Computer art up to four or five years ago was the bane of my existence. I just wasn't very good at it. However, if you're ever going to be successful in commercial art... comics in particular... you need to embrace this technology.
Computer letter and computer coloring has made producing a comic book or a graphic novel all the easier.
I finally learned to color on the computer the same way I learned to drive a standard. Over a weekend. I knew I was doing it wrong since college (my own shortcomings and not those of my computer coloring professor) and the only way I would ever be successful is to stop relying on others and start learning it on my own. So I found a website and taught myself.
I learned to letter on the computer so being able to color properly on the computer was the next logical step for me.
It was like something popped in my brain and it all made sense. All I could think was "Why hadn't I sat down and learned this sooner"?
Possibly my best investment (other than the Deleter Ink I bought online recently) was the VisTablet Pen Pad. I'm well aware how fantastic the Wamcom Bamboo Tablet is from friends who are nothing short of brilliant in the business. And at some point I probably will upgrade to one.
However, for my needs and my price range at the present. I am very pleased with my VisTablet.
Drawing with it is still a work in progress. For me, it's not as simple as drawing with a pencil or pen. It just comes down to teaching your brain to think you're doing the same thing.
But it has made coloring such a breeze!! Coloring with a mouse is just a pain in the ass. The mouse works for many things. Coloring is NOT one of those. It might have been one of the reasons computer coloring has been such a pain for me is working on the mouse.
But since I bought my pen pad a couple months ago I've been doing all of my coloring projects on it. As a matter of fact, ALL of the graytones on The Casque of Amontillado was done on my pen pad.
I'm still a work in progress, but if you have been holding off on getting a Bamboo or VisTablet, I highly recommend you quit holding off and go buy one. You will not be sorry.
