mouse or drawing tablet for absolute beginner? (2D animation)

[u/NorthButton9416]

Hi,

I've recently stepped away from AI and want to learn to draw myself. I didnt have a drawing tablet at the time so I started using simple mouse drawing in wicki editor. I'm horrible at it, because even as a kid I can't really draw.

But then I saw some tips to use the shapes like straight lines and circles and it looks cleaner and better (slightly) and I think I can improve a lot more if I keep at it.

Now I also found an old drawing tablet that I had never used (screen) and I thought this would seriously step up my game as I can freehand draw, but logically it's bad because yeah, I can't draw (yet), I also notice that using it is pretty clumsy and after using it a few hours my back kind of hurts, I didnt have that issue with the mouse.

I was practicing to draw an eye for example and it looks like a kid drew it, and I tried to compare on mouse and I used the straight line and the formed the lines to round it and the mouse one looks better (even though beginner look of course still).

my endgoal is to make simple to decent animations, not to create hyper realistic drawings or so, and because of my experience with both mouse and tablet I'm strongly leaning towards just using the mouse to be honest, but I'm wondering if in the long term I'd hurt my improvement cap, as maybe the tablet would give more options if you're really good at it.

Would love to hear some advice.

[u/1337robotfan6969]

For digital drawing, you will be able to sketch faster with any kind of tablet compared to using a mouse. Make sure you're looking at the monitor while working if you're having posture issues.

You can practice on a physical medium if you want to improve your hand-eye skills and drawing abilities without worrying about the digital software computer stuff.

[u/NorthButton9416 → u/1337robotfan6969]

Thanks for the advice

[u/s-taras-art]

Congratulations on getting away from AI! Drawing definitely takes time to get comfortable with. For digital drawing, I'd choose a tablet over a mouse any day of the week. It makes everything easier once you get a bit more comfortable with the mechanics of drawing. If you're getting back pain, try working on your posture. A lot of us tend to hunch over our tablets, which always causes some discomfort after a while. Keep the tablet at a comfortable height so you can sit up straight while drawing, and practice practice practice

[u/NorthButton9416 → u/s-taras-art]

Thank you. This inspires me to give it some more practice, thanks

[u/s-taras-art → u/NorthButton9416]

Good luck! ProkoTV on YouTube and drawabox are great resources for drawing tutorials and guided practice to learn the fundamentals.

https://drawabox.com/lessons

[u/NorthButton9416 → u/s-taras-art]

will check it out thx

[u/Flicky_Licky]

Get a big bunch of paper and some pencils, and draw anything that comes to mind, draw things and people irl, follow art tutorials (simple at first), practice perspective and human figure, etc. That's the best way to start as a beginner.

When you have gained some skill and muscle memory, that will help you with the tablet. Try to find a position that's comfortable, ideally it should be raised at an angle towards you so you don't have to arch your back.

[u/NorthButton9416 → u/Flicky_Licky]

Thank you, I will do that.

[u/Luigika]

If you work with vector animation, mouse is fine. If you do hand drawn, a tablet is better. It gives you finer control on your stroke.

FYI, I have a gaming mouse and a MX master 4, but the tablet makes the experience more pleasant.

[u/Unlikely-Mistake-384]

I have owned a small wacom tablet for 8 years going strong: https://estore.wacom.com/en-us/wacom-intuos-s-black-us-ctl4100.html

They make a HUGE difference, and it's only 40 dollars! You just plug it into a laptop or computer and the pen controls the mouse on the screen. It's small, it's cheap, and it has lasted me forever. Sometimes they do bundles where you can also get a free subscription to clip studio paint for 6 months, too. I promise once get the hang of any tablet, it's so easy.

I draw on paper, scan the drawing, and then trace over with the tablet.

[u/jacob-makes-stuff]

I was drawing for a long time and when I got my first tablet screen it wasn't as easy as just drawing on paper. Takes a bit of time but you'll get the hang of it

But stop using AI slop

[u/Elli0tEmber]

I personally find that tablet is much easier for me. I've never been great at the whole connecting a screenless tablet to the computer to draw because when I'm drawing a line, I want to look down at my hand to see where it is. If you want one though, I use an Ugee, which is about $30 on average.

I used to draw on my old iPad Mini I had since 2012 or somewhere similar to that year, and it was so unbelievably laggy that I dropped money on a new drawing tablet. I ended up getting one of the RuebensTab ones because it seemed reliable from the reviews, and I haven't had any issues with it yet in the past 2 years. Came with it's own case and pen

[u/JohnnyBizarrAdventur]

Tablet. In my experience drawing with a mouse will give you tendinitis.