(OT) Drawing Tablets?
miladyderyni_173d399f47
Posts: 2,422
My son asked me today if I would like a low-end drawing tablet to play with and if it could be used with my D/S software. Now I don't know anything about tablets other than what they are. Also I have never done much hand drawing, so I am not sure if it would be worth it for me.
So, I thought I'd ask about them here. The one my son is thinking of for me is a (wired) Waycom for $50, but I don't want him to spend money on me for something if it is likely to end up not being fun or interesting for me.
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Have you ever needed a lot more precision with a mouse before--Perhaps to add a few more shadows, or to fix something in post work, take out a background etc? I don't use mine for drawing, but I do use it a lot for post work. it's great to be able to add a few light streaks, add selection masks or smudge a line here and there. Tablets have pressure sensitivity, so you can direct the thickness and opacity of a line, for example, by simple pressing harder on the surface, which opens up a ton of possibilities. I suppose it all depends on your workflow.
Be sure on whether you want a
drawing tablet -- > You draw with the tablet surface on your lap and see the drawing (results) on your computer screen or
a Drawing Pen Monitor -- > You draw directly on the screen, that is a mirror of your desktop/laptop screen.
Two different systems and user experiences....
I had no problem drawing one direction while looking up at the screen.
I prefer to see my drawing as a I draw it, directly.
Also size is an issue.
I have a Wacom 13HD and it feels like a sheet of paper so the size is great, BUT when you add all the menus and palettes, you lose screen real estate...
So I prefer larger surfaces - that ramp up in cost pretty quick- especially if it's just an experiment.
Maybe like you say, get something cheapo to see if they fall in love and then go crazy for a birthday/holiday/whatever- if they are really, really using it.
I have a medium wacom tablet that is probably 7 or 8 years old now. I don't use it in Daz but I do use every single day for post work I also use it to draw and paint. Much much better than a mouse. Mine is alos wired, its actually quite a good size for what I need it for. I can put it on my lap and draw or whatever and see what I'm doing on the computer screen. Took a bit of getting used to but now I don't even notice. I started off with a fairly inexpensive tablet, and I am still using it after all l this time lol. I would definitely start with something inexpensive to start to see if you like it.
If you don´t draw, then really there is not a lot of uses for a graphic tablet.
In the 3D world, it´s super useful for ZBrush. A must if you want to take full advantage of the sculpting.
I am thinking of asking for one for Christmas for Zbrush use (and photoshop too)
A tablet is essential if you do anything like painting, drawing, or fixing renders in Photoshop. If you only use Studio and don't use Photoshop or any drawing program, a tablet will not help you. Most will agree that Wacom makes the best tablets, so a small one like you mentioned would be a good start.
I had a very large wacom and hardly used it for two reasons.
1. It was too big. Bigger is not always better. Cut up some cardboard 13" 16" etc and see what size feels good to draw on/take up desk space. But the size you get may be less than you think depending on the design. Some 13" tablets feel like 10" tablets.
2. I had to continually look up and it didn't feel the same as drawing on paper so I resorted to using the mouse to draw and it felt better/more engaged.
Edit: meant the rest of this to quote/for miladyderyni_173d399f47
But a tablet capible of acting like a display, allows you to look down at your work and stay focused as you draw or paint. It also allows you to work above a layer (eg a christmas tree layer 1 (BG) drawing decorations layer2, and see your work come alive as it would on paper and is nuch more immersive and less distracting. A 16" tablet will give you a 12" -13" working space. Also a pen is more natural and easier to work with than a mouse, even if you don't paint or draw. Either way wacoms are good investments and something you should be able to resell easier if you upgrade later. The monitor screeen is alwas better when assessing your work. Flip right, flip left, zoom in zoom out, so if I could only afford a great screen or a great tablet, I would choose a great screen because most artists do rely on a great screen in the end. If you get a tablet, just beware that not all displays accurately reflect the finished product. Depending on make and model of the tablet and the monitor, they may not reflect, or match each other colorwise/visually, and you may find a difference in the true colors that will be in your final work. If you buy a tablet that has a display buy one capable of gamma correction (usually via an add on device sometimes called a color manager or color calibrator etc.).
2. I had to continually look up and it didn't feel the same as drawing on paper so I resorted to using the mouse to draw and it felt better/more engaged.
This is interesting to me because I don't ever look down at my tablet when I am drawing, I am always looking at my screen. I do have a large screen monitor that is set to a comfortable eye level for me. I am usually sitting in my recliner when I am working with my tablet and work with it in my lap. my moniter is set slightly to my right. Probably wouldn't work for everyone but it works very well for me/
I just got a Huion GT-156 art display monitor after reading many reviews. There are two things in the Con column:
some parallax between pen and drawing surface
the colors are not true (I'm still looking for more info as I read reviews where people were able to get better color)
However, it has been sheer joy to work with this display. I'm presently correcting some normal maps in PS and it's so much easier drawing on the surface. This from a Wacom graphics tablet user since around 1990. The Cintiq was ever out of my reach due to cost and this comes in at about half the cost.
A word about "looking down".
Stop doing that! There are a lot of people who are getting "cell phone neck" from looking down all the time. Don't do that, it hurts. And by that, I mean it hurts BAD, like a bag of cats screaming and clawing at each other!
If you get the Wacom tablet, get in the practice of looking at the SCREEN and not the tablet. The tablet doesn't give you any info anyway, unless you're doing a tracing.
If you get the Wacom monitor, put it in a position that doesn't force you to keep looking down. And then make sure you take breaks!
I made a pillow that raises my pen display, so it's almost upright and love it.
I have been following along on this since I posted. It really doesn't sound like something I would use. I don't do a lot of postwork and I don't really draw. Actually it might be a better fit for my son. He took several art classes in high school and does still draw.
Thanks all.
If your son has an iPad, there's a very robust drawing/painting app available in the Apple App Store. ProCreate, I think it is. Tons of tips from thin to thick, pencil to chiseled felt and brushes of all kinds. Also is pressure-sensitive with the Apple Pen. And I think it's free. It SHOULD be, especially after buying an iPad and pen...and cover/easel/keyboard. Shhhh, don't tell anybody....
I just picked up this same model, but haven't installed yet. Apparently I have to uninstall my wacom drivers completely first, which I'm not hugely excited about doing, and I want to get some additional work finished before I potentially risk locking myself out of any tablet use. I'd read about the colour being off as well as calibration/parallax issues... hopefully those don't end up being deal breakers on this, but it was hard to beat the price, especially with the Black Friday sales.
I've got one similar and you won't be sorry, wacom have priced themself out of the market and everybody has caught up !