# Question for tablet users: how to get smoother lines?



## RCTFORME (Nov 29, 2010)

I have a bamboo tablet and I need to know if there's an addon or a feature either for the tablet or for the imaging program (I'm using paint shop pro 7 cause I'm poor, could get something else if need be) that will help me get smoother lines when I draw.  Often my lines are warbbly (example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4518665/ ) and the size changes and becomes bloated in some parts of the line.

If not a plugin for smoother lines, are there brush or sensitivity settings I can use to reduce the warbbly-ness of my lines?

I tried increasing and decreasing the resolution, and, ultimately, the maximum brush size.  I've also tried messing with the sensitivity (making it super sensitive or super firm) to try and get better results.  I have improved slightly (new example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4611349 ) but you can still see how warbbly the lines are.

Any help will be appreciated <3


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## Nylak (Nov 29, 2010)

If you're new to using a tablet, that's definitely going to be a factor.  It just takes awhile to get used to the feel of it.

What I do personally is I use a high-sensitivity setting with a 3px sharp round brush (the default brush type for Photoshop, specifically) at 200-300% of my working size; cutting down the resolution once you're done helps quite a bit.


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## Iudicium_86 (Nov 29, 2010)

Lay this over your tablet?


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## RCTFORME (Nov 29, 2010)

@Nylak:
   				 That sounds good, what is the usual size of your initial drawing?  like 1000x1000, bigger/smaller?


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## Nylak (Nov 29, 2010)

Usually a bit bigger for me; sketches I'll do at 1000x1000, final paintings I'll usually do at 2000x2000, and pages intended for print or publication at 4000x6000. The bigger, the cleaner...but it's also a huge pain in the ass to work that large, even if you have a kickass resolution on your monitor.  

...And of course you need to manipulate your brush size to fit your canvas size.


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## RCTFORME (Nov 29, 2010)

Awesome  I'ma try that ^_^ thanks for the advice :3


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## Taralack (Nov 29, 2010)

I don't know if PSP has a feature that lets you do this, but Paint Tool SAI lets you tweak the tools' smoothing, which lets you move the brush slower across the canvas so you can try for better lines. 

It might also help to put a piece of paper on top of the tablet and draw on that. Gives a bit of resistance while drawing so you get a better feel for it. 

But ultimately it's a matter of getting used to it. Keep practicing, and you'll get there.


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## Kawaburd (Nov 29, 2010)

My only relevant complaint with PSP7 is that whatever you do will be a little grainy at higher res's.  Still if you ever use the smudge tool it's FAR superior to the one in anything Adobe IMO.  Don't worry about upgrading your paint program unless you REALLY run into software problems (and you probably won't with inks).

The main things in lineart are you and your tablet.  Short of a Cintiq, getting good takes A LOT of practice mainly due to not drawing directly ON what you're seeing.  Use the tablet for everything, go without a mouse for a few weeks and your line quality will go way up.  Also, QUICK lines if you can.  The slower and more deliberate you are, the shakier the line will get.  Also try inking with an actual pen if you havn't already.  A lot of real-media rules apply to digital as well. ^_~


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## HappyBunny (Nov 29, 2010)

I think as well that it turns out to be confidence. And... it's like that thing you do where you make a 'V' with a paperclip. And you take a butterknife and you try to keep the 'V' hung over the butterknife so that just the tips are hitting the table and it remains completely still. The HARDER you TRY to keep the knife still, the more your hand shakes. The more relaxed you are, the easier it is. 

So basically, relax. Remember that you always have an 'undo' function with most of the art programs out there. 

One of the greatest things that's helped me is the ability to say 'fuck it' I used to sketche everything with pencil because i could erase my lines and make a clean image. But I started obsessing about making only the 'good' lines.

Then I started sketching in ballpoint pens. Just to sketch. And i stopped worrying about my lines. Because you can't erase any of them. So I just focused on actually creating an image, even if it looked all scribbly. I actually prefer it. Kinda the same way with the tablet. I don't care about my lines.... at first. You can always always refine them later.


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## HappyBunny (Nov 29, 2010)

Nylak said:


> Usually a bit bigger for me; sketches I'll do at 1000x1000, final paintings I'll usually do at 2000x2000, and pages intended for print or publication at 4000x6000. The bigger, the cleaner...but it's also a huge pain in the ass to work that large, even if you have a kickass resolution on your monitor.
> 
> ...And of course you need to manipulate your brush size to fit your canvas size.


 
Wow, 4kx6k? What DPI do you usually set to? I usually hit near there. For my commissions I run 3300x4800 @300dpi. That's been working for me, but I'm just kinda... doing my thing. and i know that generally I wanna run at 11x16 inches... and I want it to be SMoooooooth. Should i tweak my res?


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## Nylak (Nov 29, 2010)

HappyBunny said:


> Wow, 4kx6k? What DPI do you usually set to? I usually hit near there. For my commissions I run 3300x4800 @300dpi. That's been working for me, but I'm just kinda... doing my thing. and i know that generally I wanna run at 11x16 inches... and I want it to be SMoooooooth. Should i tweak my res?


I usually don't work that large. xD For basic commission paintings I'll usually work at only 2kx2k at about 200dpi, and that's a happy size for me. Only when I'm doing shit I know is going to print (like a 10"x14" page for comics or 18"x24" for poster work) will I hike it up to 250 or 300dpi and work at the ~5k dimensions. Because I seriously hate it.


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## Xavan (Nov 29, 2010)

If you want soemthing besides default art pro, use what I use, Paint tool SAI.


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## rainingdarkness (Nov 29, 2010)

Insulting their program isn't going to help give sai a good name. p:

Sai has great lining though, I went from photoshop to that and my lines cleaned up like crazy.


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## Arshes Nei (Nov 29, 2010)

Paint tool sai, open canvas, my paint, sketchbook pro, manga studio and corel painter do some great lines. Even Artrage 3 has line smoothing too.


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## NuclearNinja (Nov 30, 2010)

1: Down scaling. If you work at a high resolution, then reduce said resolution, the lines will clean up a bit. 

2: Change programs. OpenCanvas does good on its own, and Sai has an amasing Vector pen. If you can figure it out, Flash can do some really good lines too.


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## Aden (Nov 30, 2010)

Practice making your lines using fast strokes. The faster you go, the less wobble is possible in the line. It's the way the dude from Penny Arcade inks - swipe a quick line; if it's not what you want, undo and try again. You get better with practice.


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## locoindigo (Jan 9, 2011)

Look for programs that have slow tracking / inertia settings and dial that up a notch. Inkscape calls it Mass for its caligraphy brush, MyPaint calls it "slow position tracking". Both are free as in beer, and free as in speech.


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## Night-san (Jun 12, 2011)

I use GIMP's Ink tool, and work with an oversized canvas. Pretty much what Nylak does; I tend to work with at least 1000x1000.


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## Kaluna (Jun 12, 2011)

I have trouble with this too. And I've had my tablet for over a year now, it's a bamboo as well. I use Photoshop 7 because I got an unlocked version from my old school. =3c
But I recently installed SAI and have no idea how to use it. I've only ever used paintshop pro and photoshop. I'm comfortable coloring and shading in photoshop but I'd like to learn how to use SAI because I love the smoothing feature. I installed a trial of ArtRage 3  and it has smoothing too. It's wonderful, but I feel I'm cheating a little. Normally I sketch in pencil, scan in, resketch digitally (starting with skeleton lines again to smooth out anatomical problems), and then do a few sets of lines over that. Once I finish one set if it's wobbly or imperfect then I lock the transparency, turn it red or cyan, and make a new layer and start lining again, still working out the kinks. That, combined with patience and the over-sized canvas works really well I think.

To see what I mean in visual form you can look at the submission page for an icon commission I did today actually.

https://inkbunny.net/submissionview.php?id=111117

It has separate "pages" to show the sketch that I scanned in and one of the WIP pictures. I have this awful habit of coloring pictures before the lines are even close to done because I love to color and I get too excited thinking about how it will look. This means I spend much more time then I need to on my art, but I have fun. X3 Even with all that, I still have some line wobble in there. Only practice can help me now. :V


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## Volkodav (Jun 12, 2011)

Stabilizer option for Paint Tool SAI


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## Jw (Jun 12, 2011)

Holy Necro batman-- why was this brought back from the dead?


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