Pro tip: I saw a guy at the Portland digital art fair using a mouse for everything

He was doing full character designs with just a basic mouse, no tablet at all. I said something about how a tablet is needed for real work, and he just shrugged. He showed me his layers panel, and the line work was cleaner than mine on a Cintiq. Now I'm rethinking if I really need to carry my gear to every event. Has anyone else seen artists do serious work without a drawing tablet?

3 comments

3 Comments

pat_murray539d ago

Yeah, I got humbled at a con last year. Watched an older guy doing killer ink work in Clip Studio with a cheap office mouse. He had the zoom cranked way in and just built up his lines with short, fast strokes. His secret was turning the mouse sensitivity way down in the software. Made me feel dumb for blaming my tools. I went home and tried it, and my control got way better even on my tablet.

ruby_wright9d ago

My friend's dad does magazine covers with a trackball.

quinncoleman9d ago

Trackballs are actually pretty common for graphic design work. I remember seeing a pro designer at a print shop using a Kensington Expert Mouse for layout. They said the big ball gives them more control for small moves than a regular mouse. It's not just some weird hobbyist thing.