What am I doing wrong with my tablet?

[RJL]

So far I haven't been able to recreate the kind of control I have over lines with paper and pencil. The disconnect between looking at a screen but not looking at my hands is the problem - Will this ever improve or should I just return the tablet and stick to drawing, then painting what I draw in photoshop?

Also; Is there any way I can get a big huge pointer in photoshop so that I am not losing track of where my pencil is on the screen all the time?

[AdamR]

You're not doing anything wrong at all. It just takes practice getting used that disconnection you've spoken of. Just keep doing exercises and practicing, you'll get the hang of it. Everyone does.

And many many people paint in Photoshop what they draw by traditional means. The tablet still gives you the greatest control over this than with a mouse. You just gotta keep going at it man, trust me, you'll get used to it eventually and realize what of a great asset it is.

As for your cursor, are you sure you've got it set to show the brush and not just a cross-hair? Go to Edit > Preferences > Cursors and make sure you've got your "Painting Cursors" to "Normal Brush Tip" instead of just precise.

'Nother tip: If you've got it set to "normal brush tip," yet you have your caps lock on, it will change it to the "Precise" option for as long as you've got caps lock on.

If that's not the problem, could you perhaps take a screenshot or explain a bit further as to what it is exactly you can't see?