Please tell me it's gonna get better, lol.. I was so happy to finally get a tablet and then I've realized I don't have the eye/hand coordination to draw with it, all my lines are incredibly shaky, I feel like I'm 9 years old again and I've never drawn anything in my life cries How do people draw lineart with tablets?? I thought I would finally be able to get rid of the pen tool but now I'm giving up hope ç_ç Do you have any tips on how to improve, or any tutorial for dummies I can check, lol ? I'm really bummed, sigh.

tbh i'd say… just practice, just do lots and lots of doodles and work on controlling the pressure of your hand. work in short, quick strokes. depending on what program you use, you might be able to adjust the pen pressure and stroke smoothing settings. it really is like learning to draw all over again, so things are going to look very messy at first but it will get easier.

it's so frustrating .. I wasn't expecting it, I even tried SAI for smoother lines but it's still a mess =/ I guess I'll have to practice everyday and be patient, sigh

Well glad im not the only one who had this problem.. i ended up giving up and sticking to traditional

it gets better pretty quickly. especially the hand eye coordination stuff.

The trick to smooth lines is to make your image a couple times bigger than you plan to have the final product be. Then anything wobbly disappears with the resizing. Until you're used to it, I would also suggest trying to draw your lines in quick fast strokes, and connecting them, and erasing overlaps. and CTRL+Z will be your best friend.

The way I learned was to stop using my mouse entirely. I use my tablet to navigate websites and everything. It also helps to play games w/ the tablet to improve your coordination imho.

I should really take the time to check all the settings and the different options, I was a bit disappointed that there were no instructions at all, the "manual" was literally two pages: "this is your tablet, and that's another picture of your tablet and that's it" xD

I tried that, it was a disaster xD CLICK It's like I'm drawing with my left hand x__X

omg, I know you're right, it makes perfect sense and I wanted to do it but then I got cramps, lol,it's very frustratring, expecially when you know you have a mouse you can use instead, too tempting D= I guess I could force myself at least to use it for a few hours everyday, right now the biggest problem is the right/left click cause I have to think about it everytime I wanna use them while with the mouse my hand do it on its own D=

It's important to take breaks and stretch your hand out more frequently when using a tablet. And don't wait till your hand is already cramping / in pain. Every 10-15 minutes take a break to stretch out your muscles and it'll help you strengthen it. C:

I think you'll get used to it eventually c: When I first got my tablet it was just awful, I could have and /did/ draw better pictures with my laptop's touch pad, until I got used to it x) For the longest time I'd avoid using it and just draw with the touch pad or mouse, or traditionally. Now I feel like I can't draw digitally without it x) Just make sure you adjust the settings as best you can so that it feels more comfortable for you if you haven't already, and if your drawing program has a smooth stroke option (I use GIMP for instance) then make sure it's checked c:

By the way, I still think your drawing with the tablet looks great c: Just takes time to get used to c:

what is your stabilizer set to for SAI?

Practice a lot. Keep your tablet in front of your monitor, instead of to the side (if that's what you're doing).

I used to be able to work with my tablet on the bed, or in my lap... But it's really not a good idea overall.

Try keeping your strokes light, and make sure you have adjusted your tablet's sensitivity to match how you want to use it! (If it's Wacom, there should be a preference option for it.) You might also want to see if you can find a program which better emulates traditional media, or adjust some of your brushes in SAI until you get used to the way you make strokes!

I also had issues with switching from a large tablet to a smaller one... Ugh, the aspect ratio... I had to zoom in a lot to feel like I was getting anything done well.

Yep, you just need to get used to it. It took me 2 whole days (and tons of practice) to finally get the hang of it. Also, take breaks between uses bc tablets can be really harsh on the wrist. This is a great video for wrist exercises.

On a side note, my friend bought a tablet a few months ago and one day she came to me and told me "I still don't get used to my tablet... it's so hard to use and my lines are always so shaky;;;" We found out she didn't install the drivers correctly... (her tablet worked just like a mouse. It's hard to describe.) She screamed with joy after knowing the true nature of a tablet, hahahaha.

TL;DR: Be sure your tablet drivers are installed correctly!

Check your stabilizer on SAI! I have shaky hands when I line as well and bump my stabilizer up to about 15 and I'm good :3

Take your time and practice lots. It take a while to get used to...the transition can take a while; drawing with a tablet takes a while. On the other hand, with line art, you have to do most lines with one go, you can't do several lines on one line or it'll messy. :P It takes a while but don't give up!

If after a while, the tablet doesn't feel right, maybe I suggest you get a cintiq? I know they are super expensive but if you can afford it, go for it XD (I'm in the process of saving up for one) but the transition from traditional to digital is a lot easier. There are other alternatives to the cintiq but be sure to do you research on the competition before you purchase one.

Totally agree, Sai is awesome =]

I gave up on SAI, I tried every setting but the result it's even worse than what I get using PS (the image I posted was done with PS)

I could barely afford this Intuos, unfortunately. I don't have that kind of money or I'd totally get one of those!

I've been trying a few programs and Illustrator seems to be the better option so far, the stabilizer there is AWESOME, omg.

This was done in 5 minutes and it's better than anything I've ever done with SAI or PS =O

Sorry for the late reply everyone and thank you for all your help, does anyone know where I can get some brushes set to paint with PS??

-- Looks good so far! Seems like you're used to having a lot more control over your linework, then? Maybe you want to look at using something like Lazy Nezumi Pro as an additional bit of software?

I'd look at Deviantart (or at what Frenden has), but as far as I am aware, there isn't anything that helps with stabilization in Photoshop itself.

Ohh, thank you, I didn't know that software, I'm gonna download the trial version and see how it works =O