The question of how to maintain drawing skill during periods when you can only draw with a mouse or trackpad — tablet unavailable, tablet broken — is something I've had to solve twice.

The mouse drawing reality: it's slow, imprecise, and fatiguing in a way a stylus isn't. I don't recommend extended mouse drawing sessions. But for short periods, it's workable if you adjust your expectations.

What mouse drawing teaches: you become radically dependent on undo. The imprecision forces a different approach — more construction-based, less gestural. Interestingly, some artists find that mouse constraints produce a more deliberate approach that carries over positively when the tablet is restored.

Alternatives during tablet unavailability: I used the phone's drawing apps (Apple Pencil on a borrowed iPad, Procreate Pocket on iPhone) as substitutes. The phone is too small for serious work but it maintains the stylus habit and prevents the atrophy that comes from total drawing cessation.