Problems with my line art

[grovylegirl]

My line has tendency to be shaky and sketchy. I stop and start to much instead of continuing to draw the line kind of like in sketching. I use medibang paint. And trust me i have antialisasing going along with the correction. How did you improve your line art

Also I recently switched to an intous and it feels find of stiff for me to use any advice on that?

[joannekwan]

Lots of practice! Just keep drawing lines until you get the hang of it. All sorts of lines, straight, curvy, all of it.

Also little shakes and things are less noticeable the thicker the line weight.

EDIT: To clarify, I've always used a Wacom Intuos 3, and never had a stabilizer program. I work with Photoshop on a Mac.

[spooktacularprize]

I do all of my undersketches without stabilizer and they are incredibly "hairy" and sketchy, because that's how I draw unless I am sure of the lines; I get you. ;m;

Stabilizer is the only thing that saved my lineart, I just had to learn not to pick up the pen in between drawing lines; and if I did I had to connect the two lines to make it look like there had been no pause. (I use paint tool sai) Try zooming in only enough so that you don't have to keep picking up the pen to reposition the canvas.

[heterodont]

it takes time to get used to a new tablet, especially if it's smaller than your old one (considering your previous thread)

you can use stabilizer if the art program of your choice has it but you can ''train'' out chickenscratching by doing line exercises which is p much just making lines of various lengths and trying to get them as parallel as possible, putting down two dots and trying to connect them with just a single line swoop, filling up a page of ellipses, etc. Here's a tumblr photoset listing a variety of said exercises

[Rabbit]

You need to have the stabilizer very hi up ;u; Everyone does, trust me.
Also it is something that gets better with time. I was recently looking at the first chapter of my comic, and I was really surprised to see how bad the line-art was XD It's much smoother and more fluid now, even though I didn't notice the improvement at all!
So don't underestimate practice!
I also have an Intous, and it works great with me? Maybe you'll just get used to it. Though I admit, my tablet is the only tablet I've ever used, so I wouldn't know if it's really stiff or not XO

[scythe]

I don't use a stabilizer and my line art is pretty straight. It's just a practise thing. If you're getting shaky lines, are you drawing with your wrist? If so, you need to be drawing from the elbow or shoulder, as in, your wrist should be pretty damn stiff while you're inking. Also, maybe try slightly faster movements? That in itself should lessen the shakes.

[J.Z.Castillo]

I work without a stabilizer, and even though my lines ain't the greatest, they're pretty alright. You just have to practice a whole bunch! I remember when I first got my tablet everything was horrible hahaha, but you get better the more you use it!

[carloswebcomic]

I've been drawing digitally for over 10 years and I can't get rid of the hand shake.
Digital drawing is a lot twitchier than pen and paper.
Use the stabiliser. It's a tool that's there for a reason and it will make your life a lot easier.

[Shanny8]

My line work is still kind of sketchy & wobbly overall- but I can at least sustain a decent enough stroke to make figures. The more you push yourself to draw/ink with your tablet, you'll become better.

[mariusthered]

I use the curve ruler quite a lot to over come this problem

tip: sticky out your little finger while drawing you can use it as a guide to keep your lines straight, this take a little practice too.

[Michelle]

I use Lazy Nezumi to keep my lines from getting wobbly and weird, but they get like that because wacom tablets and Photoshop don't like to play nice.

Regarding tiny sketchy lines, you just need to keep practicing to build up line confidence. I find it easier to improve if you draw on a large sketchpad where you can make broader strokes. Try drawing in ink, too, so you're forced to be more intentional with your stroke decisions. I also recommend drawing more from the elbow, as drawing with the wrist often makes for shakier lines.

[AnnaLandin]

Practise. Lots and lots of practise.

Smoothness in lineart has a lot to do with confidence, which means putting in the practise will help! Getting used to the intuous will help too, but mostly it's putting in the practise to the point where you learn to stop worrying so much. Just open a new blank canvas and practise drawing lines with whatever tool you use for inking - and try to do longer lines! Breaking a habit is hard, so you have to put some conscious effort into it.

Also, it helps to move your whole arm when you draw, instead of just your wrist. When you're drawing a long arcing line, try to move your entire forearm from your elbow on down, instead of just moving your wrist. It will help keep the line steady, and will also put less strain on your wrist.

[punkarsenic]

first of all - and this sounds silly - try breathing exercises and stretches before you draw. make your body relaxed and loose to prevent shaking.

also, try drawing with your whole arm, not just your wrist - lift your arm from the table/paper/whatever and move your whole arm

zoom in or out and see how it effects your line

a typography trick that could help is to pull curved lines, and push straights.

aaaand thats all i got

[miseryhunting]

Is it weird I just hear about this stabilizer? What is it exactly and is everyone using it?

[ameoname]

Some drawing software has sliders for making your lines smoother. This is a screenshot form ClipStudio. The higher you set it the smoother your lines will get, but the less control you'll have over them. If you have your stabilization really high and wanted a certain curve in your line it will get straightened out.

My thoughts on tablets: I borrowed a cintique (screen to draw on) and it really did make it easier for me to draw lines. But then again I know a lot of people who are just fine with a normal tablet without a built-in screen. My line quality is so aweful that I stopped outlining all together XD Now I use only a lasso tool for everything but still remain a feeling of outlines. Some peoplehave an easier time with outlines and others with shapes. As soon as I realized I'm good at seeing shapes not lines I switched to the lasso tool and started blocking in my shapes and carving out shapes, leaving me with what my style is right now.
It really changed my life!

[indagold]

I use a freeware drawing program for lines and bump up a stabilizer to max because I have to deal with the fact I can never get good line quality just like I can never write words without them looking like a chicken pooped them out haha...

[Shanny8]

I keep my stabilizer on 5 coz anything more than that, and I'm fighting against the stabilizer when drawing curvy lines. 5 allows me to get some solid lines, and still be able to get the curves I that I need.

[okellymx]

You can do the same thing in digital. I advise against using a stabilizer. Also, try zooming in, it allows you to use more of your arm to ink.

[Endrenesk]

Shaky hands/arms are good for backgrounds. Take Bob Ross's advice.

[joannekwan]

No wonder your style looks like wood cuts! You're carving out shapes with the lasso tool!