I Wanna Buy a Drawing Tablet

[KoopaDasher]

So which one should I get? I think it would be an invaluable tool for webcomics (which I LONG to begin once more), as well as other drawings.

Here's what I would use it for:

- Drawing webcomic characters and shading them
- Inking other drawings, like those used in my custom art boxes

I don't need some sort of industrial strength super tablet that will do my laundry and sing me lullabies. I just need something with enough sensitivity to perform these activities.

What should I buy, that is worth my money?

[Pleiades]

I've been told Wacom makes top quality tablets, like Bamboo.

[Eggboy'13]

Can someone explain, simply, how tablets work?
I've been wanting to take my drawings into the digital realm for a long time now. I just want to know if the way they work is actually for me.

[KoopaDasher]

I've heard good things and I've heard bad things. I've heard some people say that there is no other way to ink and color drawings than with a tablet, while some say it's a hassle, and not at all sensitive enough. Personally, I'm getting tired of needing DAYS to ink my drawings with the Pen tool in Photoshop, when people on dA can use tablets to paint masterpieces in a few hours.

[Element]

Go with a Wacom Bamboo. They are great for their price, you can do everything with them and they are good to learn too. I have an Bamboo Pen (Which apparently has been replaced with Connect). Go here for a comparison with the 3 Bamboo tablets. Also despite of what the comparison says, the Connect is great for drawing too.

Also a great site with tutorials for digital painting with an tablet is:
http://www.ctrlpaint.com/

[Ienzo]

Wacom.

[KoopaDasher]

Wacom.

Right now I'm looking at the Bamboo Connect. Thoughts?

[Spiderpig24]

The Bamboo Connect seems to be pretty great, and for the price it's probably what I would get. Also, if you would like you can always get AutoDesk Sketchbook sometime, which is just fantastic for what you are doing: http://www.amazon.com/Autodesk-732C1...d_bxgy_e_img_c

[Eggboy'13]

Can someone explain, simply, how tablets work?
I've been wanting to take my drawings into the digital realm for a long time now. I just want to know if the way they work is actually for me.

*cough*

[Unknown Flames]

*cough*

It's just basically drawing on the tablet will show up on photoshop. So it's the toolbrush except you're actually drawing it. If you know how to actually draw things in real life, you can draw pretty well with a tablet once you get used to it.

[D_Nikolaos]

Well, I have a Wacom Intuos3, and honestly I think it's invaluable.
I got it from a friend a few years back after her school (AI) got her a new one (possibly one of the first gen bamboo, I didn't ask I was too excited), it's incredible, I can do a lot more than I ever could with a mouse alone.
I definitely highly recommend getting one if you can.

Although I still haven't been able to recreate the feeling of drawing with a pen/pencil through PS, but that's probably just me, I might need to choose a different brush or something lol.

[mchapra]

I use a Wacom Bamboo.

It's simple, it serves it's purpose.

[Eggboy'13]

I'm confused. How do you see what you're doing?
When you put your pen down on the tablet, how do you know where on the image your pointer is going?
I feel like I would have to look directly at what I am drawing on in order to actually draw what I intend to.
It seems like it would be a very difficult thing to use.

[Spiderpig24]

I'm confused. How do you see what you're doing?
When you put your pen down on the tablet, how do you know where on the image your pointer is going?
I feel like I would have to look directly at what I am drawing on in order to actually draw what I intend to.
It seems like it would be a very difficult thing to use.

There are buttons on the tablet that help with that. It's a little hard to explain.

[Eggboy'13]

I want to try one out, soooo bad..

[D_Nikolaos]

I'm confused. How do you see what you're doing?
When you put your pen down on the tablet, how do you know where on the image your pointer is going?
I feel like I would have to look directly at what I am drawing on in order to actually draw what I intend to.
It seems like it would be a very difficult thing to use.

Dude I felt the exact same way when I first got mine!
But trust me you kind of get used to it, you just have to think about it like a mouse, it has all of the same functions as one (pointer/cursor, right click, & also has a double click). It just has a lot more control and fluid movements to it.

Btw I'm not sure about the Bamboo, but with mine I had to mess with the settings to get my "eraser" to work as a eraser in PS. Because at first when I flipped it around it just registered as another pen tip.

Also if you want to try one out, I'm not positive, but a lot of electronic retailers should/could allow you to test/tryout one.

[Eggboy'13]

Can I use it with Gimp?

[Element]

You can use it everywhere, since it will act as a mouse.

[Nerdysimmer]

I use the Bamboo Pen and Touch. Serves its purpose well, but the canvas is too small for my liking.

I'm confused. How do you see what you're doing?
When you put your pen down on the tablet, how do you know where on the image your pointer is going?
I feel like I would have to look directly at what I am drawing on in order to actually draw what I intend to.
It seems like it would be a very difficult thing to use.

Depending on how the tablet is calibrated to the screen, either the cursor will just appear at the pinpointed area, or just move as if you're using a mouse on a mousepad, basically meaning the cursor moves from its original position regardless of where you touched the tablet with the pen.

Using a tablet without actually looking at the tablet itself is much like typing without looking at the keyboard. It's a different animal to train, but if you keep at it, you'll eventually get used to the feel of it.

Btw I'm not sure about the Bamboo, but with mine I had to mess with the settings to get my "eraser" to work as a eraser in PS. Because at first when I flipped it around it just registered as another pen tip.

That's usually the fault of installing the driver and forgetting to reboot the PC. I've had that problem when I installed the driver on my lappy.

[KoopaDasher]

Wacom Bamboo Connect: First Impressions

Sensitivity:
The tablet itself is too sensitive. The slightest motion is registered. This may be good for some applications, but when you're trying to make a smooth line, it's not good for the pen to register every little bump in the motion of your hand. I find it nigh impossible to draw straight lines, curves, or anything that involves a smooth stroke.

Quality:
When I'm using a pencil or a pen on paper, my stroke is always uniform. With this, it detects the tilt of the pen, and as such the width of the stroke changes with my hand position, meaning that no two points on the line are the same thickness.

Intuitiveness:
It's fairly easy to use. I had no problems figuring out how to use it, once the drivers were installed. The only issue is the size of the screen. It's difficult to move the pen where I want it without going over the usable area. But I had the same problem using my laptop for the first time. It's just something I eventually got used to.

Packaging:
Dull, boring, lifeless cardboard. Everything was supported nicely inside, though.

Functionality:
It worked automatically, with everything. Even Photoshop recognized it without having to do anything in the program. I just started drawing. Unfortunately, I find the device itself to be a bit jumpy and sporadic. If you move the pen, even for a moment, it screws up the position of your cursor and reverts it back to the middle of the screen, making it very difficult to maintain the best location for your lines.

Overall Impression:
I wouldn't buy it a second time. It's really not the device that I needed, in terms of its behavior and functionality.