Waiting for the mail
Have I mentioned that I’m absolutely hooked on web stuff? I enjoy tinkering with various programs, learning how to build good sites, working with graphics, and all that. I have several sites in process. They’re fun for me. I hope when I get them up, they’ll be fun for others. And I really enjoy working with graphics, since I fancy myself an artist of sorts. (actually, I am…I mean, I’ve been paid for my sculptures). Well I’ve been playing around with Gimp, and I’ve really learned my way around that program.
Gimp is an open-source (free) graphics editor that offers wonderful graphic manipulations. It has a slightly steep learning curb for anyone who’s not ever worked with a graphic editor, but once you nail it down, it’s sweet.
So after fooling around with Gimp for several months, and visiting countless sites for tutorials, tips, and instruction, I decided to go a step further. I ordered a Wacom Tablet — Bamboo Fun — the small one, as recommended by a wonderful artist on Deviant Art.
I had gotten good enough in Gimp to draw directly in the program. By directly, I mean that I could free-form draw without scanning in a sketch. But I still wanted to be able to control my sketching. Using a mouse to draw has its limitations, at least for me. I missed having ‘control’ over the drawing tool. So this Wacom Tablet will allow me to input my drawings directly from the hand held pencil that’s provided. Oooh digital art…so cool.
When I first stumbled upon Wacom, I was looking at one of the more expensive models – almost $400. That’s not in my budget (what budget?). I sent an email to each of my kids that included a picture of the model and a note saying: this is what I’d like for my birthday or for Christmas. I’m getting real big on giving people what they want, so I figured I’d let someone know what I wanted. I got one email back that simply said: ha, ha. Ha, Ha, indeed. I was darn serious. So anyway, when I visited that Gimp site and saw the recommendation for the smaller model, and then ventured over to Amazon to check out pricing, imagine my utter delight upon discovering it was on sale. Whoo! Hoo! click, click, it’s on its way.
