Drawing tablets

[Murc XIII]

i'm a 2d/3d artist considering getting a drawing tablet. i would love having one, but i don't have the money for a nice and big one.

at creation engine (student discount store) they have a wacom 4x5 tablet for 90 dollars.

for those of you with tablets, is this too small to be useful?

thanks in advance!

[greatbigphil]

Hey man,

Naw, I've used a tablet that size before and it's fine. Having a bigger one is better, i think, but I know people who like that size better, I swear. I'm actually going to get one soon myself. I find with tablets the problem isn't so much the size as getting used to the interface. Once you do though, there's no stopping you. Hope this helps.

Big Phil

[Schwinnz]

I own a graphire II (that size) and yes it is definitely usable.

[Murc XIII]

cool
thanks guys!

[Murc XIII]

alright, one more question for you guys.

which tablet would be better,

a) Graphire 2 tablet - $90

-or-

b) Intuos 2 tablet - $185

(both are 4x5)

[Schwinnz]

depends on your budget -

[RageCage]

most people perfer the indous 2 for what you want, and i have a 4x5 and it feels just fine!

[greatbigphil]

I'm not famliar enbough with wacom tablets to know the difference between graphire and intuos. Would someone like to elaborate a bit?

Big Phil

[RageCage]

well the main difference is that the indous2 has like 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity whereas the graphire has 512, other than that i cant say much except they look different

[greatbigphil]

Thanks Rage Cage

[DMSR]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a tablet? Is it a "board" on which you draw with a special pencil to draw on the computer?

[greatbigphil]

That's exactly what it is DMSR. They're really useful tools for texturing or doind freehand art on a computer. if you're interested in learning more, check out www.wacom.com. There are likely other tablet manufactureers, but I'm not familiar with any.

Big Phil

[Bischofftep]

Some notes from a past life:

Having used early WACOM tablets in the 16 x 20 range, and now using an Intuos 4 x 6, I find that the resolution of the tablets are good enough that a small tablet will suffice for all but the largest projects and most persnickety details.

Using a decent zoom, so long as you don't mind the narrowed view, you can get the same kind of "resolution" on a small tablet as you would on a larger tablet.

Your mileage may vary, as I'm not exactly a pen or brush artist, but the 512 levels of pressure sensitivity vs. 1024 is ridiculous. I don't notice 512 levels, and I'm sure I won't notice 1024 except in my wallet.

The big things you need are a cordless pen that you're comfortable with (try some: some are battery powered which makes them awkward IMO, others are so light as to feel flimsy) and good support from your software. If you use Photoshop on a Mac you're pretty well set, as it'll use just about ANYTHING.

Just my 2p,

-Bischofftep

[snowMAN]

Ok what exactly does the pressuse sensitivety do for ones ability to use the tablet. Does it really make a difference from 512 to 1024. I really want a tablet but dont want to be disappointed with the Graphire. Let me know what you guys think of it.

[RageCage]

I've never used a 512 but I'm almost sure that it will be completely fine. and the pressure sensitivity isnt all that useful a lot of times anyway, I mean it can make things easyer when it comes to erasing, expecially, but its really not all that important. what really matters is that the tablet works, there are some ones called like "ultrapen" out there that are REALLY cheap compared to wacom but I dunno how long theyd last

[DMSR]

I just bought a wacom graphire 2 tablet. incredible! the mouse is good for nothing but garbage! and I'm talking about an optical mouse here! wow! i love tablets !!! :drool: :D

Its a great thing that you talked about them guys!

[synkronizer]

I'm planning on buying one too, definetly a wacom!
But i can't decide between the graphire or the intuos.
And the www.wacom.com isn't a great help either.
Although it seems the graphire is more for retouching photo's and the intuos is more an allrounder. Am i correct on this?

Btw, what size are you guys using?
A6, A5 or A4?

Do i need A4 or is an A5 enough?

[Murc XIII]

i actually just got my graphireII yesterday, and i love it! it's not too small (like i feared), i have pretty small strokes.

a question for you guys out there who already have tablets:

what technique do you use to create your pictures? do you lay down a solid color and then lighten/darken it? or something else?

and another question:

how do you change it so that the pressure affects the size and opacity of the brush?

thanks!

[Murc XIII]

oh, and to answer another of your questions, you CAN use the graphireII for more than just retouching photos. it works great for painting and such

[synkronizer]

Originally posted by Murc XIII
i actually just got my graphireII yesterday, and i love it! it's not too small (like i feared), i have pretty small strokes.


What size did you buy?

[Murc XIII]

graphireII's only come in 4x5, so that's what i got

[Zytrex]

Murc: If you're using Photoshop, the settings for the pen should be at the top. It is on the toolbar where options like opacity, tolerance, feather, size, etc. sit, depending on what tool you are using. I believe the pen settings will be on the right side of that bar if you're using a tool where the pen settings are applicable. It might depend on what version you are using, however.

[Murc XIII]

wonderful! thank you so much