Need for a graphic tablet?

[TCrush]

Hi all,

I have interest in picking up digital painting. May i know a graphic tablet is needed or just greatly recommended in doing so?

[BNN]

it's not absolutely needed but it definitely helps very greatly.

i'd highly recommend it.

as a start off u might wanna try a cheaper tablet with basic functions
eg a wacom graphire 4x5inch should suffice.

do u have any drawing background/knowledge?

[TCrush]

Not really, I do not have any proper lessons on drawing... more of doodling...
So BNN, you do suggest I start with the tablet itself?

The graphire tablet u mentioned is the new Intuos verison?
http://www.wacom.com.sg/price/price.php, costs 400+ (4"x6" size)

I was thinking of getting the Bamboo version instead, which is much cheaper... (<200, A6 size)

[Mrv]

If you do want to go into digital painting, a tablet will safely be one of the last few things you want to get. You would want to practice your anatomy, lighting, colour theory and all the other fundamentals of drawing before you delve into digital mediums. Always remember a tablet does not equal to digital painting, its just a tool, just like a brush/pen etc.

But if you do want to get a tablet, you can get a graphire/bamboo series which is the entry level tablet. Its more than enough, unless you want more buttons and functions. I'm using a graphire 2 , and its still going strong, even though its as banged up as hell. XD

[TaKaHaN]

My advise is if you have the money pls get a big one and a good one.
Small tablet does have its limitation, and chances are most digital artist who went for bamboo or graphire will upgrade to intous 3 in 2 or 3 years time.

One good thing about intous tablet is it can last long.
For a digital artist, usually you may need to upgrade your PC once a year, but an intous tablet can last you a few decade.

[Darkwind was Here]

i agree with Takahan; in fact my 9"x12" intuos 1 (7 years old) still works when i changed it to a intuos 3 eariler this year :)

p.s. Big tablets are really great btw - i personally feel its more comfortable when drawing (esp long hrs) but its really expensive so its up to your budget in the end :)

[TCrush]

May I know if guys owning a tablet are creative professionals or hobbists?

I really do think the larger ones are quite exp for me :)

[lin]

I'm a hobbyist; got my graphire free bundled with macintosh OS X (yes, the first OSX, years ago. XDD ).

I don't do digital painting at all; but I use it to do/practice digital inking and toning for manga. For me, I think I can't do without it for digital inking - won't be able to achieve those nice sharp pointed lines for hair otherwise. >.<

And I do agree with Mrv; the graphire is pretty hardy. Mine has been left in a dusty corner for years; squeezed between books, piled with stuff(it stopped working temporarily but miraculously recovered after some rest), sticker peeled off - and hey, it's still working. XD

[Darkwind was Here]

I'm a hobbyist :)
I got my first intuos as a birthday present so cost wasn't a factor for me :p
(*hint hint*)

by the time i got my intuos 3 i was already working :)

[BNN]

wow i didnt know graphire become so ex liao

last time when i buy 4-5 yrs ago it's 100+ only

anyway i quote something i posted somewhere

to be very very very honest.

maybe it's the way i use
graphire and intuos 3 actually makes no difference to me.
maybe the only good thing is that intuos3 have hotkey pad and scroll pad beside lor



another thing u might wanna think about is the portability of the tablet.
to be very very very very honest again.

sometimes i wish i didnt get 6x8 and got a 4x5 instead.

why? because it's so bulky.
when i was using graphire 2 4x5 i was able to put the tablet on my lap and move around freely
but when i switched to intuos 3 it's really quite bulky and u wont really wanna put it on ur lap

just sharing some personal opinions apart from technical specs


that's solely my personal opinion
i cant exactly call myself a professional haha

[annhell]

a tablet will change ur life and save ur wrist ^O^

[kraystone]

I had been using different tablets for 10 years...so here's what I experienced for your reference.

My first tablet was something for Chinese handwriting recognition. That went well until I got into the later years in Digital Media Design course, I found that it was a bit too small and basic for my homework so I decided to buy a wacom tablet (the smallest model).

It proved to be a bit more sensitive to strokes and I think I used it for a few years before buying a purple intuos2 6x8 from IDN Singapore conference. I was happy for around 4 years because of the greater pressure sensitivity to produce good line work and painting.

Then I decided to draw digital manga which requires even more sensitive linework, so I purchased a intuos3 9x12. I was very happy for a year because the physical stroke which I "draw" on the tablet is closer to the actual mouse distance on screen. (a smaller tablet means a small stroke producing greater distance on screen, ie. difficult for detailing)

However a year later, my brain got tired of matching the relationship of the hand and sight (especially being so tired after work), so I decided to upgrade to the next level... which starts with "C" and is quite expensive :xD:

----
Anyway, I have friends doing professional graphic design and textures who are comfortable with the smallest wacom tablets. Graphire/bamboo/intuos3 doesn't matter as long as it is a tablet to replace the clicking of the mouse. One of them swears that her wacom hasn't break for years and it seems to be the model way before graphire and intuos came out.

Conclusion: If you are a hobbyist and doodling, I believe the smallest bamboo is good enough. If you would like to turn it into a serious hobby/career, intuos is better :smilieDumb:

All the best in your decision!

[Okita]

like kraystone, i used a number of different tablet models over the year.

Initially started off with a intuos2 6 x 8, a graphire 2 in school then to a intuos 3 now.

Between a graphire and an intuos, and even between an intuos2 and intuos3, the sensitivity level differences can be felt. There's a time my workspace uses a intuos3 while i uses a intuos2 back home, the differences are great enough for me to go for an upgrade when opportunity arise.

But if you are just starting off at a hobbyist, just go for a standard graphire. Intuos and the "C" model is way too expensive now.

[oreodunk]

Another note is if ur a corel painter user, get intuos 3 cause the way u tilt ur pen will react to how u paint as well xD

But for photoshop i dun think there is any reaction, mostly just playing with sensitivity pressure

[TaKaHaN]

Anyway for everyone information graphire is no longer produce. the line had end

[TaKaHaN]

Another note is if ur a corel painter user, get intuos 3 cause the way u tilt ur pen will react to how u paint as well xD

But for photoshop i dun think there is any reaction, mostly just playing with sensitivity pressure


It does work on photoshop but only on certain brush.

[zszs]

It depends from person to person, some people prefer having big tablets, some prefer having small tablets. It`s not a surefire thing that you`ll upgrade to a big tablet eventually, so don`t drop the hammer on a bigger intuos yet.
I personally prefer having a smaller tablet, so I don`t have to swing my entire arm do get a stroke across. It`s pretty tiring, I feel.

Like they said, you might want to consider the Bamboo. I think it`s a pretty cool entry level tablet, just a tad small. I`m currently using the Graphire 4 and it`s working pretty well for me now.

[TCrush]

Thanks for all the previous input!!!

Another question: Wacom tablets prices are stable or will drop steadily? Can I expect to get them cheaper from the upcoming Sitex?

[zszs]

Personally, I think getting them from SLS or some contacts who know the supplier directly is better. I`m not too sure if prices will drop during Sitex, but if they do, it`ll have to be directly from the Wacom vendor or the price drop will be very minimal. I`d go so far as to say that it`s less trouble, less people and much faster to just get it directly from SLS.

As for price drops, I`m not too up to date with prices. But I`d believe that they`re pretty stable or rising. When I was in poly year 1, the wacom pen was like $46, but in year 2 or 3 they rose to 120 or something for some reason.

[kraystone]

If there's no competition, the price will keep on rising.

For cheaper price, it's either through the vendor, school promotion or from USA :P

[zheng]

graphire line is actually replace by bamboo
my graphire3 still working good after 3-4 yr
except the pen tip got wore out and need replacement.

personally i like graphire/bamboo because of its light weight n portable compare to Intous. i dun really need tilt function and 1024 lvl of pressure sensitivity..
smaller pad give u faster stroke while bigger pad give u more precise stroke... and i find A5 size is just the right size for me.

Cintiq i found it difficult to work with.. mainly,
1. my arm just got tired after a few hour of using... because of its angle but is adjustable to your need.. and they are difficult to adjust or im just lazy :p
2. its LCD color not accurate as normal LCD screen need to output 2nd monitor for color check..
3. the scroll button on the top right alway hit it by accident as my arm is resting on that area...

and for what i know wacom price nv drop instead it goes up with every new product releases unless u are able to get a discount =/

[TCrush]

Thanks for all the help!
I finally made up my mind and got a Intuos3 :D

I have tried using it to do lineart but feels strange... guess I need more time to play with it.. and I kept pressing the buttons on the pen accidentally.. LOL

[BNN]

Um.. play more around with the brush setting.

some settings i play around with more often for my own convenience:

1) oppacity on pressure; the opacity of the stroke is affected by how hard you apply the pressure. it kinda simulates a pen or a pencil.

2) flow on pressure; similar but it's flow. i dun exactly know the actual definition of flow but just try and play around with it.

3) spacing; photoshop brush spacing is set default at 30% if i not wrong. I normally set it to 0 so my stroke looks smooth.

just have fun with experimenting the settings in photoshop :)

[TCrush]

Wah... good tips leh, then I can paint like u :P

[hayashi keiichi]

hi am new here, well currently researching on what type of tablet would suit me.

was wondering what is the difference between bamboo fun and bamboo?

[zheng]

bamboo come without mouse, and lesser bundle software
while both spec are the same
except Fun got this extra

*High report rate for precise control

[hayashi keiichi]

hey thanks =D

anyway my friends telling me if can get intuos instead of bamboo. its better on the long run. thats what they say.

[TCrush]

I had also need to make this decision sometime ago...
From my read ups... depends on wat u need to use it for...

If for digital painting(or you are someone with no $-sense like me), then can go for intuos...
Otherwise, bamboo might suit your needs...

[annhell]

to sum it up

bamboo - for those with low budgets and/or hobbyists/painting for fun
intuous - for those with high budgets and/or are looking to do hardcore paintings

tcrush: i used to encounter that annoying button thingee too..here's a tip, just rotate the pen so that button is in the space between ur thumb and second finger~ (ie. just make sure ur thumb is not pressing against the button before u start painting) after some time you'll get used to rotating the pen between ur fingers.

it also helps to draw lines if you zoom in alot...the lines will be much smoother. but of course have to keep zoomin and out to check the overall look.

hope that helps~

[TCrush]

annhell - Thanks for the tips~!