Drawing Tablets

[Lykan]

I've been thinking about getting a drawing tablet for the sake of convincing my sorry butt to get back into drawing (and get to a level of skill that's actually acceptable). Would anyone here know a particular one that's worth investing money in?

I'd greatly appreciate any advice that could be given.

[DrakebloodIV]

Wacom Intuos 4. Preferably a Medium or Large.

Honestly, its pricy, but its so amazing using tablets for drawing. Hair is astoundingly easy, and calligraphy is cool. I use one that I own with Inkscape, and find it amazing.

Or you could wait for the mac tablet, that will surely massage your brain stem with pure awesome sauce.

[Brennan]

Well, I got a tablet just a little bit before Christmas. (A gift for myself, :P) I don't really use it much. I find it much more convenient to just use my mouse in most digital coloring situations, and all the drawings that I put out on it look like garbage... Meh, maybe it'll work out better for you, but I'm not really a tablet person.

[Lykan]

Wacom Intuos 4. Preferably a Medium or Large.

Honestly, its pricy, but its so amazing using tablets for drawing. Hair is astoundingly easy, and calligraphy is cool. I use one that I own with Inkscape, and find it amazing.

*looks into it*

... Sweet zombie monkeys that things worth a lot of coin.

That thing might be a bit outside my price range... Though it's going on my list for consideration, most definitely.

[Dogmantra]

I have had a Wacom Volito 2 for a good few years. They're pretty much the basics, small area, not much of a fancy pen (two buttons, plus clicking), but it was cheap and it's done its job perfectly.

[The Duke]

Personal opinion while generally of slightly lower quality then pure tablets, I'd say if you want to do drawing via computer invest in a Tablet notebook. They are real pricy, with the cheapest I know of being around $600 But drawing on them feels so much more natural then a tablet as you have the visual input of what you are drawing where your stylus is. Just my 2 cents. But if you are going to splash on a really nice drawing tablet PC, and you like macs you might want to check out the Axiotron modbook, as it runs mac legally and is a tablet pc. Though very pricy might perk your interest.

Again just tossing ideas in, I know I have a small tablet that we got pretty cheap at cosco a believe, it's a wacom tablet so it's fairly nice but that sort of find is unlikely.

[Dr.Epic]

I bought a bamboo for around $60 that came with some great software.

[onasuma]

Mines also a bamboo. Love it to bits. Definatly recommended.

[Lykan]

Hrm... Given the prices, I think I'm gonna end up going Bamboo for now.

Stupid question: Does tablet size really affect performance all that much?

[Ninja Chocobo]

Stupid question: Does tablet size really affect performance all that much?

Not really, but a tablet closer to your monitor's size makes it easier to use.

[Dr.Epic]

Not really, but a tablet closer to your monitor's size makes it easier to use.

I actually heard the opposite. With smaller ones you don't have to move the pen as far to get the mouse to a certain part of the screen.

[Dallas-Dakota]

Not really, as far as tablets go, bigger is better, if you have the space on your desk.

[Drenn]

I got a Bamboo tablet for roughly the same purposes as you're talking about about two years ago. They're great to mess around on because they're not nearly as expensive as some of the nicer ones out there (as I'm sure you've discovered) but they give you a good feel for it. My one complaint is that it's not quite as precise as some of the ones out there, but really, it works out very well, and its a great learning tool.

[Zanaril]

I have a Bamboo too. I can't really say how it compares to other tablets, but once you get used to it, you'll never want to draw with a mouse ever again.

[Crimmy]

*looks into it*

... Sweet zombie monkeys that things worth a lot of coin.

That thing might be a bit outside my price range... Though it's going on my list for consideration, most definitely.

Bamboo. NOW!

[CrimsonAngel]

I hated my old bluetooth one. To slow for me.

[onthetown]

I've just had a small Wacom Bamboo for years... small area, not much selection around here, so I just bought the first tablet I saw when I was first getting into digital art. It's like a dream, and the newer one I just got actually feels like drawing on paper. I never saw the point in getting expensive equipment if the small stuff works just as well, and the Bamboos seem to get good reviews from everybody I know.

[babeeroniea]

Well i got a Medion Graphics tablet. Its the size of a regular sketch pad its pretty nice. It was cheap too. I dont know where you can get them though. Mine was a 1 week only item at Aldis for fifty bucks.

[Dr.Epic]

Not really, as far as tablets go, bigger is better, if you have the space on your desk.

Two reasons why it isn't:
-portability: bigger things are harder to transport
-farther distance to move the pen: when drawing something all the way across the screen, you have to move the pen across more tablet with bigger ones

[Crimmy]

Two reasons why it isn't:
-portability: bigger things are harder to transport
-farther distance to move the pen: when drawing something all the way across the screen, you have to move the pen across more tablet with bigger ones

Point taken, I completely agree with this. Never think that bigger is better on this subject, unless you're doing expert work, and using paper over the tablet to draw in the PC (Like they do in Dreamworks, Disney, and such).

[Flickerdart]

Yeah, the Wacom Bamboos are dirt-cheap now, so there's no reason to own something that's not Wacom. Cintiqs and such are only for people who are serious about art and have money.

[Crimmy]

Yeah, the Wacom Bamboos are dirt-cheap now, so there's no reason to own something that's not Wacom. Cintiqs and such are only for people who are serious about art and have money.

Also, Wacom has nice discounts for those who buy their products, they have quality, and also warrants, in case yours fails...

[Castaras]

My Trust tablet was awesome. Only around £20 - £30 as I remember, very affordable. Still works and I still use it loads. Lovely pressure sensitivity.

[Dallas-Dakota]

Two reasons why it isn't:
-portability: bigger things are harder to transport
-farther distance to move the pen: when drawing something all the way across the screen, you have to move the pen across more tablet with bigger ones

-Considering I don't own a laptop or nothing and the computers and college suck, I pretty much don't need a reason for mobility. I get your point though, if you draw on your laptop.
-True, but then you're prolly getting damn large...

[Crimmy]

-Considering I don't own a laptop or nothing and the computers and college suck, I pretty much don't need a reason for mobility. I get your point though, if you draw on your laptop.
-True, but then you're prolly getting damn large...

If you're in need of taking your tablet somewhere else to work, you always have to have a smaller one. Laptops are not the only machines outside your own that can help you draw, y'know?

[Dallas-Dakota]

Considering that A.

the computers and college suck,

I'm a student
B. I don't have a job...

Though you make a point, it doesn't really apply to me at the moment.

[Kurien]

I am very interested in purchasing a Graphics Tablet for home use. I hope to find a Wacom product, as they seem the highest quality. A Bamboo sounds like the best choice, as the Intuos is meant for professional use, and I'm not a professional.

However, there are some concerns. The drawing surface on the standard Bamboo is only 147 mm by 91 mm. So does the writing area scale to the computer monitor? If I made a 2cm stroke on the tablet, would it be larger on the screen?

Also, The stylus nibs apparently wear out quickly, and so does the paper texture surface. I heard this can be solved by increasing the pressure sensitivity?

Another good thing about the Bamboo is that it comes with Corel Painter. Is Painter a good program for making art?

[Dispozition]

Just quietly, to all those that are sying bigger isn't better, you're right and wrong. Sure, you're right if you're not a professional, or want to get to that level, but bigger tablets afford much better response and precision. Imagine trying to do fine detail on a 24" monitor with a 6" tablet. Not happening. That's just something to consider though. Personally, I can't work with less than about 12" now, since that's what I've been using for a while. On my laptop, that's a 1:1 scale.

Anyway, I've used a no-name tablet for a while, then it died, recently got a wacom intuos3 but haven't had a chance to use it yet due to a faulty lead (got it second hand).

As for nibs wearing out...I've never had to replace the nib on my pen, and it's over a year old now. Got some fairly intensive use out of it too. The pad surface is also fine. I can't say this for wacom, since they may be different, but they seem to last.

@kurien: I can't comment on corel painter first hand, but from what I've heard, it's not used widely. Photoshop and SaiPainter seem to be the popular ones. I use photoshop and love it.