# Need help choosing a tablet.



## DeCatt (Jan 1, 2014)

Right now I am trying to decide on getting a drawing tablet.

If I get a plain tablet, I'm guessing I should go for a Wacom. What is the cheapest I can get for one of these?

I like the idea of a Cintiq but in no way want to fork out $1,500 for a paper alternative. However I have seen these Lifebook tablets that are supposedly built with Wacom's "cintiq technology" that sell for about $200-$300 second hand. If they're any good $300 for a portable self contained Cintiq is a steal. Has anybody had experience with these? Are they any good?


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## Zeitzbach (Jan 1, 2014)

I don't really get the reason and stuffs behind "200-300$ tablet and Wacom" when people just started drawing digital and stuffs.

I'm using that random on-sale-for-70$-something XP-Pen XP-N960 and I'm doing fine. Unless you can start drawing like Bob Ross, you shouldn't worry much. Just go with something that has decent Pen pressure level (2k something is already good). By the time you get that great (2-3 years is the average), you will probably save more than enough to buy a new one to go along with your honed skill.


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## Taralack (Jan 1, 2014)

My friend has one of those, and they absolutely suck for art. 

I honestly wouldn't compromise quality for price when it comes to tablets, and if you're new to digital art, it's best to start on a beginner tablet like a Bamboo. If you don't mind second hand, you might be able to find their old Graphire line for much cheaper than buying a new Bamboo. A tiny Graphire2 was what I started out on, and it served me well for over 5 years before I bought an Intuos.


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## DeCatt (Jan 1, 2014)

Taralack said:


> My friend has one of those, and they absolutely suck for art.
> 
> I honestly wouldn't compromise quality for price when it comes to tablets, and if you're new to digital art, it's best to start on a beginner tablet like a Bamboo. If you don't mind second hand, you might be able to find their old Graphire line for much cheaper than buying a new Bamboo. A tiny Graphire2 was what I started out on, and it served me well for over 5 years before I bought an Intuos.



Sounds like a plan. Do I have any hope of picking up a new Bamboo under $100? I had a graphire ages ago that I used for note taking that pretty much died, I didn't like the plastic flap/overlay thing on the front that scratched up.
Are there any good tutorials on sketching digitally around? I know that sounds a bit vague but I need to wrap my head around the concept of drawing on something while the results are appearing elsewhere on a screen.


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## chesse20 (Jan 1, 2014)

iPad 2 because it plays games as well as being a good tablet to draw art on


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## Tica (Jan 1, 2014)

I've had an intuos3 since 2007 and it's pretty rad. I started out on a cheap $50 tablet from some off-brand that my grandmother gave me for Christmas. After I used that for a while, and then practiced on the intuos2 in school, I finally got an intuos3 as a high-school graduation present.

There's monoprice tablets for around $50 that I hear good reviews about, if you wanted to try on something large, cheap, and comparable to Wacom. They don't last as long, and they have batteries in the pens themselves (their biggest drawback) but for the price, you're getting a pretty great deal. Using a tiny-ass tablet because you can't afford a decent drawing surface is no good. Get a cheap monoprice at the size of wacom you want someday, and then when you can afford wacom, do that... or, decide you like monoprice and stick with it. Whatever floats your boat.

I'm preeeettty sure chesse20 is trolling you because iPads (and probably every tablet except the one wacom themselves made) is shit for real digital art.


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## DeCatt (Jan 1, 2014)

chesse20 said:


> iPad 2 because it plays games as well as being a good tablet to draw art on


That's funny. I could probably churn out some mad Sweet Bro & Hella Jeff fanart on that.



Tica said:


> I've had an intuos3 since 2007 and it's pretty rad. I started out on a cheap $50 tablet from some off-brand that my grandmother gave me for Christmas. After I used that for a while, and then practiced on the intuos2 in school, I finally got an intuos3 as a high-school graduation present.
> 
> There's monoprice tablets for around $50 that I hear good reviews about, if you wanted to try on something large, cheap, and comparable to Wacom. They don't last as long, and they have batteries in the pens themselves (their biggest drawback) but for the price, you're getting a pretty great deal. Using a tiny-ass tablet because you can't afford a decent drawing surface is no good. Get a cheap monoprice at the size of wacom you want someday, and then when you can afford wacom, do that... or, decide you like monoprice and stick with it. Whatever floats your boat.
> 
> I'm preeeettty sure chesse20 is trolling you because iPads (and probably every tablet except the one wacom themselves made) is shit for real digital art.


I have a tablet computer, I'm aware of their prowess in the art department. Like drawing with a massive crayon on glass.

I think I might just get a Bamboo, I don't like the idea of the pens being battery powered on the Monoprice units. $100 is worth paying for a large, decent tablet, I guess.


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## Ozriel (Jan 1, 2014)

You don't really need to have a "OMGkawaii" tablet to draw, especially if you are beginning to learn how to draw on a computer art program. The bamboo works fine and isn't expensive. If you have an android tablet, you can get an art program and a drawing stylus for a margin of the cost of a wacom.


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## ShadowFireWolf (Jan 1, 2014)

I got my Wacom Bamboo pen for like $60 new and you might be able to get used for cheaper.


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## Willow (Jan 1, 2014)

Another alternative to Wacom is Huion. I'm not sure how it compares to the size of a Monoprice but even their cheapest tablets are bigger than Wacom and have a greater range of pressure sensitivity than Wacom does. Again it has a battery pen but unless you don't remember to turn the pen off after using and/or plan on drawing every day for hours, it lasts for awhile. I got mine in June and haven't changed the battery since I got it. (You'll have to buy your own though so just remember that.)

The price however, is the same as a Monoprice I think and I couldn't tell you how long it'll last because I just got mine last year.

Edit: Of course if you don't want to deal with the cost of shipping it and all that, just getting a Bamboo tablet is perhaps the best and probably only option :B


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## Lobar (Jan 1, 2014)

Get one of these Monoprice tablets as a starter tablet: 8" x 5" or 10" x 6.25".


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## gorgonops (Jan 1, 2014)

Lobar said:


> Get one of these Monoprice tablets as a starter tablet: 8" x 5" or 10" x 6.25".



I agree. I got one of those myself to replace a 10+ year old ailing Intuos 2, and it's performing beautifully. I don't know how long it'll last, but at $60, I'm keen for the experiment.

_I will say_, if you use Windows 7, you may need to disable the OS's native tablet PC functions, because every time I would unplug and re-plug my Monoprice, Windows would override the Monoprice drivers with its own crappy ones. I followed the instructions here and it works perfectly now.


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## Taralack (Jan 1, 2014)

DeCatt said:


> Sounds like a plan. Do I have any hope of picking up a new Bamboo under $100? I had a graphire ages ago that I used for note taking that pretty much died, I didn't like the plastic flap/overlay thing on the front that scratched up.
> Are there any good tutorials on sketching digitally around? I know that sounds a bit vague but I need to wrap my head around the concept of drawing on something while the results are appearing elsewhere on a screen.



I don't know, you might want to do your research and maybe look for second hand ones. 

As for acclimatizing to digital art, all I can say is to draw, draw, draw. The transition for each person from paper to digital is different, and what for me was a simple and smooth transition, might be a much more difficult one for you. The main problem people have with going from traditional to digital is the change in what you look at, ie. looking down at the paper when doing traditional vs. looking up at the monitor doing digital. As you keep working with your tablet your hand-eye coordination will improve. 

One tip is to use your tablet to do regular computer stuff instead of the mouse, to get your hand used to the motions.


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## DeCatt (Jan 2, 2014)

Thanks for all the advice guys


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## Iziayia (Jan 2, 2014)

I got my first bamboo tablet for about 80$ - it was great as far as I'm concerned. Easy to set up and use - pretty straight forward and came with drawing programs. I dropped it sideways onto a stone floor once though, didn't live through that - note all tablets are sensitive to being dropped sideways. I got a second tablet - again bamboo (a bigger one) and still loving it. My only issues is that the bamboo program doesn't always agree with my Mac laptop.

Also I suggest you buy a new one if you can because you never know how the previous owner treated it, how long it might last, if there are any crippling issues with it and many other things.


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