Please divulge State Secrets

[Nevermore]

This is not strictly related to journalling but would be might useful for a digital art journal.

I have tried on umpteen occassions to use my Wacom to write. I have an Intuos 3, if that matters a hill of beans. I have tried the calligraphic brushes and I have tried other brushes. I have even tried the pencil. But I can't find anything that is decent. I have made queries previously on sites and no one has given me the formula (ie. small round brush about 65, hardness 70 kind of idea).

Would anybody give me a recipe for a brush/settings? Would be glad to trade either Aunt Ellie's Blueberry Tea Biscuits recipe (the size of small basketballs, the kind of thing you suspect people in Mayberry had for breakfast on Sundays) or a six year old (rather large for his age, eats a lot but is not very messy or dirty) or an aging Himalayan cat (no longer sick or bald).

[Rikki]

I don't think that my answer is helpful at all, but the thought of receiving a 6 year old on top of my three year old and another 8 months old is just too tempting LOL.
I'm not a tablet expert and hardly do any writing and until recently I hadn't even known about the calligraphy brushes, so you see, I perfectly qualify to answer here. But I did write the title of my blog with my tablet and thought it worked out quite ok. Don't know if you agree though, if you want to have a look: http://rikkid.typepad.com/comfort_level_10/

I just used the round brush, the default settings and scribbled away. Do you want to write journaling (I'd never be brave enough to do that) or just a title like I did?

Recently I have used the calligr. brushes a bit just to see what it would look like, but I never liked the result, it was either too thick or too thin or too something...

[Mish]

Holy cow Rikki, you wrote your blog title? I think it looks great!

I also have a Wacom tablet, but haven't been brave enough to really try writing with it.

Maybe I'll have to do some experimenting and come back here with my results.

[kygirl]

I haven't had any luck with writing, either. In fact, I haven't had much luck doing anything with my Wacom. I can't even doodle. Any tips?

[Nevermore]

Glad I am not alone (although I was hoping for a recipe, lol). Rikki, your blog title looks great but I was thinking of more extensive writing and I have not found what I am looking for yet (regardless, I will Fedex him out to you tomorrow). Mish, let us know if you discover anything. I might try googling but not that desparate yet. Donna, I still only use my Wacom for certain tasks. Masking is one of them. I have not gotten any gains yet from pen sensitivity or angle or stuff like that. I do try to use it a little on each layout in the hope that I will get more used to it.

[akissling]

I have GOOGLED and there isn't much out there on handwriting. Certainly no tutorials that are helpful! Wacom has NOTHING that is helpful. I know that Rhonna Farrer uses it a lot for her handwritten things but so far no tut from her either! I have searched some old archives but haven't finished. How about posting that recipe though! They sound delicious!!!

[Nevermore]

Will post recipe for sure (need to get from friend). In the meanwhile, I also googled and found nothing of any use at all.

[Nightwolf]

While on the hunt for the ever elusive tutorial on handwriting with a wacom I did come across some interesting sites. Both are Open Source (read free)
The first is an Open Source Clip Art library - http://www.openclipart.org/
and the second is an great little tool for writing with your Wacom (it does very nice calligraphy too) called inkscapes. It's also free and you can get it from http://www.inkscape.org/

HTH

[Kazadoodle]

Okay - the big secret? Do it in Illustrator!

All my doodles using the Wacom in Photoshop bit the big one and then I doodled in Illustrator!

This is one of them little doodles:

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/3989/kmccombesshoemeshoe8tb9.png

[Rikki]

Nightwolf, thanks for the links. I downloaded Inkscape and will try it later... Great find.

[happyrobyn]

But I did write the title of my blog with my tablet and thought it worked out quite ok. Don't know if you agree though, if you want to have a look: http://rikkid.typepad.com/comfort_level_10/

Rikki - I checked out your blog title. Looks terrific! And then I scrolled down to read all about you in your blog. Are you aware that someone is writing about you in German on your blog???!!! ROFL! No seriously - I loved looking at the words and guessing what you were saying. Makes for some interesting reading.

[Rikki]

Robyn, you are so funny. I am obstinate about the German blogging. A lot of Germans nowadays blog in English, because it's the trendy thing to do obviously.
But I will persevere....LOL

[Nevermore]

Nightwolf, I think I will try inkscapes...Illustrator is like using an elephant gun to swat a fly. All I am really interested in at this point is smooth handwriting.

[akissling]

I need someone to explain to me what the difference between illustrator and cs photoshop is! I might add in regular terms because I still don't know what a vector is!!! I have the full cs too but have been afraid to open it. It was hard enough getting used to the new commands in cs (I still can't make the shape work so have to use the old ps elements to make shape...idiot!!!). Maybe I should read a book...but I am one of those people who needs to get it intuatively or I just don't do it! VERY bad habit!!!

[Nevermore]

Alison, I will try to explain. Illustrator is vector vs. raster based. Clear as mud? Raster are bitmaps--essentially think pixel based. You have a ton of pixels and they are different colours and make up an image. Vectors are math based which is why most normal human beings run in screaming terror from them. Even Robyn knows enough not to go near them (I will pay for this). Because it is based on a mathematical formula, it (the vector) can be resized without any loss of quality. There are other things that Illustrator does (many, gulp) and other important bits about vectors but this is the meat and bones of it.

Thus, for example, type is vector. It can be resized without loss. For a very simple "prove it yourself so you can see", do a text layer with some basic font. Type: This type is vector. Duplicate that layer and rasterise the typed layer. Now, change the original type size. No problem. Change the rasterised type layer. Icky poo, right?

Since the issue is brush work that is actually trying to emulate text (writing), raster brush work is all jaggedy and doesn't resize and is giving anyone who uses a tablet a headache. In Illustrator, the brush is making vector objects which are smooth and lovely. I have no intention of paying $500 US for smooth lovely writing. I will either have to conquer Nightwolf's suggestion of Inkscapes (free) or conquer the tablet.

As for shapes, I think it is tit for tat. Since you have waltzed me through Modge Podge, I would be honoured to walk you through shapes in CS2 if you so desire. Being a non techie, non science, non math human being my basic rule of thumb is if the Raven can do it, a kindergartner can (with apologies to technicial, scientific, mathematical kindergartners everywhere). I will email you as I don't know if these forums could survive the exchange!

[SteinwaysMom]

While on the hunt for the ever elusive tutorial on handwriting with a wacom I did come across some interesting sites. Both are Open Source (read free)
The first is an Open Source Clip Art library - http://www.openclipart.org/
and the second is an great little tool for writing with your Wacom (it does very nice calligraphy too) called inkscapes. It's also free and you can get it from http://www.inkscape.org/

HTH

Inkscapes looks interesting - esp for those of us w/o the $500 for illustrator!

[Belles]

but I am also used to writing on a white board, blackboard and OHP as a teacher and found writing with the wacom pretty intuitive I guess. I don't know that I can help with any specific settings however since mostly I have done my handwriting in PSP9 or CorelPainterX My wacom came packaged with Painter Essentials and I upgraded to the full version.

I do have illustrator and never thought to try using the wacom with it. Don't actually use it much.

All of the doodles I have ever done have been with my wacom.

Some example of my handwritting with the wacom can be seen HERE (http://www.pluspsp.net/p/challenges/chall119/) -- I did the background graphics for this display way back when I used to be a co-ordinator at that site. I think from memory that would have been done with PSP9

Sorry I'm not really of much help -- sometimes I think that this sort of thing is something that needs to be more hands on and practice.

[webchyck]

Hmmmm...now I'm intrigued...I happen to have Illustrator and didn't know what I would possibly use it for, but now I see. Rasterizing vs. vectorizing...oooh! I'm all a-twitter!

[SteinwaysMom]

Apparently Illustrator is how Michelle Coleman & company do those gorgeous scrolly brush things - they are vector images, which means you can make them as big as you want w/o jaggy edges. You can do a doodle and then illustrator makes it all pretty and stuff. She had a brief tutorial on Round 4 of the Apprentice but I think you had to be an entrant to see it. Something about Illustrator CS2 has this tracing feature that is really cool.

[webchyck]

I fiddled around, but can see I am going to need some tutorials. I like learning myself, though.

[Franbvm]

IM A COREL PSP AND COREL GRAPHICS SUITE X3 user WHICH INCLUDES COREL DRAW = TO ILLUSTRATOR....I'LL HAVE TO GIVE IT A TRY.
sorry for caps...i'm not shouting...just a klutz!
with vector based programs you can make aweesome titles and logos.

[happyrobyn]

Apparently Illustrator is how Michelle Coleman & company do those gorgeous scrolly brush things - they are vector images, which means you can make them as big as you want w/o jaggy edges. You can do a doodle and then illustrator makes it all pretty and stuff. She had a brief tutorial on Round 4 of the Apprentice but I think you had to be an entrant to see it. Something about Illustrator CS2 has this tracing feature that is really cool.

OK Quirklets ... here it is ... ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR CS2 LIVE TRACE! It is DA BOMB! I tell you - like a miracle! I have fiddled with Illustrator for something like 10 YEARS! LOL! And I just never found anything truly amazing that I couldn't live without ... until now! For the SA Round 4 - there was actually no tutorial. Just a suggestion that we give Live Trace a try. Boy am I glad I did. It helped me take my crappy little doodles (my drawing leaves much to be desired!) and I created some pretty cool stuff. Illustrator and Photoshop really do go hand in hand for line art. I think I may actually take the time to "learn it" now that I have found a good use. Now I guess I need a Wacom as well. But for my entry I just used a Sharpie and white paper. Very professional stuff I tell you.

[happyrobyn]

Alison, I will try to explain. Illustrator is vector vs. raster based. Clear as mud? Raster are bitmaps--essentially think pixel based. You have a ton of pixels and they are different colours and make up an image. Vectors are math based which is why most normal human beings run in screaming terror from them. Even Robyn knows enough not to go near them (I will pay for this). Because it is based on a mathematical formula, it (the vector) can be resized without any loss of quality. There are other things that Illustrator does (many, gulp) and other important bits about vectors but this is the meat and bones of it.

Kim ... just so you know ... I have your address ... complete with the CORRECT postal code! Be afraid ... be very, VERY afraid!

[Nevermore]

For a while there, I thought I might have slipped that in under the Happy wire but it appears not :)

[webchyck]

I think that was a threat! That HappyRobyn sure can be vindictive!

[Pixeldigger]

Maybe we should change her name to naughtyrobyn

[webchyck]

Yeah...sneakyrobyn sounds good to me...going behind my back and putting stuff up on the SBG blog today...

http://www.scrapbookgraphics.com/blog/

There should be retributions!

[kygirl]

Becky, you know she can't help it. She'll use any excuse for a party she can find. It's the drinking, you know? :D

[webchyck]

I know, Donna...I really should just extend my compassion. Perhaps it's whatever they put in thos chik-fil-a sandwiches, too...can't be good! And she eats them ALL the time, you know. Poultry hormones, probably.