My tablet pen died mid-painting at a comic convention demo table

Last Saturday I was doing a live digital painting demo at a local con in Austin, showing people my process on a small tablet setup. About 15 minutes in, my stylus just stopped responding, no battery warning or anything. I had a spare pen in my bag but forgot the nibs at home, so I tried drawing with my finger, which looked terrible. The crowd was small, maybe 12 people, but I felt really exposed fumbling around. I ended up switching to a basic brush tool and explaining the sketch roughs instead of finishing the piece. I now carry two full pen kits plus a backup tablet whenever I do public showcases. Has anyone else had gear fail exactly when they were trying to impress a room full of strangers?

1 comments

1 Comment

tyler612d ago

A dead stylus is annoying but twelve people at a local con probably forgot about it before they left the room. You recovered fine by talking through your process, which is honestly more interesting than watching someone paint anyway. Backing up your gear is smart, but managing a dead pen on the spot is part of the job.