Light Pen?

Xerus

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
3,366
Reaction score
282
Has anyone here heard of or own a light pen? I heard that's like a pen shaped mouse that allows you to draw pictures on your computer screen. When I try to draw with a mouse, it ends up all squiggly and messy. Is a light pen better to use and is it worth buying?
 

D'Snowth

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2003
Messages
40,651
Reaction score
12,811
I'm assuming that's what Joe Murray was using to draw Rocko, Heffer, Filburt, and the Big Heads on the special features of Season Two of Rocko on DVD, since he was drawing onto the computer screen, as opposed to using one of those drawing tablets.

I don't know, all those digital drawing tools are apparently not as easy as they look... I recall in one of my old Flash Animation classes, one girl was getting really frustrated because she couldn't get the hang of using the drawing tablet... this light pen thing, assuming it's the same thing I'm thinking of, seems easier and better to use... personally though, I'm old-fashioned, I still prefer to draw by hand, then color digitally.
 

Sgt Floyd

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2006
Messages
27,875
Reaction score
2,542
Tablets really arent that hard to get used to. You just need a good program. The problem with tablets is that a lot of them are so sensitive that they pick up on every muscle twitch. You really need a good art program with a smoothing option or a brush that adjusts its speed to smooth itself (which if you aren't used to the lag can be kinda awkward). Personally, if it wasnt for such a brush tool my tablet drawings would look like utter crap. But then again, when don't my drawings look like utter crap?

I would imagine with such a pen tool, you would still need such a program that smooths the lines. I mean, no matter what you do in paint (unless you do vector lines) your line art will still look jagged.

As for buying it, it depends on the price range you are looking at. I got my Wacom tablet for 60 bucks. Drawbacks with a tablet are basically you can't really see what you are drawing and you need good hand eye coordination. Unless you can afford one of those super duper expensive ones that have a built in screen that shows what you see on the monitor. Otherwise what I usually do is draw on paper first, then scan it and do my line art. Its much easier that way (although my awesome looking nearly perfect Bart Simpson drawn as the Raven was not drawn on paper first and completely blind). Everything takes getting used to. I would really shop around looking at various prices for tablets and these pens. See whats more affordable
 

Xerus

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
3,366
Reaction score
282
Thanks for the tips. I'll have to think about that before I want to get a light pen. By the way, here's a film I found that shows what one looks like.
 

Sgt Floyd

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2006
Messages
27,875
Reaction score
2,542
That looks awfully impractical. And you need a wii to use it? I am so confused how this thing works. And do you buy it or make it?
 

Xerus

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
3,366
Reaction score
282
That's a good question. Maybe I should reconsider. I just wanted to find a way to touch up my webcomics and I guess it would be hard to do some tracing with a mouse or even a light pen.
 

Sgt Floyd

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2006
Messages
27,875
Reaction score
2,542
I say just look into some tablets. Once you get over the hand eye coordination problem they are extremely easy to use. No calibration, any size tablet works with any monitor, and the pen is just like drawing on paper.

I have a Wacom Bamboo Pen. It came with Corel painter Essentials. I think the pen series (thats just what they were called, all tablets come with pens lol) was discontinued, but you can probably find some on amazon. Possibly refurbished ones for a discounted price. Don't get them through wacom's website. They are overpriced there.
 
Top