Drawing Tablet Inquiry

[Aurorix]

Recently I've been getting more and more interested in Graphic Design. So much so I've been considering purchasing a drawing tablet for a while now. However I have no idea about differences between tablets and my research hasn't helped me much in these questions. So I thought to ask around here with people who have have used tablets before. So if anyone could help answer some of my questions I'd be very grateful for your help and your time.

1. Is it hard to get used to not being able to see where you're drawing? As in was it hard not being able to see where your pen was relative to the picture because most drawing tablets don't have a screen on them so you'd have to look at your monitor while drawing on the tablet.

2. Would you recommend a windows tablet for drawing? This would rectify question 1 because now you'll be able to see exactly where you're drawing.

3. What's a good program to use for creating art with a tablet. I've heard about Photoshop though it seems to be quite expensive and it's a monthly payment.

4. Is it worth getting the newest wacom or should I get an older version?

[Noir]

1. Not exactly; it's as simple as playing a game or typing without watching the keys on your board, personally. It's natural for your sketches to start a little wonky in the beginning for you to get used to the feel of the tablet.

2. It certainly helps, yes, at the expense of being more costly.

3. Paint Tool SAI is optimal, though you'll probably have as much issues with the funding as Photoshop. I'm a personal Photoshop user since its set inside my laptop, but SAI usually gives more benefits.

4. If you're up for the funds and are dedicated enough to use it consistently, of course. A quality tablet is secondary to overall skill when it comes to producing quality art, but it helps.

[Nova]

1. It takes a few days of getting used to, but after that it's almost natural, and it can even be fun to practice in those early stages, especially when you can play games to do so (OSU! is a great example).

2. They're super expensive, so I wouldn't recommend them if the only thing you get from them is seeing where you're drawing, because that's definitely not as big of a problem as to justify paying more.

3. I personally use GIMP and sometimes Aseprite for animations (though my tablet doesn't work well with the latter, sadly) and I've had no issues with them. Both are free to use.

4. Depends on how much you're planning to use it. Older models work perfectly fine as long as they're compatible, so, as with 2), the main question is whether you're willing to pay for a little extra comfort.

[Hexagoen]

Recently I've been getting more and more interested in Graphic Design. So much so I've been considering purchasing a drawing tablet for a while now. However I have no idea about differences between tablets and my research hasn't helped me much in these questions. So I thought to ask around here with people who have have used tablets before. So if anyone could help answer some of my questions I'd be very grateful for your help and your time.

1. Is it hard to get used to not being able to see where you're drawing? As in was it hard not being able to see where your pen was relative to the picture because most drawing tablets don't have a screen on them so you'd have to look at your monitor while drawing on the tablet.

2. Would you recommend a windows tablet for drawing? This would rectify question 1 because now you'll be able to see exactly where you're drawing.

3. What's a good program to use for creating art with a tablet. I've heard about Photoshop though it seems to be quite expensive and it's a monthly payment.

4. Is it worth getting the newest wacom or should I get an older version?

As a recent purchaser of a drawing tablet, I can answer some of these.

1. To be quite honest, i prefer it that i dont see that is happening on the tablet. Having only one primary screen to draw on actually kinda helps me. (And as an Osu! player, its really satisfying to use a tablet.) Just think of it like typing on a keyboard.

2. Well, windows tablets aren't the only tablets in which you can see what your doing. I mean, get if you feel its a good purchase, otherwise, if your on a budget a wacom/huion is a good choice. (under 100)

3. Well, to be honest, PS is a really good app to use for drawing as it has an amazing UI, along with the added feature of editing photos. The major downside is the cost of PS. There are freeware out there like paint tool SAI, GIMP, and Krita, but they tend to have terrible UI (gimp having this weird multi window layout, and Krita not having a visible back button) so if you have the funds to do some monthly payments, go ahead. Otherwise good luck i guess.

4. Well this depends on what you want to do. I myself have a huion tablet, so im not that familliar with the branding of wacom. Just get the one that fits your needs (dont get the really old version that has the pen buttons on top though!)

Well, thats it for me! Wish you luck in your artsy adventures~

Post script: Try asking someone like Zumi for more advice. She is experienced in this sort of thing and is happy to help

[Zumi]

Recently I've been getting more and more interested in Graphic Design. So much so I've been considering purchasing a drawing tablet for a while now. However I have no idea about differences between tablets and my research hasn't helped me much in these questions. So I thought to ask around here with people who have have used tablets before. So if anyone could help answer some of my questions I'd be very grateful for your help and your time.

1. Is it hard to get used to not being able to see where you're drawing? As in was it hard not being able to see where your pen was relative to the picture because most drawing tablets don't have a screen on them so you'd have to look at your monitor while drawing on the tablet.

2. Would you recommend a windows tablet for drawing? This would rectify question 1 because now you'll be able to see exactly where you're drawing.

3. What's a good program to use for creating art with a tablet. I've heard about Photoshop though it seems to be quite expensive and it's a monthly payment.

4. Is it worth getting the newest wacom or should I get an older version?

1. Nope. You just gotta get the hang of it, which may take few times drawing with it, but once you do it's almost as if it comes naturally, so it's not something to be worried about.

2. Ehhhh.... There's cheaper ones, such as Huion or Wacom.

3. Photoshop is definitely recommended if you intend to get serious about working with art as it's probably the most flexible and customizable art and editing software around, otherwise, Paint tool SAI is a good alternative (albeit not free. I think it's about 80 dollars) for more manga/anime styled drawings, Krita is a very good and free(!!!) program to paint with, and GIMP is just as flexible as Photoshop but... really isn't user friendly and very hard to figure out, so I don't exactly recommend using that one.

4. Old ones work just as fine, but may lose driver support and updates at some point. Newer ones also have a bit more customizing options iirc, but it doesn't differ all that much. In any case, you'll probably be fine buying either.

[Aurorix]

I'd just like to say one last thank you to everyone who has responded to this topic. They've all been very helpful and I'm very grateful. Hopefully I'll be able to order a tablet soon. Just once again HUGE thanks to everyone!