Use A Felt Nib on your Wacom Tablet Pen for More Drawing Control
Posted on May 23, 2006 in Props, Technique, Wisdom
Wacom Tablets are great but no matter what anyone says, they are no substitute for real life paper and pencil… not even close. I hear the Cintiq bridges this gap considerably but until I can afford the $2500 price tag, I’ll have to keep going on the rumor.
The biggest factor that makes drawing on a Wacom Tablet so difficult is the lack of pen control, the surface is just too darn slippery and it doesn’t feel natural. I may as well be drawing on a ceramic tile with a greasy plastic spoon…. Okay it’s not that bad, but it does get frustrating when you have to “undo” 45 times in a row.
However there is a way to improve the feel of the drawing surface… did you know you can buy felt-tip replacement nibs for your pen?? Oh yes, these are awesome. They have a marker-like feel which creates friction and causes “drag” so you gain much more control than you have with the standard plastic nibs. Almost feels like real paper.
They come in 5-packs for only $4.95 on the Wacom Direct Site. It’s a bargain steal for the difference it makes.
You still here?
tags: wacom, tablet, cintiq, drawing
15 Comment(s) so far... Don't be shy, join in!
By chrishillman on May 23, 2006 | Reply
That is cool! With TabletPCs coming down to $1300 or so, they are better than a cintiq because you can take them with you.
By Fitz on May 24, 2006 | Reply
You know what, I never thought about the portability factor when it comes to the tablet vs the cintique, good point Chris. A good reason to keep the tablet after the Cintiq purchase.
I use a 6×8 Intuos 2… the Intuos 3 looks pretty sweet with the new hotkeys and all. You can get a new 6×8 for under $300 on Amazon these days.
I think they come with some replacement felt-tip nibs too.
By chris on May 27, 2006 | Reply
I’ve never liked the feel of wacom tablets until I was given a useful tip…..cut a peice of paper to the size of your drawing area and tape it down using masking tape.
It’s a bit of a pain to replace it every couple of weeks when it gets dirty, but it certainly feels more natural.
By Fitz on May 27, 2006 | Reply
Hi Chris, thanks for the tip. I’ve tried this a few times and if it were not for the felt nibs, I’d probably be using this technique.
It’d be nice if Wacom would offer replacement surfaces for the tablet with different textures.
By Dave on May 29, 2006 | Reply
Crap…I have a regular intuos tablet (not even intuos 2). Do the nibs work with older pens?
By Fitz on May 29, 2006 | Reply
Dave - I’m pretty sure all Wacom replacement pen nibs are universal for all models of the standard wacom pen. However I’m not 100% positive so you might want to drop them a quick line before ordering just to be sure.
By Sean D. on Jun 8, 2006 | Reply
I just nabbed a felt nib from the bin at work and I’m using it at home with my original model Intuos- it’s awesome! Way more control now: No more slipping before placing points with bezier tools! I heartily second the recommendation, and for $5! How much is shipping tho?
I’ve used the Cintiq 21U a bit, and for now, I still prefer the Wacom Tablet (I’ve taken the past 9 years to get used to Tablet interaction)- the most frustrating thing about the Cintiq for me was that my hand was constantly covering pop up dialogs and contextual menus. Granted, this is a problem with the paradigm of the current software and operating systems, and not a problem with the tablet. I’d definitely grab one of the new 13″ Core Duo tablet PCs before dropping $2.5k on a Cintiq.
By Fitz on Jun 8, 2006 | Reply
Thanks for comment Sean. I don’t remember exactly what the shipping was, I want to say only 2-3 bucks… (US) The package was pretty tiny as you might guess. And I remember getting them quickly, within 3 days I think.
Interesting thoughts on the Cintiq, I never gave much thought to how software could clash with this new hardware technology. I think this might be the first time I’ve heard anyone say they prefer tablets over Cintiq’s.
By Sean D. on Jun 8, 2006 | Reply
I didn’t mean to make it sound like the Cintiq wasn’t a great and evolutionary thing for people who draw (or sculpt in zBrush)- it certainly is that, but the my work method and style has adapted to using a tablet. I do a very rough sketch with the stylus and then trace over it with bezier curves- something that’s probably just as easily done with a mouse.
One thing that I definitely prefer about the Cintiq (and this is huge) is the ability to rotate it to get those inverted curves the first time instead of sketch, undo, sketch, undo, sketch, undo… Direct contact with your art is definitely more intuative too. At the studio I work at, we’re using them for drawing animitation directy into flash and then tracing over it with bezier curves- And it’s probably easier to get the curve right the first time. For animation, it’s a boon because it eliminates several steps in the process- drawing a whole stack of papers and the PA who has to scan them all in.
Given time apart from deadlines, I’m sure I would grow to love the Cintiq more than my tablet (I’d dreamed about such a device for years), but for the rest of this year, I’ll make do with my new felt nib.
By David Ferguson on Jun 14, 2006 | Reply
I draw and paint directly in painter using a Wacom Intuis 3 6×8 tablet. I use my Wacom tablet and my laptop in my weekly Life Drawing sessions to employ taditional techniques with digital tools.
Painter allows you to rotate the page with a simple short cut that I have programed into the customizable hot keys on the Intuis 3. This customizable set of hot keys makes for a keyboard free experience which is very helpful in life drawing. I like the 6×8 size because it is small enough to carry with my laptop back and forth and about the same size as a sketchpad in your lap. After upgrading (after years of working with a graphire) to the Intuis I would say that it is defiantly worth the extra money to get the Intuis 3 model.
I highly recommend getting a l laptop and taking it with your Wacom tablet to a weekly life drawing session. This way you get to work on developing your drawing skills and get used to working on the Wacom tablet at the same time.
David Ferguson
Free Wing Studios
By Drew Northcott on Nov 14, 2006 | Reply
I’m going to try these on my DIY Cintiq.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZgUZwtd_Rg
All I need now is a completely transparent, paper-like suface.
By Joe on Jun 3, 2007 | Reply
I feel that I have more better control after I started wearing SmudgeGuard to draw on my Wacom. I have no more friction and my sweaty hand moves more freely with better control. It’s really a great little glove.
By John on Dec 25, 2007 | Reply
Apparently my new tablet doesn’t have an instruction manual, so I don’t know how to swap pen nibs/tips.
I’d appreciate the help.
~John
By Fitz on Dec 26, 2007 | Reply
Hi John,
The pen nibs just pull right out. I use my teeth but I’m sure the more civilized use tweezers or small pliers… gently.
Hope this helps!
By Ray on Mar 4, 2008 | Reply
Kind of a silly question, but the only purpose of the nib is to create a different feel between the tip of the pen and the tablet, right? I thought somehow I’d see a different stroke (like using different tips — chisel, square, etc) on the screen. But after reading this I’m thinking it’s just to provide more tactile feedback as one draws.
I’m using the wonderful Intuos 3 Special Edition, which comes with 2 pens and a host of nibs — felt, stroke (spring loaded), flexible. I don’t notice much difference between the others, but the felt nib indeed has more drag and is a nicer feel. To me it feels more like a 4B pencil on paper than a felt tip pen. Would be nice if they created ones that simulate actual sketching materials — charcoal, felt, and a rubbery one for the eraser…