Gfx PC Tablet

[Volt]

As in topic.

Lately, for few months, I was heeding the call of getting myself a PC Gfx Tablet.

Obviously, in order to have some 'fun' and 'practice' with various projects, mainly drawings though.

Question is: What is recommended?

What I value is efficiency, not effectiveness. Other words, I want it to listen to me instead of having tons of buttons I'd never use and look nice.

I'm not searching for anything of high-prices, as I'm not quite sure if I'd keep it or forfeit yet.

The most popular tablets around are from Wacom company, so I guess I'd be searching for something like that.

So tell me, my little ponies, what are you using, how well does it work, how handy&comfortable it is and the estimated price.

Preferably, Wacom tablets of course.

[Autumn]

The pain in the flank thing about buying graphics tablets is there's no way to go around trying them out to see what's comfortable.

My advice is to stick with WACOM. There are lots of cheaper alternatives about, but they never feel.... right.

(You can drive a Austin Martin DBS or a Citroen C1... they both do the same job, take you from A-B and you still have to drive the same speed around town... but one of the is gonna just feel so much nicer to work with).

Price... simple, don't buy the latest/newest one. There aren't any moving parts to break or anything so a 2nd hoof one carries far less risk than a 2nd hoof video game.

After years I'm still packing and using two WACOM Sapphires.

I find the pressure sensitivity and the 'hover' distance (the distance from pen lifted slightly away from the surface to move the cursor around) perfect for me. The pen's great too, it slots into the top where the dipped curve is (I sometimes use the nib as a toothpick)

Here's what it looks like;

No icons or anything... just a drawing surface from a trusted brand/technology.

I bet you can find them cheap on Ebay etc.

Found one... 99p no bids. http://www.ebay.co.u...a#ht_500wt_1156

I'm actually going to watch this and pick buy it myself if there's not much interest. XD

[Volt]

1. (You can drive a Austin Martin DBS or a Citroen C1... they both do the same job, take you from A-B and you still have to drive the same speed around town... but one of the is gonna just feel so much nicer to work with).

2. After years I'm still packing and using two WACOM Sapphires.

3. I find the pressure sensitivity and the 'hover' distance (the distance from pen lifted slightly away from the surface to move the cursor around) perfect for me. The pen's great too, it slots into the top where the dipped curve is.

4. (I sometimes use the nib as a toothpick)

5. Here's what it looks like;

No icons or anything... just a drawing surface from a trusted brand/technology.

6. I bet you can find them cheap on Ebay etc.

Found one... 99p no bids. http://www.ebay.co.u...a#ht_500wt_1156

I'm actually going to watch this and pick buy it myself if there's not much interest. XD

1. Couldn't find exact specifications for AM'DBS, so I don't know how much it burns ;D

2. That's a good sign. I don't enjoy when my stuff breaks after 2 months, like my last headphones did because I wanted to test a new brand...

3. I guess that's just a matter of preference, so I guess I can't do much about this on my own without actually getting one.

4. I'd say that's cruel .-. But after seeing in students house how we've found out 14 different applications for washbasin, nothing will probably surprise me. (One included getting some dry ice into it in order to get a nice fog on the floor... man, you wouldn't believe how angry administration was back then)

5. Hmm, I'd say working area seems quite fine. It's not too big, not too small. Seems to be rather comfortable, doesn't need much place.

6. I'm holding with this decision still. I have stuff to do for few good weeks yet, so I guess I'd find myself one on my own later. But it's always better to get some insight earlier.

[DashieInTheDark]

My brother (Paradox) is an animator in Flash. He had picked up a Tablet early last year, to improve his drawing. And boy what an IMPROVEMENT! If you draw on the PC, you absolutely NEED a tablet. Think you're amazing with a mouse? A tablet would far exceed your skill. Because a mouse teaches you precision. And you can "hone" your precision with a Tablet. But enough of me rambling on.

http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-CTL460-Bamboo-Pen-Tablet/dp/B002OOWC3I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1333010473&sr=8-2

This is the Wacom Bamboo Tablet. It comes with the Drivers CD (Will auto update if you have an internet connection), The drawing Tablet itself, The Pen, and all for $60. The "hover distance" is just about 3 inches or so above. The pen does not plug into the tablet, and there are no cords. It doesn't take batteries, or anything like that. Plus, if you flip the pen over, it becomes an Eraser tool, much like a real pen. This works with most programs I've used. (Flash 8, Photoshop, GIMP, Paint.net, and default Paint.) The drawing tablet's "resolution" is the size of your screen. So your drawings will come out to be the size of your screen if you go from one corner to another. The tablet has two buttons, and the pen has two. The buttons on the Pen are just left / right click, so it can double as a mouse. The tablet / pen is also touch sensitive in supported programs. So the harder you draw, the bigger the lines. (This can be easily toggled.)

He's had it for over a year, and it is still in top-notch condition. It's been dropped, gotten wet, smashed, and it still works GREAT. I highly recommend this above ANY other tablets for under $500 and that's not a lie. Unless you "need the flashy screens and buttons" this will outperform most, of not all $500 or less tablets.

It supports Windows XP, Vista, 7, and it works on Macs. At least the few I've tested.

Any more questions?

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Moving to Art Discussion.

[Volt]

But but but~

It's technical stuff! Tablets are not ART! DX

Jokes aside, to be honest I'm mainly after giving pencil sketches a bit more depth and turning them into something more lively with gfx colors and shadings, + some details perhaps. That's why I don't need anything complicated.

[MechaTwilight]

I'm going to look into one as well, they look like they would be easier to use than a mouse!

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Tablets are generally a good thing, but I must point out that I know some professional artists that do their work with a mouse because they tend to be more precise. Not an easy thing to get used to though, so I can't say I'd recommend it either.

I'd recommend getting a simple tablet to start out with. Most people don't really need all the fancy bells and whistles of the more expensive tablets anyway. I know one person who was in graphic design school and got a big expensive Cintique on the first day because "thats what graphic designers have." And used it maybe twice... Personally, I thought it was a travesty to let a beast like that go to waste, but there was nothing I could do.

[MechaTwilight]

Wow, a Cintique? I'd love to get my hands on one of those... I'd have to save for a long time to get one though... or just quit smoking.