landscape picture critics and tablet drawing

[Bogdan]

I've just bought a graphic tablet recently.
So I painted something in photoshop elements.

I posted this because I was wondering if someone could help me improve my skills with tablet drawing(if you can show me links to some tutorials, or tell me what things must I adjust in photoshop so it gets the most quality).

Sorry if I made a grammar mistake because English is not my native or main language.

Thanks in forward.

by the way I forgot to ask some specific questions regarding tablet drawing technique:
Do you use keyboard at the same time with tablet? What tools for drawing do you have input as shortcuts in pen and tablet?(my tablet has only for buttons and pen 2). How do you pick colors? With mouse? I am really newbie into this drawing so please someone explain me so i can do as efficiently as you do. Thanks! 

( I am using Wacom Bamboo Fun(Pen and Touch) Special Edition Small Size)

[Anian]

You can set what you like on the buttons, but basically upper pen button is right click of a mouse, so in Photoshop it's used to change the brush style/size, while both buttons are zoom in and out when you hold Alt button - that is also the awnser to your other question - yes you should draw with one hand and the other keep on keyboard.
Also if you turn the pen around that thing where the rubber would be on a pencil - that actually activates eraser in Photoshop (but I find it easier to press B for brush and E for eraser when I'm working).

While you're holding Space bar you can move around the drawing (hand icon will appear), holding R will let you rotate the canvas (R+Shift if you want 15 degree steps), Shift is also used for straight lines etc.

Just try out stuff and you'll find many useful functions, I use Shift and Alt keys and Space bar the most when painting, Alt+A is to select entire canvas, Ctrl+J is to copy seleceted stuff into a new area etc. there's a list of shortcuts on the web and in side Help or Preferences I think in the PS itself.

There are no tutorials for using the tablet, you just have to practice to get the feel for it, I mean you can't find tutorials for using a mouse either, can you?  Actually there should be something that came along with the Bamboo or on wacom site, that kind of shows you how to setup things (like the buttons on the tablet itself, though one is used for turning on/off touch function of the tablet, be carefull of accidentally pressing it.

I suggest you keep the tablet in a mouse pad position and don't rotate it like you might do with paper (at least I do that) because it'll only make things harder to get used to. And in the begining think about putting a clean sheet of paper on the tablet (pen will still be detected) because the roughness makes it seem more like drawing on paper.

And also, I don't really know what you drew there.

[-=Lisa=-]

I'm very new aswell with my tablet (got mine for christmas, same as yours basically)
i found this guy to have a few pretty good pointers even if he's useing som other program

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1D264418BF4A6BF9&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1108B179C158EA69&feature=plpp

(Yeah.. im a n00b when it comes to drawing...)

/Lisa

[Bogdan]

Thanks guys!

@anian well I am more than familiar with all those shortcuts( in fact I was using my own custom), I was actually wandering how are the other artists using them. But thanks for the tips anyway
@Lisa I got mine for Christmas too ^^
Thanks for the video tutorials for tablet drawing!