5 Tips for New Wacom Tablet Users 

Here's a tip: pull up a sketch from google images and trace it with a drawing software... You'll get used to the hand coordination in no time.

The " Throw away the mouse" advise is the best thing ever! Instant confidence when I found out that I can work with my tablet with no fear. Thank you Dave!

Clarity, Precision, and Concision! The kind of teacher one would like to have.

Have a drink whenever he says the word tip. Have two when he says tips.

Having had the thing for months, and really got nowhere with it, I ran your video this morning... and am now already much more comfortable with the pen in hand. I haven't gone so far as to fling my mouse into the undergrowth - but I've hardly touched it. Thanks for just the right approach to just the right idea!

Thank you for the tips! I just got my tablet yesterday and was feeling overwhelmed. I'm putting my mouse in the drawer now.

Thank you! I definitely got one for christmas and didn't use it very much. I was totally guilty for the first 2 things you mentioned. I'm gonna work on getting comfortable with this tablet for work purposes

This is EXTREMELY useful for me! Thank you so much for making this video. I was unsure if the mouse appeared on screen if you weren't touching the tablet with the pen. Overall the tablet looks easier to use now that you went over it :)

Thank you so much for these handy tips. As a creative designer I would love to enhance my hand illustration skills. For a beginner like me this is a great video to get you started! :) A great help

Putting away the mouse was the best tip. I heard that while watching you on a Creative Live class. Did it and have been using the pen ever since. What a productivity enhancer. Love the radial menu also

Thanks so much, Dave. I'm a real newbie with my tablet, and you've helped me alot to relax and not feel so dumb!

Dude you know this video is gospel when even in 2019 the very first tip had me dumbfounded. Fantastic video for this tablet n00b. Looking forward to many happy years with it. Cheers

Exactly what I needed to hear right now. Just got a Wacom tablet. Thank you! 😊

Thank you so much for the demonstration at 3:20! I'm thinking about getting a tablet, and I used to think it was a pick and guess kind of deal ( like when your hovering your pen the mouse stays there unless you apply pressure) but this cleared up alot of things!!!!! THANK YOu!

Thank you so much for this video!! I just got my first tablet and I was having such a hard time, but this video has answered a lot of my questions. Thanks again!!

Thank you so, so much for these pointers! The one about not using the tablet as a mouse answered the hugest question that's been holding me back, which was how does the computer know when one line ends and the next one begins? (For some reason I imagined it working more like an Etch-A-Sketch than an electronic drawing pad.) Now I'm excited to try mine out and see what I can do with it!

Getting a more simple tablet for the first time and this has made me so much more excited for it! Im planning on using it for drawing a lot and to hear that it doesn't operate like a mouse is such a relief. I feel like even though it will still be an adjustment from traditional art, the fact that you dont "scroll" with it will make it a bit more bearable to get used to, I cant wait for it to arrive!! :)

Thank you so much for this video! I'll be getting my first tablet soon and felt I needed to prepare, this was perfect for me.

You probably shouldn't use it for EVERYTHING. I imagine gaming with a desk tablet would be a damn nightmare.

Thanks Dave, I love your points, I am using my Wacom in Lightroom, Word, and Photoshop Elements, and as a navigation for the Web, putting my mouse away has helped tremendously and the selections in Photoshop are much better and precise than a mouse. Thank you for your wonderful help!!

Great tips. I just got my Intuos pen tablet and was looking for tips to get me started. Using the tablet in place of the mouse is an interesting and radical idea. I've already started to try it. Thank you.

thank you! I actually found myself wanting to draw with the mouse. I'm also out of practice with digital things, but I've drawn a lot. You made me laugh so I'll actually remember to try your advice.

Thanks for the tips! Even looking through many beginner videos, I still found this one very useful! ^ ^

Thanks for the tips. I have never touched or used anybody's drawing tablet, so I know next to nothing about them, but am preparing to buy a Wacom soon for a project, namely retouching scanned documents in Photoshop. One thing that kept bothering me was how do I determine where the pen tip touches down after lifting and skipping over part of the document? You answered it in no time. Again, thanks.

Tysm! I got my tablet since I wanted to draw digital art. I'm well familiar with traditional art supplies and how to use them. I watched experts do digital art and literally fell in love with it,.I loved the digital art affect of clean lines, blended ares, easy copy and pasting.. So obv I begged my parents for a tablet since I can't draw with a mouse lol, and they got me a Wacom tablet. I was super excited and thought it was a breeze until I tried it out and I was struggling a lot. I gave up, and then it was the end of summer break. I started getting really busy and just gave up on it.. But I've recently learned to manage drawing and school so I can improve in both, but I've been practicing with traditional art only. Christmas break is coming up, and I thought I should really put time if I want to get at least comfortable with my tablet. I'll let everyone know how it turns out! 🙃

Thank you. Yesterday I was asked to take a class and i lied that i know how to use tablet for teaching. I said just give me 15 mins and ill be familiar with it.So i was in "pressure"and obviosuly i didnt have any clue where my hand eye cordination was. Eventually i asked them to let me take the class without tablet and I'll teach them on the black board.The class went just ok, the students were disappointed that i didnt know how to use a tablet.Came back home , since then googled " How to use one note" and "wacom" and i am now inspired to learn them both.Your video helped me and also am relieved me that its ok "i could not learn that thing in 15 mins". i ll continue to learn.

As an artist, I would add that it might be a good idea to put your tablet in front of you, and your keyboard off to the side. Matching what you see on-screen to where your stylus is on the tablet is hard enough, without adding in the displacement of having to work laterally, too. Finally, a mouse can continue to be of use in programs such as Illustrator, where precision is necessary to click on specific control handles and such. I will frequently grab my mouse temporarily while continuing to hold the stylus with the same hand. It's not that difficult.

Thanks for the advise to get rid of the mouse. It's been a tough two days, with lots of video editing and document writing with pen only, but I can feel everything getting easier and faster!

I got the Intuos Comic for christmas, and these tips really help! Thanks for the video.

Some really useful tips and advice can be found here, thank you Dave.

great vid I just got my mobile studio 6 days ago, it's my first Wacom/tablet ever and now I'm starting to see how cool it once you get into customizing it. one thing I really like is the per application setting. Before I saw this video I was wishing that you can have it switch based on the app in use and was disappointed that it was all universal, thanks for the vid

BEST tips I've seen in youtube, I mean, most of them tell you how to download drivers and properties, here, I found MANY more then just those things, Thank you very mich, I'm sub to you.

I recently bought a Wacom tablet but some times I get frustrated when I try to use it. I know it takes time to get use to the tablet but with these tips it will be much easier. Thank you.

Thanks for the Video! I was unsuree if I should Start learning using a tablet but after this Video, especially about the pressure about oneself part i decided i definetly give a shot. Thanks to you

Very helpful, thank you. Great information on the brush settings + Wacom tablet.

Your tips are very useful. Thank you very much :D

Always great tips from Dave! Thank you.

This is the best tutorial i hav come across as a beginner for using wacom table , realy helpful thanks a ton

I got my first wacom today and this is so helpful to me. Thank you.

This is a really good video! When I will get my graphic tablet for christmas, I will just put the mouse away and follow all your other tips, because I think they are really useful! :) Thank you!

Very helpful for a first time user like myself, thank you so much!

Remember when first trying out my intuos tab, I didn't like it. Set it aside. Eventually, tried again since I desired sketching with it, and more. Wish back then I knew of youtube, and it's great resource. Did everything the hard way. Now, when having time I come here, and learn bit by bit. This video taught me a few things. THANKS much DC

Thanks! I bought a Wacom tablet exactly like yours, but I never got used to it. I think I was overusing the mouse and only using it for photoshop, exactly like you just said. Now I will get rid of my mouse and try to use only the tablet.

Thanks for this info, I have owned the tablet for a couple years but have always avoided. Now I want to use the tablet, thanks and the advice that it is not a mouse really helped.

greaaat! thanks a lot, I was moving the pen just as a mouse and wondering why it was continuously clicking everything hahaha.

I must admit that I had read a lot about how much practice it takes to get used to drawing with the Intous. However, the second I grabbed the pen of the Intous Pro M it just came naturally and I drew fairly accurate with the tablet. Guess I was blessed with decent hand-eye coordination.

Tip #6. DONT put your tablet next to the computer, you put it parallel so your hand eye coordination isnt off.

I'm looking for a tablet to start drawing characters for planner stickers. This was super useful. Thank you!

Thank you very much for your valuable tips Dave! They are very useful :)

Ahh, I just got my first tablet ever and this was super helpful. Thank you!! :)

Very helpful video. Nice and clear, easy to understand and follow. Some I've watched were hard to follow through being poorly spoken, either too quiet or speaking too fast. Thank you Dave Cross.

man! This video changed my life to learn about the tablet! Thanks a lot!!!!

Thank you. You answered some questions I had. Nice and informative video.

wow! thank you for explaining well! I'm debating of buying a wacom intuos because it's the only available cheap tablet in our area. besides my laptop (acer) is old and I'm scared to buy and end up not able to use my wacom just in case the laptop brakes. so thank you for the tips! I'll still think about buying it as a starter pack for digital art!♡

This makes a lot of sense..i actually used my mouse for normal things back when i tried out a tablet that i borrowed lol. Good job

Thanks! My mom purchased a graphic tablet for me and my brother (we will share) and I needed to understand how to do everything

This really helped me, I'm excpecting a tablet in a couple of weeks and now I know some tips, Thanks!

Very very informative! Dave, before I check out with your full class, tell me quickly the difference between Wacom Intuos art tablet and Wacom Intuos pro. Thanks.

Thanks Dave!!!! I Just Got My First Drawing Tablet.... Wacom & I Am Binge Watching Anything To Help Me.... It Just Came Today........ SO Excited........ Love Art SO MUCH.....Been Using PS For Many Years With My Art....... Thanks For The Advice SO MUCH!!! ♥

Thx for the tips! I am getting my own tablet soon and these tips were useful *^*

finally a useful video for pen tablet nubbies. You addressed very specific issues for mouse-users going to pen-tablet. I was about to give up on pens all together until I watched this. Thanks.

Thank you for this video! I had the tablet last Christmas but my laptop stopped functioning that day so I havent even started using it. I'm just looking through still to see how it works and all. Again, that m you. :)

thank you soooooo much! I just got a Wacom and this was so helpful!

"Play a game with it" I once tried to play Minecraft and never did again.

What a good idea to use the wacom pen + tablett instead of my mouse. It would have taken me soooo much longer to learn how to use this otherwise. Thank you for a really informative video. I have just opened up my first ever wacom so now to put that mouse aside and dive in....

Very good content and presentation. Thank you Dave

dont have one but still I watched the whole thing lol

I'm about to get my first drawing tablet very soon and i'm really glad i watched this before because i would have definitely used my mouse for everything else besides drawing

Well, I have bought my brand new wacon today, trying to use it and those corners or surface of the tablet doesn't work how you showed on the video. I have to use it such as my mouse. Keep moving my pen. Any idea why ?

This was exactly the advice I was looking for! Thanks very much :)

Thanks for making this nice and easy to understand, now to practice, practice, practice

I love how number 5 cancels everything else. Still good to know info.

There's no brush trace difference when applying less or more pressure on the tablet for me, how come?

I just got mine for christmas ty for the video it help quiet a bit :)

Thanks Dave. very useful and helpful

Very helpful Dave. thank you

Very useful tips. Thank you very much!

this was very helpful thank you very much !

Thanks. It helps, at least by encouraging to keep practicing. Just got the tablet and it seems impossible to be accurate with it. A bit upsetting, it seems it would take years to get used to it and when I get a Cintiq I'll just have a ton of wasted time as "blind" tablet is such a transit dead end thing that would probably disappear like ball-mice in a some 10-20 years. Still, if others can do miracles on it, I'll do my best to try and tame it. =)

What many of us have forgotten is how exasperating it was when we first used a mouse until we had used it long enough that it became an extension of our hand. We could then operate it without have to twisting our brains out of shape. It doesn’t take long to develop that same skill with a tablet & pen.

Thanks :) These tips are really helpful

I've tried watching a dozen videos for tablets and your video is hands down the most useful. Thank you!!

Thanks for advices!

good stuff Dave... good stuff. You are both educational and entertaining.

lol I can't imagine using the tablet for gaming. What a trip! Anyone try it? I get what you're saying but a mouse works for things like gaming better, I think. Other than that, yeah, keyboard and tablet should be OK. So "my three cents" is, if you game, don't throw out your mouse, haha. :)

thank you. This was just what I was looking for.

these are good tips, thank you very much !!

So I got a Wacom tablet and I don’t draw on it much because I’m not used to it. This video helped a lot, Thanks! It’s funny that when I first started and didn’t know about the pressure, I thought.. why is it so hard to see? Then I accidentally pressed hard... and here we are

Very helpful. Thanks.

thank you. i wish i bought a tab in 2014 when u uploaded this great video

So helpful! Thanks!

Am I the only one who thinks minesweeper would be good practice for getting used to it?

This was a good video. I had an older tablet that I just used for editing in photoshop. The old pen had this great option- I could use the regular side for drawing, but the back of the pen was an eraser! I just got the new Intros Draw - and this pen doesn't have that option. Do other tablets have that option with the pen? Can you get a different pen that will have that option?

I have the Magic Trackpad and I love it, now will the Wacon offer all functionality to replace the Magic Trackpad?

I have and use a trackpad, what do I do instead of getting rid of a mouse? Since today, I have not used a tablet, so I watched this. Thanks.

Good tips Dave. I am having trouble controlling the pen, as in being able to draw staright lines and circles. Would like to be able to draw cars or motorcycles but changing levels and being able to fill with colour within a certain controlled area is Challenging. Can you help?

Thank you very much for sharing this!!!

Well dave just made art with the circles... Don't question its modern art...

b-but it was so hard playing Dota with wacom pen XD

Thanks for the tips!