Using a graphics tablet
We have already discussed several uses for the Brush tool, notably in creating layer masks, in previous chapters (See Chapter 6, Advanced Techniques: Transformations, Layers, Masking and Blend Modes), but it can also be used as a real brush. To do this, you really need to be very adept at drawing with a mouse, 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 as graphics monitors—digital screens onto which you can draw—but they are significantly more expensive.
Tablets come in a staggering range of sizes, though the larger the better since they provide more drawing accuracy and features. But even a $50 model will serve you well. One leading...