Using a graphics tablet

We have already discussed several uses for the Brush tool, notably in creating layer masks, in previous chapters, but of course, it can also be used as a real brush. To do this, you need to be adept at drawing with a mouse (which is akin to sketching with a bar of soap), or you might consider buying a graphics tablet or graphics monitor.

Tablet devices are perfect for artists because, instead of drawing with a mouse, you use a pen stylus, which is roughly the same size and shape as a real pen, and draw onto the tablet as if it were the screen itself. Interestingly, tablets are also available in the form of graphics monitors – digital screens onto which you draw – but these are significantly more expensive.

Tablets come in a range of sizes, though the larger the better since they provide more drawing accuracy and features, but nevertheless, even a $50 model will serve you well. One leading name in tablets is a company called Wacom, which produces...