I recently read the mag review on the e-pen create. I'm very new to digital painting and am only getting started. I'm trying out the trial photoshop and Corel painter on the DVD that came with issue 46. Would anyone know if the e-pen is compatible with these programmes? I'm thinking of buying the pen as it's not too expensive and basically I dont have a clue how to get started. Very excited about it though, hope you can help me out :)

This is totally new to me, so I rteally don't know. But if you are to paint and draw on the computer, you need a tool that has good pressure sensitivity and reacts 100% presice. I would recommend an ordenary wacom tablet. It's worth saving up to. I tryed a cheaper wacom first (dont remember the name now), but it reacted slower then I drew. But when I bought my Intuos 3 A4 it all came together. That was like drawing with a pencil again. Cost me 400 punds++, but I have never regreted it. I'm a professional trad artist, but now I'm using digi medium for most of my planning/sketching. And looking for a good way of producing high quality prints of my digi works as fine art aswell.

I you want to try the e-pen, than try and find a shop that sell both the wacom intuos and the e-pen and try them both before you by it. That's my advice

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Life is contrast.

www.geiropdal.com

My IFX portfolio
My sketchbook

I think Geir's got the best advice there. can't say I've heard of the e-pen. and if I saw it in IFX I probably forgot about it pretty quick.

a good wacom is worth the investment though. 

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"Live life like a fantasy. Reality is only in your mind!" - Fabledgoat

Thanks for the advice, I wont be able to afford the wacom tablet any time soon. The magazine gave the pen a good review...just wondering has anyone else used it. Money is really tight atm maybe Ill just have to make do with a good old pencil and paper...Ty again for the responses ;)

I just ordered the e-pen create, should be here in a couple weeks. Im really hoping it works ok as well cause the wacom tablets can be quite pricey LOL.

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"Live Creation"

You could have bought a Wacom Bamboo tablet for around the same price as the e-pen. Possibly even cheaper.

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Give us a rapport on the pen then.

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Life is contrast.

www.geiropdal.com

My IFX portfolio
My sketchbook

Thank you for all your helpful comments.

 Banjaxed, if I'd seen that wacom bamboo before I bought the e-pen I definitely would've gone for that instead.

The e-pen does what it says on the tin 'looks and feels like a real pen'. And its fine if you want to take notes. But - and its a big but - the pressure sensitivity is not great. I'm using artrage at the moment as recommended and you can change the loading volume of the paint. It still doesn't compensate for the lack of sensitivity of the pen, however. It's fine for dabbling but I've found it very difficult to complete some of the finer details of my paintings. I can't seem to make them look finished. I have a trial version of Photoshop CS4 and it seems really good. I have Photoshop elements but it is so geared towards photo editing that I can't seem to make a go of it. 

I think Ill look at buying CS2 (cant afford CS3) and the Wacom bamboo tablet. It's very trial and error at the moment, I know what I want to do but I just need to find the right tools I suppose and learn how to use them properly. 

 There are many Photoshop courses in my area (Southeast Ireland) but they are all photo-editing ones. Just a bit stuck at present and frustrated that I can't get my teeth into a painting! 

Thanks again guys, my little rant is over now :) 

I read the review on the e-pen create.

It's an electronic pen with an ink cartridge, the idea being what you sketch is duplicated on the screen.

Very good for free form sketching because it's about as close to a normal pen as you can get.

I think as you're concentrating on drawing on a piece of paper rather than the screen it wouldn't be so great for developing the hand eye coordination and precision drawing that you get with tablets. True, there are devices where you can draw directly on to the screen but as they're at the top end of the market and the e-pen create doesn't offer direct drawing to screen, it isn't a budget alternative for a beginner.

The only guide is experience though and you might get to love it with time.

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The Other Self Righteous Brother

Something to bear in mind is that Wacom also produce an Inking Pen, similar to the e-Pen. Put a sheet of ordinary paper on top of the tablet, draw on it - in ink - and have the lines reproduced on screen. I've had one for a while but don't use it as often as I should (keep forgetting I have it). I sometimes find that a tablet, great as they are, is not best suited to expressive drawing.

But I know money is an issue and this is probably not relevant here anymore. As you were.

It was as I thought than. Seems more or less only useful for notes. And I use notepad for that (like writing on a keyboard). Think I would go for a wacom instead. Take the time to save up instead. As you say joe, it's not the best for expressive drawing. I use pencil still much for the preliminary drawing and scan that. But that's just me. I have seen artist use a tablet for expressive drawing and painting with fantastic result. If I were you Acidianne, I would start saving with the next paycheck.

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Life is contrast.

www.geiropdal.com

My IFX portfolio
My sketchbook

yup, I think that pretty much summed it up for the rest of us. best to stick with our wacoms. : )

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"Live life like a fantasy. Reality is only in your mind!" - Fabledgoat

This forum is so helpful :) I thought artists were meant to be solitary, cranky types...Anyway, the pen isn't suited to expressive drawing and I will have to save for a wacom like you said at the beginning of this thread. I'm using Drawplus x2 (came free with the pen) but I'm finding it really difficult to navigate. I know everyone has to start somewhere but I find it very frustrating to use. And anyway its old. I've seen Photoshop CS3 for just over 100 pounds so I might get that. I've heard it takes a bit of time to get to grips with it ... how difficult is it to learn? Feeling impatient atm - want to run before I can walk or whatever the expression is... The possibilities of what one can achieve with digital art are amazing though so Ill persevere until I find the right media to work with. In the mean time I will keep drooling over the images in IFX and only hope someday I will come even a fraction close to that level of skill.