Lol, here goes

[Zeke]

Do you draw your artwork first and then color it or do you just do it on the computer?

[UKtehwhitewolf]

Before I got a tablet I always drew it before on paper and then scanned it in to my computer and used the Pen Tool in Photoshop to ink the lines.

With a tablet I tend to just draw straight onto my computer.

[Moka]

How much are tablets? Are they worth it?...its really hard for me to draw with a mouse.

[UKtehwhitewolf]

Well if you're buying one direct from a place like Wacom.com or a large computer store they can easily be up to $200 and more if it's a Wacom Intuos tablet. (On wacom.com they're $329.99 for A5 size D: )

On eBay you can get them MUCH cheaper but you do have to be careful waht you buy and there's really no point getting a cheap alternative. Wacom is the best by FAR and the only one worth your money. I bought a cheap alternative for £80 and it broke it 2 weeks...

I currently use a Wacom BAMBOO One (bought on eBay) which only cost £70 but on wacom.com they're $79 which really isn't bad considering how expensive they can be.
You'll probably find people saying a Wacom Intuos 3 is the best to get but unless you're a graphic designer by trade the BAMBOO works perfectly and is more than enough.

The Wacom BAMBOO page on wacom.com - http://www.wacom.com/BambooTablet/bamboo.cfm

I really, really recommend getting one for anyone who does artworks digitally as it makes everything so much easier and you'll very quickly find that you have better control over lineart, detail and shading. You just have to remember a tablet pad doesn't work in the same way as paper. XD

Also: As far as I know, the Wacom tablets come with extra art software. Don't hold me to this though as I've never bought one from Wacom directly, only off eBay, but mine came with a full version of ArtRage 2.

[Zeke]

Wow...Thats a bit much

[Moka]

I have photoshop, I might get that "Bamboo" tablet

The only reason I haven't started drawing fan art is simply because I hate the way my mouse makes lineart work. Without a decent lineart you can't do anything..

[UKtehwhitewolf]

Zeke -- Yeah, sadly good things always are. There are cheap ones, some you can pick up for £15 or less but they're really not worth the money. I bought 2 like that and both broke within 2 weeks.

Moka -- It's a good investment. I sure love mine. In the meantime, have you tried using the Pen Tool for lineart? Even with the tablet I still use it quite a lot and it's a quick, easy way to get nice clean lineart.

[Moka]

Yeppp just bought it.

I have tried the pen tool. I know its powerful and all but I never understood how to use it. I've read tutorials and stuff but there are just too many hotkeys and crap you have to hold down and remember which finger to remove when and if you screw up once your entire pen outline goes crazy.

[UKtehwhitewolf]

^^ Awesome.

0.o On mine the only key I have to remember is: Hold Ctrl when dragging the points. Everything else is done by right clicking.
I dunno if you've seen this one before or not but this tutorial is how I learnt it. :] -- http://acaraluv.deviantart.com/art/line ... l-21814747

[Moka]

That tut looks promising. I'll have to try it ^^

Problem is I haven't drawn enough to know what the characters should look like. I can only trace things I haven't mastered the style yet