Yeah, I *can* draw with the mouse, too. The tablet is just a more expressive (and quicker) input device. They've been around long enough that they're no longer very expensive.

It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools.

It's a stupid craftsman who attempts to drive a nail with a screwdriver.

That explains why your drawings look like you use power tools.

I do use powerful tools. Of observation.

Huh! You must be pretty fast with those markers. I've never been quick enough to get them to bleed and fade into each other without streaks, dividing marks, ect. Did you prime the paper with anything to slow down drying time? Or use the colorless blender marker? I do use prismacolor markers for grey toning though and it's possible to get some fairly even, almost airbrushy effects. The whole color set of the things is kind of a major expense! I did recognize that one lens flare as a photoshop effect. Photoshop plus a tablet does make a lot of things easy, eventually you'll be like all of us... love the machine, Joe... love the machine...

The Dark Side is quicker, easier, more seductive. A Jedi craves not these things. Patience. Beware the dark side. Once you start down the Dark Path, forever will it dominate your destiny.

Yes, but you'll notice that Jedi don't carry around butter knives.

I use colorless blenders, and 10 and 20 cold greys among other things. Highlighters, erasers, my finger, a rag, I keep a small brush wet and handy and use pelikan white and even the water. But be really delicate with it and use it mostly only with hot boards or stiffer vellum.And yeah, you have to replace the markers alot, but I keep the dry markers in a handy bin too, for some effects.

Really good vellum is better. The best stuff I've found was some stuff left in storage with a lot of old past-up equipment at a place I used to work. I found two piles of layout boards that were super slick, and had the non-photo-blue printer marks but no layout lines, and I found a box of vellum-like stuff, that was thicker, firmer than the stuff you get at the art supply store, and about a smooth as vellum, so I'm guessing its just really good vellum that they used with ruby and line tape. I only have one ream left, dammit.

Ah, cutting ruby and line tape. Two more skills you tablet guys never needed.

I like to hunt around for new papers to use too, I used to go to this one store out in the boonies, like a craft place that get all sorts of crap from the paper companies. You coulkd find some really great papers for cheap, but usually in loose piles. And often huge cuts like 2'x3'

I've got a drawer full of line tape and other assorted paste-up crap. That stuff has got to be twenty years old. Thank God for IBM.