I'm considering getting a tablet. What's involved

Question

I've recently found a bit of money I'd like to spend... and I'm considering getting a tablet. I'd like to get back into art; I don't see a future for myself there, career-wise, but I would just like to be "good" at something that isn't video games or math, so I'd like to nurture the talent I've left idle since Jr. High.

But onto the questions. How much is a tablet? I heard around $100 Canadian. What are good brands, and what would you recommend? Where can I get one? Are there any special computer requirements? My computer is new, but somewhat basic. I have Vista. And finally, do I need any special art programs to operate one, or do they come with everything necessary? I have Gimp, but are there any other/better opensource art programs? Or should I look into getting Photoshop or something like that? In that case, what should I know about that program (price, requirements, where to get)? And is there anything else I should know?

Thank you.

Answer 1

All digital graphics tablets are, basically, a mouse, PLUS the added feature of pressure sensitivity on the applications that support this feature.  So, that means that any tablet you get will work on the software you already have.

I would STILL recommend the purchase of Photoshop Elements, which costs less than $100 US.  It is a VERY powerful graphics application and uses the same kind of tools and "language" that the full version Photoshop uses.  If you ever feel the need to upgrade, you won't have to go through an extended learning curve to get up to speed.  And consider, that Adobe software publishes the industry standard applications.

Regarding the tablet, I have found that most of the people that insist that Wacom products are the "best," actually have never had ANY experience with anything else.  They got their Wacom's because someone ELSE told them to get one.

Here's what I recommend.  You can find some very inexpensive DigiPro brand tablets at a site called Computer Geeks. ( http://geeks.com )  You will find many under the "mouse" category.  Many are under $50, with some as low as $29.  Last year, I bought a couple for my grandkid's computer, and I found them as functional as the Wacom Pen Partner that I have been using for over four years.  This functionality includes pressure sensitivity and are compatible with my Photoshop and Illustrator applications.

One more thing.  You do NOT need a big tablet.  If you know how to draw, you know how to draw small.  It is not the size of the tablet that makes a difference.  It is the size of the monitor.  After all, we ALL have to zoom in sometimes for the detail work.  ALL tablets are a one-to-one ratio with the monitor.

Do yourself a favor and start out small and cheap.  If you find you feel the need to upgrade, then your initial investment is very low.  I think you will find that you may NEVER have to spend big bucks on this hardware.

Answer 2

I would definitely recommend Wacom tablets, there relatively cheap, and work amazing. Because this is going to be your first tablet, I recommend the Bamboo Fun; which is what I use. It comes with Coral Painter and other programs that aren't as high quality as Photoshop; but can still make amazing works of art. I'm not to familiar with the program Gimp, so I can't really tell you if that works with the tablets.

The Bamboo Fun comes in two sizes, on that is 8x7 and the other that's 9x11. Both are great sizes, it just depends on how much space you like to draw in, and the size of your monitor. I choose the bigger one because I like the flexibility of the bigger size. It run me about 174 dollars.

For computer requirements, there all located on the link below, but Vista works great with the tablets, and is even recommended :) Now for where to buy, you can buy from the Wacom website, but you can get the same product from Amazon.com, for twenty or so bucks cheaper; which is where I got mine.

Good luck, and I'm glad that you decided to get back into art, it's a great hobby :)

Here are some links:

Wacom's website: http://www.wacom.com/index2.cfm

Bamboo Fun: http://www.wacom.com/bambootablet/bamboo...

Where I bought mine from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...