hey mouse users
SHUT UP

Using a mouse isn't any harder than using a tablet. I have friends who actually use their mouse for lines, because in actuallity, mice produce cleaner, less sketch lines than a tablet does. My friend Juli has a tablet, but just uses her mouse because she's better with it.

If it's hard to make lines, set down teh sensitivity of the mouse to make it easier. Mice are not harder to use, they just require more time and effort.

"If you make crap with a mouse, you'll make crap faster with a tablet"

NOTE: This is to those whiney people who blame everything on the mouse. Just spend some time with the thing and it'll be fine -_-

hah no,

Haaa~ Yeah. -waves the mouse around proudly- It just takes more time when using a mouse, as stated above. There isn't really a difference... It just takes skill to draw well.. Crap is crap. Skill is skill. Ugly crap will still be crap.

Thank you, TGold. Having a tablet does not automatically make you a better artist.

I will, however, say that tablets do feel more natural than a mouse, and offer features that a mouse doesn't.

Believe me I draw much better with a pencil in my hand then my hand wrapped around a mouse. It does make a difference. A tablet is a digital pen/pencil/everything...and since a pencil is similar to a tablet, i would say, I would do much better. But how would i know...i dont have rich parents! (joking dont angst!) lol anyway i guess it does depend on talent but talent can differ with a ball and clicky thing to a pencil..common now, you actually think if you draw crap w/ a mouse, you draw crap with a tablet...thats so false. A lot of people have bad mousy skills. My mom really does...and shes an art major ...comeon now ppl.

Alright, if you begin with a tablet, it is easier to start. You don't improve very fast however.
If you draw crap with a tablet, you'll draw crap with a mouse. If you take the time to make the picture the way you want, the only thing holding you back is your own lack of knowledge. You SHOULD draw as well on oekaki as you do on paper, if the time and efort is put in.

A mouse is like working in slow motion. A tablet is like real-time. If you're too used to real time, slow motion with screw you up. If you're too used to slow motion, real tiem will screw you up.

Take time with the mouse, learn different techniques, and you will be better with it than you are with a tablet. If you doubt me, ask any high leveled mouse users. It's only the newbs that complain.

These were done by a mouse user:
http://bakaneko.unixdaemons.com/senpai/pictures/652.jpg
http://bakaneko.unixdaemons.com/senpai/pictures/55.jpg

I hope that shuts you all up

Then let me be the first to say, I suck with a mouse and that's why I refuse to draw without a tablet. There is probably only one drawing I made with a mouse that turned out really good, but that was a year ago. My coordination is just screwed with a mouse now. (Ex: A few months ago, I tried drawing with a mouse again. Took me 3-4 hours to even come up with crap. The product wasn't even worthy of the practice boards.)

I'm not sayign that it isn't different, but you jsut need to practice your technique. -_- i personaly have problems with a mouse, because i've used a tablet, and it takes me 3 or 4 times the mount of time to do anythign with a mouse. Does it make me worse? no, i just need to slow myself down... a lot...

I'm guessing high level means a professional, all you do is spend time scribbling with a mouse, user. I'm definatly not a 'newb' I've been drawing with a mouse since I was 11 (whenever paint came out)..Of course I never practiced everyday, I admit I had a life and usually didn't have time for paint or practice drawing with my ghetto mouse, that wasn't was important to me at the time. I remember playing at the park with neighbors and joining neopets the first year it started. Not trying to be a master artist.(no offence to 11 n 12 year olds who already have the next decade of their life planned) I can't wait to see what Otaku's art looks like in a few years. It will look great. She practices so much, there's no doubt that she'll have skill. But just because we can't draw well with a mouse doesn't mean we're all newbs. 5 years, thats a heck of a lot of time to practice with a mouse..and I'm no 'whoever did that picture with the link above'

Hey.. I know I'm not as good as the artists from the links above, but I do know that it doesn't take 5 - whatever years to have skills. I've been drawing with a mouse for less than year or so. Getting grounded every so often during those years didn't bother me much, nor did it bother the skills that followed! So don't complain about how the artists there are without lives of their own. They just might've develope their skills better and faster than others.

I didn't say that Hakkai, im only saying that since the time the mouse was introduced to me, I never really took the time to seriously 'practice' heck, the only thing i knew about computers was that there was a calculator on it and ask jeeves. So yah im sure you developed your skills faster, I bet anyone would if they're comparing themselves to me lol. I'm slow and I dun care! but IT DOES take time for skills to come. The more hours you practice the better you will get. I practiced drawing maybe 30 min a week (thats counting doodling on my notes in school etc) That's true for all things. Like or orch teach said 'you will only get better as the years progress. your skills will come as you get older, not by how hard you study and try'

"'you will only get better as the years progress. your skills will come as you get older, not by how hard you study and try'"

I completely disagree. Like completely.

It's the complete opposite, if you don't study or try, your skills will get worse, not better.

I have more comments on the rest of what people have said, but I'll maybe add them later, not now.

What you draw with is only a tool, not what determines your skill level. It may make it slower or faster, but it all ends up in the same direction anyhow. Lineart isn't hard if you're using Oekaki Shi's Pen tool, or Zoom In x 1 and Watercolor from PaintBBS. Some people think lineart can be done in a minimal time, when in reality, most good lineart comes with a LOT of practice, or a lot of detail and time. Or both. If you don't put effort into a picture, you don't get much of a reward for it.
Besides, some people get too used to a mouse, of all things (such as myself) and would prefer it over some hyped up electric notepad with wires and a plastic pointy object.
Eee... It's strange how people think a piece of technology can make them improve. The shovel never dug the ground for the people. The people had to use the shovel effectively, and tiresomely.

Yes, but the shovel made it possible to dig a hole that couldn't be dug with bare hands (think really dense soil).

So anyway, a mouse is not an excuse by any means, and these days I do most of my drawings at school, where I don't even have the option of a tablet.

In general, as several people have mentioned before, the difference between a mouse and tablet is time. But it's not always the tablet that's faster. Especially for lineart, in a sense you actually have less control using a tablet. Sure, it's a lot easier to whip out a composition sketch with a tablet, but after that, it's a lot easier to use a mouse, albeit zoomed in 2x/3x or so, to draw final lineart. In general you only want a single line for the line art, and the inertia of a mouse allows you to have a less jaggy line.

Now, when it comes to coloring, I prefer tablet, and that's for one reason only, pressure. The ability to control the flow of color is extremely important, and allows you to generally come up with better coloring, faster. Of course, if you don't have pressure support (for example, before JTablet came out), then it makes little difference other than perhaps a little speed difference, but not much.

If you know what you're trying to draw, if you can invision the final piece, it doesn't matter if you're holding the end of 10 foot pencil to draw, with enough time you'll get there. And in the case of a mouse, with enough practice you can probably get your speed to half that of a tablet user, but even then, what's the rush? Art is about time and dedication, not tools. Obviously tools are made to simplify things and speed up the process, but that only helps you after you're mastered everything else.

I will oftentimes switch between mouse and tablet for the same piece, so which is better? Who knows, my preference is to have both.

Thankies, TGgold! I have a mouse so I will try my best. :P

Eh, that is true, isn't it... Hm. I should have thought of something better...
Oh, right. A two handed gun and a one handed gun... Both with the same power... One just makes it somewhat easier (compared to quicker tablet). Yes. >_>
I'd think it's easier to color with a mouse. Or it would be for me... But then again, I've never used a tablet...

let me be the first to say that this drawing is a horrible example of anatomical proportions, i can't even clearly read what's been scribbled around the head. what exactly are we supposed to be getting from this? if you want to learn about proportions, please find a better place to learn about them.

secondly, i use a mouse. i blame everything on it, and i don't have to justify why i hate it because everyone has a different style, you can't just slam people for one reason or another about what they do or don't like to use. so suck it.

hahah method,Yes I can hardly read it, Type it mabby next time. *cough*

Eee. There comes to a time where 'revenge' is pointless and worn out. Sigh.