoshop lessons we will also learn how to draw on a tablet , but there are other equally interesting drawings, so I recommend subscribing to site updates so as not to miss new lessons.

So, you bought a graphics tablet. Besides the fact that you still have to get used to it and get better at it, you need to immediately decide on a graphic editor that will maximize all the capabilities of your new device. And if you think that you can only draw in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, then you are very mistaken.

In addition to the globally recognized and undoubtedly cool Adobe products, there are many graphic editors, offering the same functionality, but for less money, and sometimes even for free. In addition, some programs boast a unique interface with many interesting features; designers and illustrators will definitely appreciate them.

We have compiled a list of programs where you can fully draw using a graphics tablet, simulating various artistic techniques, make sketches, create raster and vector images, and also practice lettering and calligraphy.

Corel Painter X3

Painter X3 simulates traditional brushes, textures, dry and wet effects with incredible precision. Thanks to this, there is an almost complete immersion in a real artist’s studio, where there is no computer or monitor, only an easel and canvas.

Painter Lite

Lightweight and cheaper version of Painter offers everything necessary tools for drawing, but at a lower price. An excellent option for those who are just starting to draw and are not ready to spend a lot of money.

Clip Paint Studio PRO

Despite the fact that this program was developed specifically for drawing manga, Clip Paint Studio has gone quite far and can be used with the same success in industry-standard digital painting. The program has incredibly convenient features, for example, ready-made shapes that can be used as a model for drawing poses.

Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 7

SketchBook Pro is a professional drawing application optimized specifically for tablet devices. Drawing in it is easy and pleasant, which novice users will undoubtedly appreciate.

ArtRage 4

A program with incredible tools and the most attractive interface. Drawing in it is easy and pleasant. Focused on creating realistic images.

Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 9

Photo editing, drawing, unusual effects are not all the capabilities of Xara Photo. Users will appreciate the compatibility of file formats and the low price of the product.

Affinity Designer

The program supports working with layers, import\export different formats files, a convenient navigator and all the tools for working with vector graphics that you can think of. Affinity Designer is kind of a killer Adobe Illustrator. The only drawback of this program may be that it is only available for MAC. But the price is more than reasonable.

Inkscape

A free and convenient vector illustrator, which is essentially a symbiosis of Corel DRAW and Adobe Illustrator. Inkscape's remarkable support for pen pressure sensitivity - a big deficiency in the vector illustration world powerful tool for those who are seriously interested in calligraphy.

By the way, Inkscape has an excellent resource in seven languages, including Russian, which is very rare even for commercial graphics programs. On the Inkscape website you can not only download the program, but also read articles, study lessons, participate in discussions and much more. There is also the opportunity to become one of the developers and testers of the product and bring useful features to it.

Artweaver

Program raster graphics, which looks like a symbiosis of Painter and Photoshop. Compared to GIMP, it is slower in processing, but with a much larger set of brushes. Wide support Wacom tablet.

GIMP

A colorful and functional raster program for drawing and illustrating. By appearance The interface and features are similar to Corel Painter. Wide support for Wacom tablet.

MyPaint

An undemanding and easy-to-use open-source program for digital artists. Allows you to concentrate on creativity, not the program interface. Tablet support is well implemented.

SmoothDraw

And here's another one worth attention drawing program - ten thousand beginner and professional artists managed to download this wonderful development for free. You don't have to waste time studying menus and tools - just open new file and showcase your talents with clearly visualized features.

Users have access to blending modes, layers, virtual canvas rotation, and sub-pixel anti-aliasing levels. Except standard means painting app contains special tools such as graffiti, water drops, stars, grass. Synchronization with tablets is also implemented.

Paint Tool SAI

Don't be intimidated by SAI's clean interface, as this is the de facto standard program for most Japanese anime artists. It also comes with a line correction feature to create sharper contours.

Serif DrawPlus (starter edition)

Serif DrawPlus offers all the tools for working with raster and vector graphics. Here you can create interesting prints, make logos, edit photos or draw using a lot of custom effects, including 3D. Truly a godsend for beginning illustrators and designers, and completely free!

All the programs on the list will be excellent alternatives to Adobe products, even if you are not ready to admit it yet. It’s enough to give them a chance, and who knows, maybe in a couple of weeks you won’t even remember about Photoshop! Moreover, you don’t have to pay for some products at all. Don't be afraid to try new things, push boundaries and improve!

Everything in the world of design more space focuses on applications that make working with graphics programs easier. The leading position among all gadgets is occupied by a graphics tablet.

It is thanks to him that modern designers have received a number of advantages, such as ease of drawing illustrations to the smallest detail (which would not be possible to achieve using a mouse), and the ability to control the thickness of the pen line depending on the pressure applied.

IN Adobe program Illustrator can be drawn on a tablet using tools such as a pencil, a brush and a blot brush. We will talk about them in this article. But we will focus specifically on how to set up such tools for working with a graphics tablet.

I would like to note that the brush tool is most convenient to use for drawings consisting of lines of different thicknesses, and the pencil tool is best suited for drawing silhouettes.

Let's get started!

The most important thing is a properly configured pen

Open Window – Brushes and select any round brush. Double-click on the icon of your chosen brush, which opens a dialog box with its settings. In this window, set the following parameters: Diameter - 10, pen pressure, 10 (equal to the maximum diameter of the brush). Such parameters will allow us to further change the thickness of the contour depending on the degree of pressure from 0 to twice the size.

To check what we have done, select the Blob Brush Tool and start placing points with different degrees of pressure.

Having practiced in this way, you will be able to create a contour with different thicknesses without interrupting it, which can be extremely useful when drawing.

If you were unable to draw with different pressures, then I advise you to play with the pen settings of the tablet itself, which are located in the Start menu - All programs - Wacom Tablet - Wacom tablet properties. Adjust the Pen Sensitivity until you can draw such a line without much difficulty.

Setting up the Paintbrush Tool

Double-click on the icon of this tool on the Toolbar so that a window with settings appears. Now let's get acquainted with the parameters of the Brush tool.

Fill new brush strokes - When you select this option, the program applies a fill to the path, which is especially useful when drawing closed paths.

Keep selected - when selected this parameter the program leaves the path selected after finishing drawing it.

Editing area for selected contours - when you select this option, you can make changes to the selected contour.

Within: _ pixels (available when selecting the previous option) - shows how close pixels the brush should be to an existing path in order to make changes to the path.

Setting up the Blob Brush Tool

Double-click on the icon of this tool on the Toolbar so that a window with settings appears. Now let's get acquainted with the parameters of the Blob Brush tool.

Keep selected—when this option is selected, the program automatically keeps the outlines selected while drawing continues.

Merge only with the selected area - when you select this option, the program merges the new stroke with the existing selected one.

Accuracy - Shows how far you can move the brush before the program automatically adds a new anchor point. Available values ​​range from 0.5 to 20 pixels. The higher the value you set, the less complex the contour you create will be (with fewer anchor points) and, accordingly, will be smoother.

Anti-aliasing—shows the degree of anti-aliasing when drawing. Available values ​​range from 0 to 100%. The higher the percentage value you choose, the smoother the outline will be when drawing.

Size – set the size of the brush.

Angle - choose the angle of rotation of the brush.

Roundness - shows the roundness of the brush (the higher its value, the greater the roundness).

Setting up the Pencil Tool

Double-click on the icon of this tool on the Toolbar so that a window with settings appears. Now let's get acquainted with the parameters of the Pencil tool.

Deviation—responsible for the frequency of adding new anchor points when drawing with a pencil. The higher the value, the less sharp the corners and vice versa.

Smoothness—responsible for the degree of smoothing when drawing. The higher the value, the smoother and smoother the created outline will be.

Fill new pencil strokes - this option allows the program to apply a fill to the stroke. Before drawing, don't forget to choose a fill color.

Keep path selected—selecting this option allows you to keep the path selected after it is created.

The edit zone for selected paths determines whether the selected path can be edited or merged when the pointer is within a certain distance from it (specified by the following parameter).

Within: 20 px. (available if the previous option is selected) - shows how close the pencil must be to an existing path in order to make changes to the path.

To return the default settings, simply click the Restore button.

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