Number 198 - November 1999

When To Toss The Mouse Using the Wacom ArtZ II Tablet
by Roberta Mikkelsen, Jan 99Computer Connection
If I were a woodcarver I would need specialized tools. A chisel alone wouldn't cut it. ;-) Doing graphics on a computer is something like that. A mouse simply doesn't cut it. When I first started experimenting with digital art, I quickly realized that if there weren't something better than a mouse for drawing, it was back to my pencils and sketch pads. Using the mouse was like using a stick to paint a house. It could be done, but at what cost of time and effort? For example, when I tried to trace one of my paper drawings with the mouse I discovered that the mouse was covering the original I was attempting to trace. Some years ago a Japanese typographer's frustration with the mouse led him to invent the drawing tablet. He had been trying to digitize the 30,000 characters involved in Japanese typography. When he found the mouse to be an unfit tool, he set out to invent something better. And that's how the Wacom digitizing tablet was born.    I use a Wacom ArtZ II 6 x 8 (6" by 8") pressure-sensitive tablet. It has 256 levels of pressure and comes with a Duo Switch Erasing Ultra Pen. This means that the harder I press the electronic pen to the pad, the wider the line or darker the color the computer generates. Light pressure gives me a lighter, thinner line. Just like real life. Specialized pens are available as options, but I have found the Ultra Pen to be adequate. One end holds a replaceable nib; the other has a digital eraser. To use the eraser you just flip the pen over and the eraser tool is automatically selected. The pen has a switch located on its side. If you need to double-click, you press the bottom of the switch, single-click press the top. You can customize the pen settings, tip pressure, tilt sensitivity and eraser sensitivity to suit your working style. The top edge of	the tablet has a menu strip. Depending on the size of the tablet, it can contain between sixteen and forty-four functions, such as Copy, Paste, Save, and so forth. Some of the functions are programmable, so the user can place favorites on the menu strip.     The tablet is a joy to use. Wherever I place the pen, the pointer is at the same corresponding point on the screen. This absolute positioning is what makes tracing and accurate drawing possible. You can toggle between the tablet and a mouse. Or you can buy an optional puck; pucks come with four or sixteen programmable buttons, are cordless and don't need batteries. My tablet allows me to sit at the computer for ten hours with no sign of fatigue or carpal tunnel syndrome. I have precise control over the placement of my lines and brush strokes. Days go by before I ever touch my mouse and then it's only to move it out of the way. All in all, I think this is a wonderful product. The tablet has a transparent overlay for holding artwork in place for tracing. The tablets are bundled with Pen Tools software, a set of Photoshop plug-ins. Pen Tools allows you to brush on special effects such as Noise, Super Putty, Airbrush, and 3-D Chisel. For the non-professional artist, Wacom offers the Pen Partner with fewer pressure levels and no menu strip. Digitizing tablets work with Windows applications that support Microsoft-compatible mice. However, their pressure-sensitive functionality is only supported in recent versions of major graphics programs.     The ArtZ II comes in various sizes: 4 x 5, 6 x 8, 12 x 12 and 12 x 18. Prices are based on size and range from $200-720. You'll be much happier working with graphics if you get one.
Number 198 - November 1999