Digital Sketching?

[ghostnxs]

Compared to traditional it feels weird even after years of sketching. I always find myself sketching traditionally because of it. I have no problems with inking digitally I actually prefer it over traditional inks.

[ghostnxs]

I can never get the brush settings to feel like sketching it all feels to mechanical even with the stabilization off. Photoshop has a built in blue pencil which works fine.

[DynamoToon]

Dude it feels incredibly weird drawing on Sai. The thing is with sketching you can see exactly what youre drawing and where your drawing it. Digitally, youre drawing on a tablet which then is displayed on a screen, youre indirectly controlling it. I know how you feel, man the transition is way off-putting. But I am determined to master it, even if it takes 1000 years.

[ghostnxs]

Maybe I'll just draw traditionally until I can afford a cintiq(aka never ). My other problem is all the settings to find one that works rather than just picking up a pencil and drawing. I use a regular 5mm mechanical pencil from retail stores when sketching and that's all there is too it.

[mg78]

im not able to sketch without a pencil & paper...

[Pandastrophic]

I'm actually not that comfortable sketching digitally either however most of my works are digital and what is do is that I sketch traditionally, scan, then color it digitally on sai after cleaning the page abit. That works out very well for me, maybe try it out, or experiment with coloring and sketching styles, you never know you might find something you like. Also you can create custom brushed on sai that look like pencil if that might make you feel more comfortable with using it, look some up on deviantart or tumblr some people share brush settings.

[goenn]

I love sketching digitally! I do everything digitally to the point that I don't like doing traditional stuff. It also saves me money since art supplies are expense and I need to spend money on other things instead D:

EDIT: I FORGOT TO ADD A SUGGESTION. I think just doing it over and over is a good way to get used to it. There's no need to spend money on a Cintiq! (or try to get one that's second hand, they should be cheaper that way)

[scythe]

I use a pencil brush in Photoshop (on a wacom tablet) that replicates the experience and tactile feel to an incredible degree. The only difference is I'm looking at the screen rather than a piece of paper. Add to that the ease of erasing, resizing and distorting, digitally sketching is a no brainer for me.

[ghostnxs]

The cintiq part was a joke but I don't want a cintiq for 1 reason replacing it. I currently have an Intuous Pro and I like the fact that I can draw from a distance or just pay a few bucks and get a cheap replacement. I think I should probably get a monitor instead of using my small laptop screen.

So I decreased my problem some what by doing this.

1. I decided to draw on a colored background instead of white which reduces me the brightness. The color is a light tan, similar to manila.
2. I draw in dark purple using Photoshop's pencil brush(CS6 under the tool presets).

Thank you all for the help. I'm going to focus on using one software and see how that pans out. I'll post the illustration I tested this on if anyone wants to see it.

[Doubtcent]

I use a lighter pencil, highest brush density, with medium hardness and medium stabilization. It's all about how you fiddle with the settings. Also they just updated the software, so you might want to check into that.

[ghostnxs]

I updated already still feels the same, I like having my pencil as barely visible as possible so I can layer my sketching. That's what I do traditionally

[UltHamBro]

I'm accustomed to sketching in Paint Tool Sai or Photoshop, depending on what stage of the page I'm in.
It's a matter of practice: I found it extremely awkward when I started.

[justjezz]

Gosh. I have the opposite problem. I'm so used to sketching digitally that I feel weird when I hold a pencil. I got so used to drawing digitally that my traditional work is so... 'meh'.

You could change the settings on your tablet (like changing pressure sensitivity) or experimenting with different brushes in order to get a feel for something you like. But aside from that, practice goes a long way.

[AnnaLandin]

Getting used to sketching digitally took me a long time. It feels very different from sketching with a pencil, that's for sure! I feel most comfortable sketching in SAI, too, out of all of these programs - though that's all I tend to use it for these days, since I've made the switch to Manga Studio.

I do have a cintiq, which helps a lot - but even with that, it took me months to get used to it, so it's not really about which tablet you have, but how much practise you have.

[nobebocafe]

I decided to draw on a colored background instead of white which reduces me the brightness. The color is a light tan, similar to manila.

That's important. Avoid the pure white backgrounds for digital sketching/drawing. They just "burn" your eyes.

About the cintiq issue for those who are thinking about get one, but they don't want to sell their souls to the devil because of the price, in addition to look for one on ebay, there are some more affordable alternatives like yiynova or bosto (i've got one).

[ghostnxs]

I've had a wacom tablet since middle school snd now im 22. I've been drawing on them ever since. It still feels weird and awkward I can sketch a lot longer on paper than on computer I don't know why. 1

[punkarsenic]

it may help if when /sketching/ you use a certain kind of brush/pen texture. i have a pencil setting on sai that makes sketching and drawing feel more natural.
i have to admit, theres something really nice about drawing on paper that sometimes i miss, but the undo button beats it every time.

[ghostnxs]

Well even the alternatives cost quite a bit morethan an intuous. I am well aware of alternative cintiqs but wacom has that patented technology which does not require a battery powered pen. In addition driver dupport is something that worries me about these cheaper alternatives .

[ghostnxs]

But those brush textures dont they just make it look more like real drswing not feel like it? I rarely use undo when sketching digitally just like how i don't erase tradtional sketching.I use erase not undo. I find doing undo very limiting in creative flow.

[GlanceReviver]

I haven't ever had a problem with sketching digitally. It definitely feels better in SAI but I used to do it in Photoshop CS2. As long as its something with pressure sensitivity.

I had trouble inking digitally until I got a tablet screen PC, because doing the very detailed work would always frustrate me when I'm looking at the screen instead of at my hands. For a while I actually printed my digital sketches on paper and inked them by hand. So my experience was pretty much opposite of most people's, b. ut maybe I'm just weird like that

This is what I'm using right now:

It's a convertible laptop that behaves like a tablet when it is closed, but the screen has actual pressure sensitivity and uses wacom drivers. It is definitely not as good as having a cintiq, but since you can pick up a used one on Ebay for like $150 it's not a bad tool.

Up side: it is portable, you can travel with it and have all your art supplies and computer in one piece, plus it's cheap.
Down side: the memory is very limited, so working on large files is heinous to impossible (I work at 600 dpi with no problem but if I go higher, it crashes). The HD space is pretty negligible, too. I couldn't store music or anything excessive on it aside from my art files.

I'd pay good money for an updated version of this kind of computer with more power, but I think maybe they went out of fashion since the Cintiq became accessible, because I haven't been able to find one. I'd definitely rather have a cintiq to use with my strong desktop computer, but it's not in my budget.

Anyway, using this made inking more of a breeze. I like looking directly at what I'm drawing.