What graphics tablet should I buy? Thread

The number of choices are too bewlidering, but suffice it to say I want to get serious about photoshop based concept art, something that will better let me realize my ideas better than pencil alone, but more easily and better looking than traditional paint mediums.

I'm willing to spend several hundred dollars if need be.

Wacom seems to be the most popular, but that's about all I know.

What size pad do you think is necessary for most concept artists to feel like they're really drawing, without constantly having to use the mouse to reposition everything?

Edited by: RJL

the new cintiq 12wx is an awesome piece of hardware, i picked one up a few weeks ago and haven't even looked at my old graphics tablet since.
That being said, depending on where you're based, u could be looking at anything up to US$1500 for it.
If you cant afford that then i highly recommend the wacom intuous3 6x8. It's a great size for concept art and the like at a more reasonable price.

Neacail

I have one of these a Cintiq 21UX, the 12WX is probably best if you are drawing small but due to the sort of work I've been doing I need a HUGE drawing space. The 21UX is the biggest and baddest of all the tablets, the 12WX is more than enough I think for your average person. Being able to draw on the screen is a bit weird at first but you eventually get used to it.

You should consider an intuous3 though because its less extravigant and ranges around the $400-$800 mark as opposed the $1000-$3000 for the cintiqs. The graphire4 is alright if you're just starting out but its not enough to be an effective concept artist those range around the $100-$400 mark.

Size depends really on what you want to do with it and how you draw. If you like big strokes or are working on a very large screen size then you'll need a bigger tablet, if you like to work very fine details up close then get a smaller tablet since it'll be just as effective up close but you risk having your work really really small (which I find requires a lot of upscaling and usually loss in a lot of time that could be spent doing something better.)

the prices I listed may be a bit inaccurate though since I have Wacom's official pricing listing that they give only to professionals and resellers so what the public is charged may be a bit different.

Edited by: formerlyknownasMrCP

A bamboo works just fine if you are short on cash. However, I suggest a 6x8 Intuos for its quality + price. If you plan on using a tablet heavily, even daily, then get a Cintiq if you feel alright with trading a sack of cash for it

Been using my intuos 3 for years, cant go wrong with it.

I got the Intuos 6x8 and am really looking forward to it. What programs do you recommend for creating realistic concept art?

Adobe Photoshop and Corell Painter are pretty much the only 2 you'll need and demos of them come with your tablet (though these demos are very limited so I'd advise downloading the official ones off Corel and Adobe's websites). They are not very cheap however they are designed to work 100% with Wacom tablets.

Edited by: formerlyknownasMrCP

Anybody has experience with used Tablets? I would get a used Intuos3 for a lot less money. Since the tablets don't really lose functionality and are practically indestructible (mind the pen, though) you can buy one that's a couple of years old. I did that with my Graphire4 a couple of years ago and I must say it was a wise choice not to spend more money on it.

An excellent program to draw, with even simple pads like the Graphire, is Manga Studio. You get stunning results, once you understand a little 'bout Japanese brushes and paper. Photoshop of course works very well and is unlimited drawing space and imagination, but Manga Studio does an incredible job at letting you control the flow of your lines. In Photoshop if you draw freehand with the Grapphire, you'll most likely get something shit-looking. Do the same in Manga Studio and it gets close to being art...(of course freehand is not the most prominent style for Tablet users)

Edited by: SinKing

i have one of these

different pen tough
not rly a tablet like you would like i think but i like it nonetheless
its cheap since it has no screen :p but it gets the job done

Edited by: Arxae

SinKing what the hell? if you understand basic drawing concepts outside of just plain vector graphics photoshop can easily be the best program for the job with exception to painter which is an equal competitior (I actually find Painter harder to use though as it simulates REAL art materials that even in reality I have trouble with.. Photoshop is HELL easier).

My advice to you SinKing, try turning the opacity setting of your brush down download some of those custom Manga brushes and go crazy turning the opacity down in photoshop will mimic something similar to using a pencil and won't look so digital. I think thats where your problem is because you're most likely using the defualts - photoshop isn't designed for doing that (thats what GIMP is for) with photoshop you need to customize it to how you work so if you like vectors with sharp edges 100% opacity if you like drawn sketchy lines then get the paint brush tool set to opacity around 30-40% and go crazy. (less opacity the harder you have to stroke- which on a graphire is HELL but on an Intuos or Cintiq its a dream.)

I just use one of the small wacom graphires..Mr_Cyberpunk I am unbelievably jealous of you and your cintiq!!! haha How is it to use? I want one so much!

Its pretty great. You don't have to keep looking up all the time and it feels more pencil like (especially with the felt tip). I should really get the other pens for it though because I've noticed the pen doesn't do smudging as good as I'd like. (for that they have a smudge pen! ). You can do shading fairly easily with the pen and for some reason it likes Larger brushes as opposed to smaller (meaning you don't have to put up with pixlated work)

The only negatives I have with it are that 1. Its too big to fit on my desk! so I have my keyboard hanging out (making it a bitch to type with) and 2. It gets dirty and scratched WAY WAY WAY too easily. (I'm looking into some cleaner for it to remove the scratches and dirt.)

I have it folded down so its more like a light box.. I didn't like drawing on it like an Easel (Standing up) because your pen slips off WAAAY to easily (due to the smooth surface). I also use the art glove.. but find its a bit restrictive so I haven't been using it.. Still its only like $5 so what ever it does help keep the dirt off the screen.

I haven't done enough work with it lately but hopefully when work starts to slow down a bit I can get some concepts out for Neuromancer

Edited by: formerlyknownasMrCP

I imagine these surfaces get scratched easily, but there must be some sort of attachable cover or foil to protect the screen. I had that for several smaller devices with a touchpad and it made sense to have the screen covered. As for the advice - I mainly use Photoshop for drawing vectors with the pen or paths. It's not a tool I use much for shading or coloring, which I still do by hand. Would be much better to do everything in Photoshoop, so I guess I'm gonna look into customising it more, in the future.
One thing that annoys me in PS (and besides the price, is another reason for me to use Manga Studio) is that I can barely see the brush icon, while drawing and it gets very tiresome to follow it over long period. I'd really like to know how to customise the brush pointer, so I can see more than the five small dots when drawing.

RJL> Get a graphire, it's a good learning tool. It will suit a beginner better than any other tablet is very versatile at a low cost. Stay away from the bamboo if at all possible. But if money really isn't a factor, I'd personally opt for an Intuos, graphire if you like to be showy. It's pretty safe to say that most professional illustrators/concept artists use and intuos rather than a cintiq, it's more practical, cost efficient, and generally LCD's do not show color as well as a CRT. Also if you are a student look around for student discounts, you can get photoshop or painter for around $100 a pop if you are a student. Photoshop is what I use 99% of the time, simply because I'm more familiar with it. If you are a traditional painter Corel Painter would probably be your cup of tea, since the brush engine is much more advanced and is made to simulate traditional medium. Neither one will hold you back, professionals use both, it just depends on you, really.

Mr Cyberpunk> I own a Graphire 4x5 and Intuos 9x12 and I think your ideas of stroke size are backwards. On a smaller tablet the monitor to tablet size is different, therefore, if you move your hand say an inch, it will compensate for say 100 pixels on your screen. If you have a larger tablet and move your hand the same inch it will only compensate for 50. Screen size does not apply to this at all. Also just wanted to point out that turning the brush opacity down won't make for a good pencil effect, the more efficient way to do this is go to window>brushes and turn on other dynamics, selecting pressure (this makes your stroke vary in opacity depending on pressure). Another way to make a better pencil-esque brush is to make the brush size dynamic under size dynamics. Annnd why do you look up when using a normal tablet? When I (or anyone else I've seen) uses a tablet you very quickly establish hand-eye coordination between the cursor and your hand, and never have to look at the tablet. Thats like having to look at your mouse when you are browsing the internet.

Sinking> In photoshop if you do not like the dot cursor you can hit CAPSLOCK and the cursor will change to a brush, making it easier to see when using small brushes. Personally though I don't like this because then I don't really know what size my brush is most of the time, generally if I am working with very small lines I just zoom in, which in turn makes the cursor appear larger.

hope this all helps you a bit!

Edited by: ekarnopp

I've got a Trust 1200 Wireless Tablet, 12" x 9". I bought it for 100€ and it's very good. Of course, can't be compared to the Wacoms, but it won a prize from a Computer magazine for being the best tablet in price/quality.
Trust has updated it's tablets, so now there's a newer version with more dpi, etc... for the same price.

My tablet finally arrived. It's a Wacom Intuos Special Edition, a-4 sized. Don't know what that is in American Size, but it's surely one of the biggest.
Since its the special edition it also comes with mouse, pen and airbrush. Airbrush feels a bit odd, since I used to own one myself and know how they work. I guess you'd either need a special program, or make a set of brushes especially for it. In Photoshop you can control the color flow with the stylus wheel on top of the brush. So that's kinda like the color flow on the real thing.

A-4 is a great size. Everything I draw looks much better and more refined than on the smaller Graphire tablet I used before. The touch strips and shortcuts are incredibly versatile, be it in changing your brush size, zooming, changing opacity or switching through shortcuts. This board is the perfect interface between yourself and photoshop. So inspite of the hefty pricetag and the difficulty of switching from traditional media towards watching your screen while moving your pen, this has got to be one of the best investments I have ever made.
So there really is a difference after all and it's huge, even though it comes by different means than the big boom. I didn't yet go into all the possibilities this new tablet offers, as I still have to test out the different brush tips for both, stylus pen and airbrush.
Since the tilt sensor recognises up to 60° of tilting, there is also the possibility of modding specifically for Intuos owners, making flying games for penholder-pilots.

Edited by: SinKing

I got it too and it's awesome! It gots precision and usability... I love it!

ive got a wacom a5 sized, paid about £30 a few year ago and its grand1!!

I'm thinking about building a top sheet for my table, so I can sink the tablet in at the same level as the table's surface. It always bothers me that it's sitting on top of the table. These things are still too thick, and the Intuos is actually thicker than the Graphire. This often makes long straight lines look bent and it's not always a good option to make a perfect line by connecting two points, instead. The larger the tablet the more it feels like drawing in real-life. Of course that's not the way to make best use of the tablet in photoshop, but since I have the Intuos, I have been doing a lot more quick sketching and making pencil style drawings, than before.
I'm bit pissed off about the airbrush and I would have much prefered a Marker Pen, instead. The beauty of Marker Pens and Intuos is that the tablet recognises, which side of the marker you place on it. So you effectively have a couple of different (marker) brushes all in one pen; just like the real thing! And since I start all my concept drawings with a marker pen, I think I'm gonna have to buy one. Maybe I'll get one as a Christmas present, who knows ?

Edited by: SinKing

Pr0stSh0cKeR wrote: A bamboo works just fine...

... If you want to die of frustration. Invest in your tablet and pick one of the better models. Do not expose yourself to the bamboo.

Neolight wrote:

Pr0stSh0cKeR wrote: A bamboo works just fine...

... If you want to die of frustration. Invest in your tablet and pick one of the better models. Do not expose yourself to the bamboo.

I use a Graphire, which is basically an older Bamboo. I'm still pretty well and alive and have no qualms with it. Cintiqs are an excess. And you guys need to stop stroking your e-peens with this hardware hard on.

Well, I had the Graphire and it even uses another technology (you can't use your intuos pen, or vice-versa) than the Intuos. Trust me, even though they all draw lines and are touch sensitive, there is a different feeling to the Intuos. Apart from the touch strips and quick-keys it's more accurate and you can tweak a whole lot of options for the pen to make it fit your drawing style.
The Graphire wasn't comfortable to use, even after I removed the outer, plastic cover. The Intuos is made from a different, heavier material and feels comfortable even after hours of writing. I wish it was a little bit flatter, but I got used to that, now.
I can't say the Graphire was bad for what I got for the money, but the Intuos offers a different workflow and new oportunities to pick up skills I didn't see a point in learning for with the Graphire. It just feels different. I must say, I'd rather get a bigger Graphire than a small Intuos for the start. Given the opportunity, I would always get an Intuos, though.

I didn't say anything about the Intuos?

oh...yeah - right, somehow I thought it was part of your post. Intuos are good, they are just expensive. That's been settled, then .

Well the type of tablet isn't going to make your work look better it's you. In any case I suggest going with the Intuos 3 A4 sized tablet. More comfortable to work on since you can use your whole hand to make gestures and not just your wrist.