Let me tell you about the first time I ever used a tablet.

If you know about digital art at all, you know how you need a certain device to bring the movements of your pen to the computer screen. This is an ‘art tablet’, ‘computer tablet’ or just ‘tablet’- I’ve heard it called many things similar to these. The strangest part about this device is how you use it.

I had always been passionate about art. I drew every day in the margins of my homework and scrap pieces of paper, but when I finally delved into the internet and looked at art websites and such I was mystified by how well-drawn the ‘digital’ art looked and I wanted to do it myself. I had no idea how this was done, I assumed people used their mouses and had the patience of a saint. I wanted to do it myself. So, I closed the browser and opened MS Paint. (Y’know, the program that comes with Windows where you draw?) After multiple attempts to replicate the skillful work of an artist on a less-than-appropriate program, I gave up. I left that idea alone for a long time.

A couple years later, I went onto Tumblr for the first time. It was completely new and exciting, there’s so much to see, communities to be a part of. Most importantly, there were tons and tons of digital artists showcasing their art- mostly in fanart and the like, but still gorgeous pieces! I was just as mystified as I was years ago. There were so many art styles, so many different ways to color and express an idea! I wanted to know how these people did this part of their drawing and how they make it that way, and so on! I followed tons and tons of artists in the hopes of gaining some of their skill through osmosis. One day when I was browsing, someone asked one of my favorite artists how they did their art. They answered, “With a tablet.” They proceeded to name the brand of tablet they use and what program they used to draw. I was astonished. I mean, I knew at this point that they couldn’t do it with a mouse but I had no idea what exactly they were using to make this stuff! I guess I just filed it under “magic” or something.

I decided I wanted a tablet really badly, and I was going to make it happen somehow.

A year or so later, I finally manage to save up money long enough to get a tablet! I’m practically vibrating as I order the tablet, as I wait days for the tablet to ship and as I finally open the packaging. ‘It’s so beautiful,’ I think to myself in a totally serious manner, because I covet technology a bit too much. I plug it in and barely restrain myself from squealing as the software starts to download. When everything is finally set up, I’ve downloaded an art program, everything- I sit down and prepare to make the masterpiece of a lifetime. I draw a line. My hand is uncharacteristically wobbly and unstable. What? Why am I drawing worse than I usually do? I keep drawing, but the most I can manage is a squiggly smiley face. I had heard that getting accustomed to this was hard, but really!? I can barely draw!

Before I go any further, let me explain. Usually when you are drawing or painting or whatever you look at what you’re doing while you’re doing it, right? Not the case with a tablet. Your hand is working somewhere while your eyes are somewhere else, looking at the screen. This may not sound like a big deal (it obviously didn’t seem that bad to me), it really is very disorienting and takes a long while to get used to. So, expecting to be able to do well on my first run, this is a bit of a shock. Frustration is had, hiatuses occur, I wonder if I should even keep using this infernal device. 

But I never get rid of it. As time passes, I get better with it- I learn things about art programs that come in handy, the idea of digital art slowly becomes appealing to me once again. I’m glad I never got rid of it. It has lots of scratches on it now, showing its usage. Its also shows how much I learned and how much skill I gained. Persistence is the true key to skill.