Scanner or graphic tablet

[HristosKo34]

So far, I know that even Roberta Williams in "Mystery House" back in 1979 used a graphic tablet with a mechanical arm (?) to draw and import pictures in the Apple II (btw, she is so untalented artist :pppp). Also, I know that using a mouse to create from scratch, backgrounds and sprites, is a torture and the result will be -in best case- crude. Mouse is good only for small editing jobs and that's all. So, here is my question: I believe I am talented enough in drawing on paper but I never tried to draw on a computer programme. Should I buy a scanner (which sounds better for my occasion) OR give it a shot with a graphic tablet?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each machine?
Thanks for your time.
P.S. At the moment, I don't have enough money to spent for both scanner and graphic tablet.
P.S. Are there any people out there who can draw a background with the use of mouse and only? :ooo

[Crimson Wizard]

P.S. Are there any people out there who can draw a background with the use of mouse and only? :ooo

I can! Moderately.
[moderate boasting]

Spoiler

Drawn purely with mouse:
http://imageshack.us/a/img210/3445/magicgarden021.png
http://imageshack.us/a/img69/6323/openeyesscreenshot003.png

[close]

[/moderate boasting]
But you are right, that is real pain, and takes ALOT of time to draw lines that you want. I don't draw often nowadays, but if I ever will, I think I'll go and try a tablet.
Regarding scanning, I think you still will have to paint scanned pics over.



PS. Isn't this a wrong forum section, actually? :-/

[Anian]

Well you can use the scanner for scanning documents as well, not only for drawings, so that might be more useful.

Personally, after initial sketching with a tablet, if I'm in Photoshop. I more than often use just the mouse and pen tool, because it's more precise to work with vectors that way I think. I actually don't like that way of working because it takes a really long time usually, but I get the clearest results (without going into an actual vector program).
Sprites and low res backgrounds I think are faster to do with a mouse as well.
There's also 3d softfare you can use so you can paint over them or use the actual images, and that basically uses no tablet (unless you want to do sculpturing and such).

Can you paint really well in traditional nondigital techniques (like watercolors, pastel, pencil sketching etc.)? If so, then maybe a tablet would be useful. 

[Ali]

I used mouse-drawing over a scanned sketches to draw the graphics for Nelly Cootalot, but I'd heartily recommend a wacom.

[Eric]

If the Wacom is cost-prohibitive, I'd check out the Monoprice line as an alternative. I got this one for Christmas, and have been very happy with it.

[Ghost]

Also, I know that using a mouse to create from scratch, backgrounds and sprites, is a torture and the result will be -in best case- crude. Mouse is good only for small editing jobs and that's all

I disagree. I do all my game art with mouse and keyboard and would say they are decent, and few of them were a crude torture. At pixel level you can't beat a mouse.

So:
There are people who do backgrounds and sprites only with the mouse, and I am one of them.
I'd say a scanner more important than a tablet if you are already good at drawing with a pencil.
I'd also say that a tablet is awesome to have but requires a lot of "adapting" (personal oppinion- I still struggle to draw a circle on that thing.)

[Ali]

I'd also say that a tablet is awesome to have but requires a lot of "adapting" (personal oppinion- I still struggle to draw a circle on that thing.)

I can't argue with your experience, but I found using a tablet for the first time to be completely natural. Perhaps the wisest thing to do try to have a go on one before buying to see if you like it.

[EchosofNezhyt]

Don't use a scanner. Getting used to a tablet takes a few mins to a few days.

http://www.amazon.com/12-Inch-Touch-Screen-Graphic-Tablet/dp/B000Z06VMG/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1362277010&sr=1-1&keywords=Tablet+drawing+viz

Get that. Wacom cost a ton once you get into a good size and the really small tablets are a bit harder to draw on.

I've used mine for like 2.5 years and I perfer it over my smaller wacom.

[Snarky]

Getting used to a tablet takes a few mins to a few days.

Or much more. It took me months before I was fairly comfortable with my tablet, and I still (after years of - admittedly fairly occasional - use) can't e.g. draw a straight line between two points in freehand.

That said, I would also recommend a pen tablet over a scanner. Even if you scan in a drawing, you'll probably still have to do quite a lot of cleanup on the computer, at least to make game backgrounds. You're going to want a tablet for that. And if you have a camera or even a camera phone, you might be able to make do with photos of your paper drawings.

But really, you can get a scanner for around $20 these days, so why not just get both?

[HristosKo34]

So far, from your answers, I understood that there are people who are familiar drawing, using only a mouse. Others who prefer scanners and those who enjoy the simplicity of a graphic tablet. (Not much help btw....  ) So, my next question is......(yes, I am still off topic, I know and I am really sorry) Does anyone know (please answer only if you have read something about it and you are totally sure it's true) how did the artists of Sierra On-line created their sprites in King's Quest 1 (1984) and King's Quest V and how did LucaArts created their sprites in Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck's revenge? Did they used mouse, keyboard, hand-drawn paper and scanners or graphic tablets? Or a mix of the above? Why I make this question? I am really curious to find out what methods did the "professionals" used. Why? Because 2 days ago, I found a sprite of Guybrush on the net, then I printed the image and I tried to replicate it in the "Asesprite" programme, using only the mouse. It took me more than 5 hours to succeed it. One frame. Furthermore, the colors and the "blur" method was not so compatible with the AGS. Btw, my right hand and my nerves are still not in a good condition. Anyway. Hope someone can help me.

[Anian]

5 hours for sprite like this LINK? I think you're doing something wrong.
Besides, I don't think it'd be better to have an image on screen instead of printing it.

If you're working on a lower resolution game (like the ones you keep mentioning), you might like to sketch out a design on a tablet, but in the end you'll need the control a mouse offers for putting every pixel in the right place. Main because a pixel right or left means a world of difference when you're working on area of 320x240 pixels and your sprite is 70px tall or less.

[HristosKo34]

@Anian: Yeap, 5 hours. Can you please show me a video in youtube demostrating the creation of a sprite for adventure games (not Pokemon etc.) or can you make one, drawing for example Guybrush.   

[Anian]

There's lots on the forum as well HERE and practice on turning drawings or photos from the internet into small pixel drawings.
Even whole Guybrush sprite sheets are available LINK 1 or LINK 2

[Snarky]

So far, from your answers, I understood that there are people who are familiar drawing, using only a mouse. Others who prefer scanners and those who enjoy the simplicity of a graphic tablet. (Not much help btw....  )

Well, the thing is, the tools are just the tools. The quality and even most of the speed is down to the skill of the person drawing. Some ways may be fiddlier than others, and you might have to relearn some technique, but ultimately it's not the most important factor. There have been artists who, after a stroke or losing a limb, have learned to draw with their feet.

Yes, there are people who work with a mouse; it's not impossible, and there are even some tasks, such as pixel-by-pixel editing, it is the best at. But few would argue that it is the most natural way to draw. Anyway, you already have a mouse.

A drawing tablet is much more natural, particularly since it's pressure sensitive and allows you to vary the width of brush strokes, but it does take some practice to master (which varies from person to person). However, with some experience, someone who can draw well on paper can draw well with a tablet. If you would like to work in a "painterly" way on the computer, get a drawing tablet.

Drawing on paper is the most natural of all; at least, you already know how to do it. Of course, you lose all the benefits of computer drawing (such as undo, layers, scaling/perspective transform, etc.), which are particularly useful for fixing errors or experimenting with different options. And there are some styles of background you can't really make on paper. Even if you draw a great background on paper and scan it in, you'll probably have to do some additional editing on the computer. While you can do some of those edits with a mouse, I think you'll find it hard to actually redraw anything in a way that blends with the scanned work.

You know you're not comfortable drawing with a mouse. The overwhelming consensus has been that for making game backgrounds, a tablet is probably more useful than a scanner. I don't see how you can say you haven't gotten useful advice.

So, my next question is......(yes, I am still off topic, I know and I am really sorry) Does anyone know (please answer only if you have read something about it and you are totally sure it's true) how did the artists of Sierra On-line created their sprites in King's Quest 1 (1984) and King's Quest V

For KQ1, I would imagine Roberta colored the sprites on graph paper, and they then encoded the data by hand. KQ5 looks like a mix of paintovers of scaled-down photo reference pictures (possibly rotoscoping, like in GK1), and pixel-by-pixel editing.

and how did LucaArts created their sprites in Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck's revenge? Did they used mouse, keyboard, hand-drawn paper and scanners or graphic tablets? Or a mix of the above?

The later LucasArts sprites (don't know about Maniac Mansion) were made in DeluxePaint, and I would guess they were mainly done with a mouse. As people have told you, tablets aren't ideal for pixel-by-pixel work.

Why I make this question? I am really curious to find out what methods did the "professionals" used. Why? Because 2 days ago, I found a sprite of Guybrush on the net, then I printed the image and I tried to replicate it in the "Asesprite" programme, using only the mouse. It took me more than 5 hours to succeed it. One frame. Furthermore, the colors and the "blur" method was not so compatible with the AGS. Btw, my right hand and my nerves are still not in a good condition. Anyway. Hope someone can help me.

I can see spending 5 hours drawing an original sprite, but it really shouldn't take that long to copy one from reference. You did zoom in so each pixel was really big, right? Not sure what you're talking about with "blur." There should be no blur on a (MI1/MI2) Guybrush sprite.

[Crimson Wizard]

Here's videos of DKH drawing his backgrounds and character
http://ru.twitch.tv/nihilstarcraft/b/372957319

(character starts somewhere around 6:00:00 and continues to the next part of the video)

[Kasander]

Well Hristos, if you're going to stick through thick and thin with 320x240, you're good without tablet. But if you've ever thought about going hi-res (I mean 640x480 or above ), do yourself a favor and buy a Wacom tablet (preferably Intuos). Or if you can't afford one, get one of those tablets Eric and Frito suggest. Long, long time ago, in the last millenium, I was painting with a mouse... Those are painful memories. I don't want to remember

First and foremost, painting with tablet will save you tons and tons of time (compared to painting with mouse). And if you're going to be persistent about developing your drawing/painting skills, the investment will pay off sooner or later. Tablet itself isn't that hard to get used to. Getting comfortable with Photoshop (or its equivalent) is the real problem.   

As for the scanner... A good one costs much less than a good tablet. Also, as long as you're not afraid of a bit of photo retouching, you can take photos of your drawings with almost any digital camera (except maybe camera in older mobile phone) instead of scanning them.

[Monsieur OUXX]

Drawing with a mouse will give -at best- a crude result.

I believe I am talented enough in drawing on paper

I never tried to draw on a computer programme.

Should I give it a shot with a graphic tablet?

ANSWER :
There is no answer unless we know what's your style. Show us your style.

Which of these styles is closest to yours? More importantly: Are you targetting hi-res or low-res?

[ThreeOhFour]

Dude, where the hell did you find that pic? I don't even have the assets for that game anymore!

I couldn't do my stuff without a mouse and a tablet, I use the two in conjunction with each other. My scanner has been loaned to various relatives - I myself scanned 3 things with it and then realized that it simply wasn't a decent way to do graphics for me personally.

[Monsieur OUXX]

Dude, where the hell did you find that pic?

I googled "Ben304" hahaha!

[Armageddon]

I often wonder if they scanned in the Mechinarium artwork, and if they touched it up at all later.