Tools of The Trade

Mouse Vs. Tablet

What you use as an input device for Illustrator can be something huge for some of you out there.
The two I am talking about here are a mouse and a graphics tablet.
First off is your mouse, which you use on a daily basis. It's your trusty pal. Using a mouse to draw in Illustrator is not that hard, and it usually is because you already know how to use it.

The downside to a mouse (if there is a downside) is the lack of organic shapes you can draw, its hard for beginners to try to draw those swirly shapes. I still have a hard time doing so! But if you practice enough you can do them.

For those that are not aware of what a tablet this is what it looks like:

Graphic tablets usually come with the tablet, a pen and a mouse. You can create more organic shapes and mimic lines you draw on paper (or other surfaces) depending on how hard you press down on the pen. A tablet can also put less stress on your wrist. The down side? They take a bit getting used to because of the surface of the tablet.

A comparison of mouse and tablet

Its Up To You

It really is up to you to find what you are comfortable drawing with. Neither one is better than the other, some people can create some really awesome pieces just using a mouse or just using a tablet. Now if you have a laptop, I would recommend looking into getting a mouse at least. Trying to draw with the trackpad is pretty hard and not very comfortable.