Should I buy a Tablet? - Get the "low-down" and reviews from users just like you... here.
It seems everyone is a digital artist these days, doesn't it?
The demand for drawing tablets has grown considerably in the past two years.
Digital artists are tossing their mouse or trackball aside for a more efficient means of creating.
So... the question that keeps popping up:
"Will a drawing tablet make me a better artist?"
The short answer:
"No."
The long answer:
"Absolutely not."
So why buy one?... if it's not going to make you a better artist.... what's the point?
Well, if you've been paying attention throughout the better portion of your life, you'll already know, that being good at something doesn't involve having the best toys to play with. It's about practice.
The tablet is no different than any other tool specific to any other hobby or profession.
What does the tablet do for you?
Straight up: It increases your efficiency ten fold.
After getting aqainted with your tablet, I'll damn near gaurentee that you'll be working 10 times faster around the canvas than you were with the mouse or track ball.
With the added feature of pressure sensitivity, creating lines of wavering thickness or opacity is but one stroke across the surface.
Most will agree that details are much easier to work into their pieces with the tablet than it ever was with a mouse.
Most will also agree that you don't need a tablet the size of your desk to be able to take on most of your projects.
So what size tablet should you get?
Well.. that depends on a lot of things. If you've got a friend, or know someone who has a tablet..... ask if you can scribble on it for an hour.
Depending on the length of your brush strokes, you'll quickly see how much of the actual tablet you're using.
Some people won't make strokes over an inch or two... and thus, have no use for a ridiculously large tablet taking up desk space.
The vast majority of users wouldn't need a tablet larger than 6x8.
Like I said, the tablet is no different than any other tool. If you don't practice with it... you simply will not get your money's worth. Too many people buy tablets and then end up with it sitting in the corner of the room collecting dust. Don't waste your time or money if you aren't serious about taking the time to adapt to it.
(on a side note, however.... if you *do* happen to buy one, and you're going to let it collect dust... feel free to contact me via email or ICQ and I'd gladly accept a free tablet donation after providing you with my mailing address.)
Michael's Personal Experience:
I've got a 9x12 Wacom Intuos2. Love it.
Although I have fairly long brush strokes when I'm doodling, I don't even come close to using the entire thing while I'm actually painting. However, I do utilize every corner of it while working on larger projects if I have photoshop opened up across both of my monitors.
I didn't buy my tablet directly through the Wacom site... I chose to buy a refurbished tablet via e-bay.
Absolutely no problems with it to date.
That's about all I've got to say.
If you come across this FAQ and you've got a personal experience to add.. no matter what brand of tablet.... fill up the space below this entry and let people know what you think.
Counterfeitbacon's Personal Experience:
I recently bought an Aiptek 12000u direct from Aipteks site. The tablet size is 12 by 9, and I use up most of it, since the main thing I use it for is sketching/inking. I don't feel that I am wasting desk space. The price tag is what turned me onto the Aiptek brand tablets. This tablet was only $130 direct, but the shipping was fairly poor. It took around 3 to 4 weeks to get to my house, although this could/could not be Aipteks fault. The tablet didn't dissapoint. The sensitivity is only 512 as compared to Wacoms 1024, but the total DPI is a bit higher (about 700 pixels more) than Wacoms larger tablets. It also lacks the tilt feature found in most Wacom tablets, as well as the brush library that (supposadly) comes with Wacom tablets. The bundled software is also a letdown, but if you already own PS (And who here doesn't?), then it is no problem. Great tablet, in my opinion, it gets the job done well at a low price.
krets' Personal Experience
It all started on my mom's couch when I was 18...
Wait, sorry, wrong personal experience. I have a somethingxsomething Wacom tablet (don't know the dimensions but it's smaller than Mike's). I love it when I'm painting stuff. I'm horrible with the mouse and just slighty better with a pen but for me the difference is worth it. For me, the control you have over a pen vs. a mouse is worth the price. I never wanted to draw anything before my Wacom simply because it was just too tough to operate that silly mouse.
Bodhi's Personal Experience
I have an Aiptek HyperPen 8000U, which I've used for about a year. It's 6x8, which is almost too large for most of my strokes, but I'd rather have too much space than not enough. As CFB says above, the main attraction to this brand was the price. I wanted to practice with a tablet, and learn how to use it, but I didn't want to shell out hundreds of dollars for it (even if I had hundreds of dollars to spend on one!). This tablet has been satisfactory. I've read alot of commentaries about the Wacom line, which is apparently the be all end all of tablets, but the Aiptek has never seemed lacking to me. Could be inexperience, or never having owned a Wacom. For beginners, it's perfect. I purchased mine from CompUSA in town, and so didn't experience any delivery problems. I have conversed a few times with the Service staff at Aiptek via email, and have never had a problem they couldn't answer. The bundled software that comes with it isn't great, but it works through PhotoShop with all the bells and whistles provided for tablet fun. It's definitely in my hand more than the trackball for not just graphics, but everything else navigational on my PC. If the asking price of a Wacom is more than your budget allows, check out the lower priced models (there's more than just Aiptek).
Sharma's Personal Experience
I have a Wacom Intuos2 6 x 8. I've gotta say that it's great. Not huge, but big enough for me. I have much more control with the pen as compared to a mouse. The most significant advantage for me is the pressure sensitivity. Being able to control brush size and/or opacity by applying more or less pressure makes things so much easier. Painting and masking are the two areas I use my tablet most. However, one thing I always stress when talking about tablets is that they take a long time to get used to. They definitely don't provide instant gratification. Once you do get used to them though, the benefits are immeasurable.
Cheap beginner's tablet?