1

Tips/Tutorials on mouse drawing

WTFshady's Avatar WTFshady9/21/14 2:51 pm
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9/23/2014 6:02 am
WTFshady's Avatar WTFshady
Hey guys, WTFshady here. I'm interested into starting drawing, but I can't afford a tablet (even if I did, they don't sell those here), so my only choice is to start drawing with a mouse. I know that drawing with a mouse is hard, so I would like people here to give me some tips on how to draw using a mouse (software, tools etc). Would be good if anyone linked me to a tutorial and even better if someone wants to teach me.
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WTFshady
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
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1
09/23/2014 5:53 am
Level 37 : Artisan Explorer
TastyYoghurt
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You got a lot of good advice already. Now use it to draw something, even if it doesn't turn out super well, and then we'll talk.
1
09/23/2014 6:02 am
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
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Ok, I'll try, and I'll post it here.
1
09/23/2014 1:57 am
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
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Bump
1
09/22/2014 10:07 am
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
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1
09/21/2014 5:12 pm
Level 50 : Grandmaster Caveman
Weerdoh
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Not familiar with corel draw either. Simulate pressure can work as well I think. It just doesn't have the same auto smooth as illustrator.
At the end of the day practicing a bit everyday is the best way to improve.
1
09/21/2014 5:13 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
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Ok, thanks for the tips.
1
09/21/2014 5:00 pm
Level 50 : Grandmaster Caveman
Weerdoh
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It has been a while since i drew with a mouse. I think using a program like illustrator would work well for that. It auto smooths your lines and you can modify brush strokes later on if needed. Like thickness or if it starts and ends thinner. I heard inkscape is a free alternative for a vector based program like illustrator. I never used it but it may be a program for you to at least try out.

As mentioned before drawing on paper and scanning it or taking a pic of it to trace over digitally is a good workflow.

I usually sketch on photoshop and then "ink" it and color it on illustrator.
1
09/21/2014 5:04 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
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I already have Corel Draw X6, will that be fine? As for the thickness variation, I think you can do that in Photoshop by checking "Simulate Pressure" box when you apply stroke on a path.
1
09/21/2014 4:47 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
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TastyYoghurt
WTFshady As for Daniel Lieske, that guy's my new "idol".

Yup, Lieske should be everyone's idol. Quit his well-paying job at a major game development corporation (don't remember which one) so that he could work full time on his comic, which is probably the best looking comic ever drawn, and I'm not even exaggerating. He has been laboring on it literally for years, and he makes it available for free, too. Struggled to get any money for a long time. It seems things are looking a little brighter for him recently, at least he doesn't have to run a Kickstarter every time he wants to have a dinner anymore.

Wow, that guy is amazing. His comics are amazing too (and first one that are translated to my own language )
1
09/21/2014 4:43 pm
Level 50 : Grandmaster Cowboy
Star
Star's Avatar
Also, another tip. (before I forget xP)

Use LOTS of layers.

It'll help with the copying and pasting thing later on, since trying to replicate parts of drawings is already difficult enough as it is.
1
09/21/2014 4:48 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
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Should every line have it's own layer or a set of lines that serve a specific purpose should have their own layer?
1
09/21/2014 4:50 pm
Level 50 : Grandmaster Cowboy
Star
Star's Avatar
Specific sets such as legs, arms, eyes, and so forth.

EDIT: You could choose to do that with individual lines as well, if you're making a perfectly symmetrical drawing.
1
09/21/2014 4:54 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
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Oh ok, thanks.
1
09/21/2014 4:38 pm
Level 37 : Artisan Explorer
TastyYoghurt
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WTFshady As for Daniel Lieske, that guy's my new "idol".

Yup, Lieske should be everyone's idol. Quit his well-paying job at a major game development corporation (don't remember which one) so that he could work full time on his comic, which is probably the best looking comic ever drawn, and I'm not even exaggerating. He has been laboring on it literally for years, and he makes it available for free, too. Struggled to get any money for a long time. It seems things are looking a little brighter for him recently, at least he doesn't have to run a Kickstarter every time he wants to have a dinner anymore.
1
09/21/2014 4:26 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
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TastyYoghurt
WTFshady
1. I've heard that when painting with a mouse, Illustrator/Corel Draw is better than Photoshop. Anyway, I'll be fine with that I guess. Also, that guy looks amazing. If he has done that with Photoshop, then wow.


Mmaybe? I can't tell for sure. It may be true that using a vector program for drawing with a mouse would be easier. I can only tell that it won't be much easier. Using vectors is very similar to using the pen tool.

Daniel Lieske is in fact, amazing plus a Photoshop user. Now, admittedly not everyone can be a world class pro like him, at least not immediately, but this is what can be done.

Oh ok. I'm not that experienced with Corel Draw, so I'll stick with Photoshop (for now at least). As for Daniel Lieske, that guy's my new "idol".
1
09/21/2014 4:22 pm
Level 37 : Artisan Explorer
TastyYoghurt
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WTFshady
1. I've heard that when painting with a mouse, Illustrator/Corel Draw is better than Photoshop. Anyway, I'll be fine with that I guess. Also, that guy looks amazing. If he has done that with Photoshop, then wow.


Mmaybe? I can't tell for sure. It may be true that using a vector program for drawing with a mouse would be easier. I can only tell that it won't be much easier. Using vectors is very similar to using the pen tool.

Daniel Lieske is in fact, amazing plus a Photoshop user. Now, admittedly not everyone can be a world class pro like him, at least not immediately, but this is what can be done.
1
09/21/2014 4:19 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
WTFshady's Avatar
The_Big_Dish
Well I was thinking about getting a tablet soon maybe, got any cheaper end recommendations? XD

I only starting getting more serious about digital art like this summer so I was just kinda like "meh" before.

Guys, it's my topic, not yours (sounds a bit rude, but yeah). Stay on topic please. As for recommendations, I've heard that Wacom Bamboo is a good tablet.
1
09/21/2014 4:17 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
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TastyYoghurt
The_Big_Dish
TastyYoghurt

3. You can't draw a good line with a mouse. You just can't, no matter how many times you try. It will always look like garbage. So you have to use the pen tool or learn to live without lines.

this is kinda off topic but
You know you commented on my stuff awhile ago saying you liked it, did you think my linework was garbage?...I mean I draw with the mouse.

You can be honest I won't be offended.


Yeah, I think your lines are garbage! Nobody could do any better than you, it's just not possible with a mouse, and I like your work regardless, but yeah.

Whoa whoa whoa. That was a bit rude IMO, but yeah, if those were made with a mouse, those are pretty good, but you can get better lines using the pen tool.
1
09/21/2014 4:16 pm
Level 33 : Artisan Dragon
The_Big_Dish
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-snip-
1
09/21/2014 4:13 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
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TastyYoghurt
1. The best program is the one you are most comfortable with. If you know PS, use that, don't switch until you become an ace. If PS is good enough for Daniel Lieske, yeah, I'm pretty sure it will be good enough for you.

2. I can only speak for myself, but I found sketching with a mouse simply impossible. For me, a camera was a must. When I hold a pencil or a stylus in my hands I can sketch, I can improvise and correct myself - I can sorta make it up as I go. But when my hand is on the mouse I just - just can't. My brain freezes. Goodness knows I tried, but I never could. Maybe it will be different for you, I dunno.

3. You can't draw a good line with a mouse. You just can't, no matter how many times you try. It will always look like garbage. So you have to use the pen tool or learn to live without lines.

4. I completely get the appeal, but traditional drawing is important, it's in the heart of it all. So try it from time to time.

1. I've heard that when painting with a mouse, Illustrator/Corel Draw is better than Photoshop. Anyway, I'll be fine with that I guess. Also, that guy looks amazing. If he has done that with Photoshop, then wow.

2 and 4. Well, time to get back to the good ol' paper.

3. Ah. I'm fine with the pen tool, so that won't be a problem for me.
1
09/21/2014 4:10 pm
Level 37 : Artisan Explorer
TastyYoghurt
TastyYoghurt's Avatar
The_Big_Dish
TastyYoghurt

3. You can't draw a good line with a mouse. You just can't, no matter how many times you try. It will always look like garbage. So you have to use the pen tool or learn to live without lines.

this is kinda off topic but
You know you commented on my stuff awhile ago saying you liked it, did you think my linework was garbage?...I mean I draw with the mouse.

You can be honest I won't be offended.


Yeah, I think your lines are garbage! Nobody could do any better than you, it's just not possible with a mouse, and I like your work regardless, but yeah.
1
09/21/2014 4:07 pm
Level 33 : Artisan Dragon
The_Big_Dish
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-snip-
1
09/21/2014 3:41 pm
Level 37 : Artisan Explorer
TastyYoghurt
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WTFshady
TastyYoghurt
WTFshady
I'm planning on making actual digital paintings. I currently know the basics of pixel art, so I'm not really interested into that. As for the program I'm using, I have both Photoshop CC and Corel Draw X6.


Basically, you have to do this:

1. Pick either of your drawing programs and learn how to do the most fundamental stuff with it, if you don't already know. Become comfortable with layers, pen tool, playing with selections moving stuff around and resizing.

2. Make sure you have a way to get your pencil sketches digitalized - camera or a scanner. Learn how to automatically clean up and sharpen a sketch in your program of choice.

3. Working with a mouse means it will be almost impossible to do certain things, so you'll have to find a style or a way of drawing that you like that works despite those limitations.

4. And of course, to be able to draw digitally you have to be able to draw the old-fashioned way - with a pencil on paper, so try to practice that if you have the willpower. (I personally never did )

1. I know the most fundamental stuff for Photoshop, but I've heard that Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator are better for these kind of things, and I don't have experience with those.

2. Well, I don't actually have a scanner or a smartphone. Would sketching using the mouse be fine?

3. What are these things for example? They might or might not be useful to me.

4. Well, I actually never liked paper drawing, but digital art (drawing specifically) always fascinated me.


1. The best program is the one you are most comfortable with. If you know PS, use that, don't switch until you become an ace. If PS is good enough for Daniel Lieske, yeah, I'm pretty sure it will be good enough for you.

2. I can only speak for myself, but I found sketching with a mouse simply impossible. For me, a camera was a must. When I hold a pencil or a stylus in my hands I can sketch, I can improvise and correct myself - I can sorta make it up as I go. But when my hand is on the mouse I just - just can't. My brain freezes. Goodness knows I tried, but I never could. Maybe it will be different for you, I dunno.

3. You can't draw a good line with a mouse. You just can't, no matter how many times you try. It will always look like garbage. So you have to use the pen tool or learn to live without lines.

4. I completely get the appeal, but traditional drawing is important, it's in the heart of it all. So try it from time to time.
1
09/21/2014 3:41 pm
Level 35 : Artisan Artist
Ellie
Ellie's Avatar
If you have a scanner in your home/school/workplace i sugget you draw it on paper first in pencil then in pen for crisp non-sketchy lines. Then scan it in and edit it on whatever computer drawing software you have. if you have sai, like many others as there are a lot of full free downloads you can find, look up how to clean up scanned in drawings. You can then use fill tool and shade with your mouse but it wont be as accurate as using a tablet but atleast you will have wand tool and line tools to guide you. You can then delete the lineart or keep it if you like that style.
I also suggest some artist research on the topic as it will help a deal.
1
09/21/2014 4:03 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
WTFshady's Avatar
Thanks. I also have SAI, but I don't really use (not very comfortable with it).
1
09/21/2014 3:33 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
WTFshady's Avatar
TastyYoghurt
WTFshady
StarThe difficulty will probably depend on what program you're using. What I would suggest doing is either starting out with "painting," or sketch out things on paper and upload it so that you can trace over it for lineart. Honestly, I would say the easiest kind of art that you can do with a mouse is pixel art.

But if you're planning on making actual digital paintings, I would change the mouse settings so that the cursor goes a bit slower, and the lines don't portray any kind of shakiness.

I'm planning on making actual digital paintings. I currently know the basics of pixel art, so I'm not really interested into that. As for the program I'm using, I have both Photoshop CC and Corel Draw X6.


Basically, you have to do this:

1. Pick either of your drawing programs and learn how to do the most fundamental stuff with it, if you don't already know. Become comfortable with layers, pen tool, playing with selections moving stuff around and resizing.

2. Make sure you have a way to get your pencil sketches digitalized - camera or a scanner. Learn how to automatically clean up and sharpen a sketch in your program of choice.

3. Working with a mouse means it will be almost impossible to do certain things, so you'll have to find a style or a way of drawing that you like that works despite those limitations.

4. And of course, to be able to draw digitally you have to be able to draw the old-fashioned way - with a pencil on paper, so try to practice that if you have the willpower. (I personally never did )

1. I know the most fundamental stuff for Photoshop, but I've heard that Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator are better for these kind of things, and I don't have experience with those.

2. Well, I don't actually have a scanner or a smartphone. Would sketching using the mouse be fine?

3. What are these things for example? They might or might not be useful to me.

4. Well, I actually never liked paper drawing, but digital art (drawing specifically) always fascinated me.
1
09/21/2014 3:29 pm
Level 62 : High Grandmaster Cyborg
Knightsundere
Knightsundere's Avatar
Since it's nearly impossible to make good, straight lines, start with very basic shapes and outlines using a really large brush. For example, look at my avatar; I colored the background black, got a brush about 15 for Paint.NET size standards, made it white, and rounded out the basic shapes. Then, take a brush of just the same size(15 in this case) and change it to black. Start slowly working around and molding the white shapes you had originally made, refine them a little. That's how I made le picture to the left with a mouse o;

If you want detail, zooming in very close actually works surprisingly well, regardless of the slightly longer draw time. You'll have much more success with making good detail, honestly.
1
09/21/2014 3:35 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
WTFshady's Avatar
Thanks. I always liked your avatar, but I thought you drew it using something advanced or hired someone to make it for you.
1
09/21/2014 4:28 pm
Level 62 : High Grandmaster Cyborg
Knightsundere
Knightsundere's Avatar
Haha, money to hire someone.

Nah, just a little good ol' creative ingenuity. If you absolutely want to work with shading, highlights, colors and such, I highly recommend ordering a tablet online or something of that sort. Black and white is hard enough with a mouse, and Photoshop only goes so far when it comes to layers upon layers of shading and transparent colors.
1
09/21/2014 4:33 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
WTFshady's Avatar
I actually don't have a credit card/PayPal and they don't sell pre-paid cards here, so buying it online isn't a possibility. When you tell the employees here that you want a tablet, they show you an iPad, os yeah...
1
09/21/2014 3:21 pm
Level 33 : Artisan Dragon
The_Big_Dish
The_Big_Dish's Avatar
Be patient and slow with the mouse. You probably will have to go over the line again and redo it a few times till it is nice and clean looking.
1
09/21/2014 3:26 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
WTFshady's Avatar
That's fine with me (if it takes less than 3h/drawing).
1
09/21/2014 3:18 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
WTFshady's Avatar
Namechange
Hmm, I had a playlist saved full of at least 10 videos of a series on how to draw realism with a mouse, but the uploader must of got rid of them. I'll try to look around at my best to draw realism. There are plenty of amazing tutorials on cartoonish/animeish.

Back to realism.. I'll look for it, to see if she switched channels or something. Till then, good luck

Also people may say, practice makes perfect. Just try your hardest and practice. It may not seem to be great, but save your pictures over time to see improvement. It worked for a lot of people -

Thanks a lot for the tips and for searching for me.
1
09/21/2014 3:14 pm
Level 33 : Artisan Engineer
RoboShadow
RoboShadow's Avatar
You could try something like Paint.NET. It has lots of tutorials for various things.
Get it from getpaint.net
1
09/21/2014 3:20 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
WTFshady's Avatar
I already have Paint.NET, but I got Photoshop and Corel Draw already, so going back to Paint.NET would be a waste of money for me.
1
09/21/2014 3:11 pm
Level 19 : Journeyman Network
forgot about you
forgot about you's Avatar
WTFshady
Namechange
WTFshadyHey guys, WTFshady here. I'm interested into starting drawing, but I can't afford a tablet (even if I did, they don't sell those here), so my only choice is to start drawing with a mouse. I know that drawing with a mouse is hard, so I would like people here to give me some tips on how to draw using a mouse (software, tools etc). Would be good if anyone linked me to a tutorial and even better if someone wants to teach me.

Are you looking torwards anime-ish drawing or realism? Because I learned to draw with a mouse with a tutorial on YouTube, even after I got a tablet I'm still better with a mouse, it just depends how good you can look

Mostly towards realism. I will draw anime-kind of drawings now and then, but mostly realism.

Hmm, I had a playlist saved full of at least 10 videos of a series on how to draw realism with a mouse, but the uploader must of got rid of them. I'll try to look around at my best to draw realism. There are plenty of amazing tutorials on cartoonish/animeish.

Back to realism.. I'll look for it, to see if she switched channels or something. Till then, good luck

Also people may say, practice makes perfect. Just try your hardest and practice. It may not seem to be great, but save your pictures over time to see improvement. It worked for a lot of people -
1
09/21/2014 3:08 pm
Level 50 : Grandmaster Cowboy
Star
Star's Avatar
The difficulty will probably depend on what program you're using. What I would suggest doing is either starting out with "painting," or sketch out things on paper and upload it so that you can trace over it for lineart. Honestly, I would say the easiest kind of art that you can do with a mouse is pixel art.

But if you're planning on making actual digital paintings, I would change the mouse settings so that the cursor goes a bit slower, and the lines don't portray any kind of shakiness.
1
09/21/2014 3:10 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
WTFshady's Avatar
I'm planning on making actual digital paintings. I currently know the basics of pixel art, so I'm not really interested into that. As for the program I'm using, I have both Photoshop CC and Corel Draw X6.
1
09/21/2014 3:29 pm
Level 37 : Artisan Explorer
TastyYoghurt
TastyYoghurt's Avatar
Basically, you have to do this:

1. Pick either of your drawing programs and learn how to do the most fundamental stuff with it, if you don't already know. Become comfortable with layers, pen tool, playing with selections, moving stuff around, resizing - that kind of thing.

2. Make sure you have a way to get your pencil sketches digitalized - camera or a scanner. Learn how to automatically clean up and sharpen a sketch in your program of choice.

3. Working with a mouse means it will be almost impossible to do certain things, so you'll have to find a style or a way of drawing that you like that works despite those limitations.

4. And of course, to be able to draw digitally you have to be able to draw the old-fashioned way - with a pencil on paper, so try to practice that if you have the willpower. (I personally never did )

5. And even though this is a worthless advice, I'll say it: the best way to draw with a mouse is not to. I bought a tablet and only regretted that I hadn't done it sooner. They are not all that expensive, but save time and frustration.
1
09/21/2014 3:03 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
WTFshady's Avatar
Namechange
WTFshadyHey guys, WTFshady here. I'm interested into starting drawing, but I can't afford a tablet (even if I did, they don't sell those here), so my only choice is to start drawing with a mouse. I know that drawing with a mouse is hard, so I would like people here to give me some tips on how to draw using a mouse (software, tools etc). Would be good if anyone linked me to a tutorial and even better if someone wants to teach me.

Are you looking torwards anime-ish drawing or realism? Because I learned to draw with a mouse with a tutorial on YouTube, even after I got a tablet I'm still better with a mouse, it just depends how good you can look

Mostly towards realism. I will draw anime-kind of drawings now and then, but mostly realism.
1
09/21/2014 2:59 pm
Level 37 : Artisan Explorer
TastyYoghurt
TastyYoghurt's Avatar
I drew with a mouse for a very, very long time. It was stupid of me - I should have bought a tablet earlier than I did, but oh well. The way I did it, was to draw a sketch on paper, take a photograph (scanning would be even better, but I don't have a scanner) and then draw on top of that in Photoshop. (Needless to say, any drawing program would work.) It's impossible to draw a straight line with a mouse, so I used the pen tool all the time. I didn't like the lines the pen tool makes, so had to figure out how to draw without them, which meant drawing lots of shapes. Here's a pic I did for a friend using this "technology":


Not super great, but you get some idea of what can be done this way.
Drawing with a mouse is definitely absolutely possible, but the main disadvantage is that it's slower and takes more patience.
1
09/21/2014 3:09 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
WTFshady's Avatar
"Technology" lol. As for the painting, that looks nice. I'm trying to make something as good as that (better would be way too hard for me at least for now and worse would be... well, worse).
1
09/21/2014 2:57 pm
Level 19 : Journeyman Network
forgot about you
forgot about you's Avatar
WTFshadyHey guys, WTFshady here. I'm interested into starting drawing, but I can't afford a tablet (even if I did, they don't sell those here), so my only choice is to start drawing with a mouse. I know that drawing with a mouse is hard, so I would like people here to give me some tips on how to draw using a mouse (software, tools etc). Would be good if anyone linked me to a tutorial and even better if someone wants to teach me.

Are you looking torwards anime-ish drawing or realism? Because I learned to draw with a mouse with a tutorial on YouTube, even after I got a tablet I'm still better with a mouse, it just depends how good you can look
1
09/21/2014 2:56 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
funny bunny
funny bunny's Avatar
1
09/21/2014 3:02 pm
Level 31 : Artisan Dragonborn
WTFshady
WTFshady's Avatar
That's useful, thanks.
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