Beginner's Thoughts on Drawing on a Tablet

Several months ago, I wrote about my decision to buy a Samsung Galaxy Tablet S10 Lite 10.9".  Initially, I thought I would be using it along with the Second Screen function solely for use with Photoshop Elements.  However, somewhat to my surprise, I've found I really enjoy drawing with it too!  I wanted to share what I have found works for me, in case this helps other tablet drawing newbies out there.

First of all, I have used the tablet a lot for sketching out final drawings in tandem with my lap top.  I found the native app Second Screen on the Samsung Tablet very unreliable.  Instead, I have downloaded Space Desk.  I use this with the Samsung cable provided to provide a link between my laptop and tablet.  The pen that comes with the Samsung Tablet is really easy to use - it is so smooth, and I find it very enjoyable to draw with.  I use it to create drawings via my laptop on Photoshop Elements.  My favourite digital pen option is the Ramen Pen, which you can buy from Retro Supplies.  You download it and then load it into your brushes set.  It provides a stroke which has movement, varies in width, and tapers beautifully at the end.  You can see above the drawings of cats I've drawn outlines for using this pen.

What I hadn't expected was how much I would enjoy using the tablet by itself for drawing purposes.  It took me a while to pinpoint an app I found suitable for my ways of working.  In the end I paid a very reasonable £9.99 to download Infinite Painter.  It has a very simple interface which is easy to use.  It has a range of tools which are very similar to those of Photoshop Elements, particularly 'Select' and 'Transform' which I use regularly.  However, best of all, I absolutely love the 'Proko Pencil'.  It reminds me of using charcoal.  It has enough of a blurriness to it that you can let your picture 'emerge' without having to be too precise.  Although I was clear I wanted to draw the fierce jaguar above - I had no idea the comical, surprised jaguar was going to pop out of my head too!  Using the Proko Pencil is loose and gives space for ideas to materialise.

Finally, I have found it useful to use the tablet to improve my drawing skills.  It has a layers function.  You can import a picture as a layer in Infinite Painter - then add a layer on top.  You can then use the layer below as a reference point, or even trace it.  I used it to import pictures of faces drawn by the amazing artist Charles Dana Gibson.  I'm in awe of his ability to draw the most beautiful, convincing faces just with pen and ink.   I was having a great time trying to copy his line work, to understand how he created these faces.  Hopefully this post has encouraged you to try using a tablet for drawing purposes if you have not already done so!  There are numerous ways of using as an artistic tool!