How to turn a digital stylus into a pencil-tipped digital stylus...

[Chashio]

pencil nibbed stylus tutorial.jpgpencil nibbed stylus detail.jpg

pencil on paper.jpgpencil on screen.jpg

And if any of that did not make sense (spelling errors aside), feel free to harangue me on areas that you feel need more explanation.

Edit: I think I figured out why it jumps... I'll have to think on this.

[ravells]

I'm being a bit thick here, but what is the advantage of doing this?

[Chashio]

I'm being a bit thick here, but what is the advantage of doing this?

I asked myself that, too, and... considering all of the inconsistencies, perhaps there's no great advantage. But sometimes it is more comfortable to draw on paper, which is easier to rotate even when taped to a digital tablet. Rotating a real square edge is easier, too. Handwriting can be easier when the hand in question is under constant observation. It can save time when there's no scanner available. It can be useful to have a digital and hard copy of something. And it's kinda fun.

But I don't know, really. I just decided to try it. =)

Edit: Oh, tracing a picture. I knew I forgot something.

[ravells]

Tracing a picture for sure, but you wouldn't have to do all the pen surgery for that. Just tape the pic onto the tablet.

Rotating paper (and tablets) is one thing that for me increases drawing speed immensely (which is one big reason why I like to draw on paper), I've finally invested in a cintiq which allows you to do this (but tablets which are mapped to the screen don't - rotating the tablet means that the mapping goes wonky relative to your hand).

I got the Wacom Inkling when it came out - my advice, if you're thinking of getting it, be aware that it has a tracking margin of error of up to about 3mm. May not sound like much but when you're trying to draw small buildings, it makes the Inkling virtually unusable.

[Chashio]

Tracing a picture for sure, but you wouldn't have to do all the pen surgery for that. Just tape the pic onto the tablet.

I knew I forgot something obvious. haha! It would still be useful in the opposite direction (trace a digital picture onto paper) I stayed up all night, which probably contributed to certain crazy ideas (gestures broadly upward) and really bad color choices (gestures broadly downward). Here's another trial. The random skips that happened in the first test (at top) were most likely due to the extended length of the nib, and the angle I was holding it at did not help either. I'm sure there are a few in this picture as well, but I tried to remember to hold it more vertically this time around. Maybe there's a way to shorten it up a little.

pencil nib and wash test 2-2.jpg