# Is it worth getting a tablet if you're shit?



## Harbinger (Mar 23, 2013)

So i havent practiced as much as i've been told to, plus im not comfortable having furry art hidden around my room, would rather be just on my PC. I wont be drawing nothing nasty, i just get grief from parents for already being weird enough -_-

Anyway i've looked into this before and asked, i remember people saying ideally you need to be able to draw before hand and using a tablet still needs a hell of a lot of getting used to.

But i've got a fair bit of extra pocket money saved and thought i might treat myself. Bad idea or is it worth a shot?


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## Car Fox (Mar 23, 2013)

I'd say buy it just in case, but others may tell you else. An alternative suggestion is to buy a scanner so you can save your images without the hassel of buying/using a tablet. I have a scanner, so I have the convenience.


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## JackTail (Mar 23, 2013)

You can pick up some cheap nasty ones off ebay for a few bob.

Good way to see if you like it or not. Though they wont give you much in return unless if you get a good one.


Any of your mates have one that you could borrow to try?


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## Arshes Nei (Mar 23, 2013)

Why would you buy something you aren't going to use much? You should like drawing, you can draw more than furry art?

A tablet will just be additional frustration if you don't know how to draw. Not to mention if you're afraid of your parents there's nothing preventing them from getting into your hard drive anyways.


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## Teal (Mar 23, 2013)

Digital art brings with it a different set of challenges.

But unless its porn what does it matter if your parents see it?


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## Soline (Mar 23, 2013)

No. If you're shit by hand, you'll be shit by tablet too. There is no difference other than using a tablet is harder and requires a different set of skills on top of being able to draw. Buying a tablet isn't an 'easy' way to getting good at art, it produces better quality in the short term, because you have access to programs that put on training wheels as you go, it's easier to make a circle by tablet than by hand, because there's a circle tool, for instance, but if you're looking to improve then no, a tablet doesn't help, and it won't be worth getting one if your sole aim is to improve or produce good artwork.


That said. I speak from the viewpoint of an idiot who went and bought one. I didn't like the thought of pages of stuff cluttering up my house, and while I wanted to improve artwise and love drawing, I chiefly wanted to be able to draw to create the porn I wanted and never saw. Couple that with my love of computers, and desire to be able to draw without having clutter of -stuff- around me, book, pencils, references, a comfortable place to set up (not easy as a student in a teeny room) etc, and a tablet seemed like a great idea. I bought one..two years ago? and my first pictures were godawful shit, and in two years I've improved masses, but I'm still not 'great', and I'd probably be better if I'd never bought a tablet and spent my days doing life-sketches and learning anatomy like a lesson instead of as a need-by basis.


So, is it worth getting a tablet if you're shit? Not if you want to improve from an artistic viewpoint. 
If you want a tablet for OTHER reasons though? I'd say go for it, I bought the cheapest model available (Â£40) and it's lasted me two years, it's scratched to hell and has been transported several thousand miles across numerous car and train rides, bundled in bags and wrapped in clothes, had plates sat on it occassionally, had crumbs spilt on it, had sheer -panic- wafting over it as I desperately mop up the odd drop of hot-chocolate, and it's still fully functional (Honestly the Nubs wearing down are the only main issue, they get worn down and trick me into thinking the tablet is broken becaue of the scratchy sensation). I can't speak for the high quality expensive ones with LED screens and buttons, but a simple pressure sensitive pen-tablet is a -very- good investment even if you only draw casually, like me.


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## Zydala (Mar 23, 2013)

Honestly I'm of the opinion that if you get it and think you're gonna use it and just wanna have fun then by all means go for it and get a tablet! (monoprice ones are pretty cheap and great tablets for beginners). But don't think that it's going to make you better at drawing or anything and don't let it replace anything; you'll still learn best with paper and pencils/pens/etc. But honestly I got one when I was still a beginner and I've had a love/hate relationship with the thing. Sometimes I'll use it constantly and sometimes I won't use it for months. I realized that there's lots of parts of drawing where I still like pencil and paper best (especially the sketching stage) and so my tablet doesn't always get love. But in the end it's up to you and what you think you'll use.


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## Car Fox (Mar 23, 2013)

As I stated before, an alternative to buying a tablet(though I'd get one just in case), is buying an image scanner. You can save your images, and not have to transition to a tablet if you don't want to. Though I'd buy both, unless your printer has a scanner. Though I agree with the others, it's not a replacement for pen and paper practices (though I have a drawing exercise that works to improve both abilities), and is a totally different animal. I've vaguely used one, but I've never owned one.


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## Zenia (Mar 24, 2013)

You will be crap until you practice a lot... but if getting a tablet would mean you would practice a ton (like me) then go for it. It is your money.


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## Teal (Mar 24, 2013)

What Zenia said. Don't get a tablet because you think digital means a shortcut to good art.


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## Zydala (Mar 24, 2013)

I have a feeling OP doesn't think it's going to make them better at art; just interested in the medium. Which is why I personally think it's fine if they want to. :]


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## Namba (Mar 24, 2013)

Drawing on a tablet is difficult as fuck if you can't draw that well in the first place.


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## drpickelle (Mar 24, 2013)

I'd say any medium your practicing with is good practice. If you think you'll draw more digitally than you would in a standard sketchbook, then I'd say go for it. It's your money and it's not hurting anything if you buy a tablet. I have friends who have tablets, and bought them for the sole purpose of MSpaint doodles.

That said, learning 'hands on' is usually the best way to go about improving. There's just something to actually feeling the paper under your hand, rather than a smooth tablet. If your parents finding your sweet cache of furry art is the sole reason behind not wanting to use a sketchbook-- maybe invest in a small lock box, or slip that stuff under your mattress?


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## FireFeathers (Mar 24, 2013)

The inner-teacher in me screams to have good traditional foundations before getting a tablet. The digital artist in me went to bed an hour ago :3

Or half-ass both and just get a cheap starter tablet. Ideally, no, fucking up stuff for a while does you a world of good by the time you get spoiled with a tablet.


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## Arshes Nei (Mar 24, 2013)

drpickelle said:


> I'd say any medium your practicing with is good practice. If you think you'll draw more digitally than you would in a standard sketchbook, then I'd say go for it. It's your money and it's not hurting anything if you buy a tablet. I have friends who have tablets, and bought them for the sole purpose of MSpaint doodles.
> 
> That said, learning 'hands on' is usually the best way to go about improving. There's just something to actually feeling the paper under your hand, rather than a smooth tablet. If your parents finding your sweet cache of furry art is the sole reason behind not wanting to use a sketchbook-- maybe invest in a small lock box, or slip that stuff under your mattress?



It's funny since the OP said he's not drawing furry porn but is afraid of his parents finding him draw furry art. I don't think anyone really improves just drawing furry art but a mix of things one likes. I drew Ninja Turtles, horses, unicorns, pegasus, elves, superheroes, my own hands, faces, and what ever else.. I mean if anything mix of fantasy and all that parents just figure kids are drawing what they see on TV. This idea that one is drawing in a sketchbook only to be discovered as "Drawing is the Devil" is a bit ridiculous. 

Most parents I know these days are worried about what their kids are doing on the computer. The reason for getting a tablet is a very flimsy excuse at best. 

I'm not saying the OP can't spend money on a tablet, but the OP sounded like they weren't even sure of drawing in the first place. If the OP wants to spend money on something they are kinda wishy washy on using, I'm simply asking why?

Just from personal experience, my desire to draw went beyond the tools available. When I didn't have a tablet I used a mouse. If I didn't have a computer I used colored pencils, markers and whatever was available/I could afford.


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## mapdark (Mar 24, 2013)

I'll have to go in the same direction. If you're not too sure about how much you actually enjoy drawing , a tablet is an expense you should avoid. I mean , it would be kind of like buying a full kitchen set when you always eat frozen tv diners. 

And if it's discretion from your parents you want , a new computer product is the LAST thing you should buy. Parents are often not as computer illiterate as one might think and they WILL know how to get into your computer . A sketchbook that you can bring with you in your backpack and stuff is actually a better option and MUCH MUCH cheaper.


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## Schwimmwagen (Mar 24, 2013)

In my opinion, tablet and paper is personal preference. I suggest a mix though. I don't draw on my tablet much anymore, mostly on paper. And I lack a scanner (if I had one instead of a shitty webcam I'd be posting in my sketchbook thread) but I feel I draw a bit better on paper. Tablets come with additional hurdles, yanno, so be wary of those.

Though a tablet is great because it saves you from the clutter and buying all these supplies.

But it depends on what tablet you're after. Don't go getting a Cintiq or whatever. They're expensive as fuck and it's like giving a teenager a Rolls Royce for his first car. Get a Bamboo or something, I hear nice things about them. For your first tablet, aim for value with a balance of quality.


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## Teal (Mar 24, 2013)

Wacom Bamboo Splash, $60-$80 comes with two art programs.


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## Bluey (Mar 24, 2013)

Owner of a tablet with 2cm tick dust on it.


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## Tiamat (Mar 25, 2013)

Bluey said:


> Owner of a tablet with 2cm tick dust on it.



Then clean it and sell it. Lots of artists who actually need tablets are always on the lookout for second hand ones.


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## mapdark (Mar 25, 2013)

Bluey said:


> Owner of a tablet with 2cm tick dust on it.



Curious , what kind of tablet is it?


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## Kangamutt (Mar 25, 2013)

So long as you simply see the tablet as another tool for creating rather than a shortcut, I don't see why not. If anything, the tablet has helped me feel more free to make mistakes in my work, mistakes that turned into one of those "Happy accidents" that still influence my work to this day. I've seen way too many people go out and buy a nice set of pencils, paper, paint, brushes, etc and then sit around wringing their hands because they're afraid to waste all these nice things on something that could potentially be crap. So I see the tablet as a tool that can free one from that mentality.


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## Arshes Nei (Mar 25, 2013)

Kangaroo_Boy said:


> So long as you simply see the tablet as another tool for creating rather than a shortcut, I don't see why not. If anything, the tablet has helped me feel more free to make mistakes in my work, mistakes that turned into one of those "Happy accidents" that still influence my work to this day. I've seen way too many people go out and buy a nice set of pencils, paper, paint, brushes, etc and then sit around wringing their hands because they're afraid to waste all these nice things on something that could potentially be crap. So I see the tablet as a tool that can free one from that mentality.



That can also work against beginners too. They rely on the undo button and sit looking at a blank white screen half the time due to indecision. There are those that create way too many layers and crash out programs. Even a majority of the nicest pencils are cheaper than a tablet and reliable art program


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## Mayonnaise (Mar 25, 2013)

Arshes Nei said:


> That can also work against beginners too. They rely on the undo button and sit looking at a blank white screen half the time due to indecision. There are those that create way too many layers and crash out programs. Even a majority of the nicest pencils are cheaper than a tablet and reliable art program


Yeah, this. I didn't realise how dependent I have become with layers and undo until my tablets died.


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## Kangamutt (Mar 25, 2013)

Arshes Nei said:


> That can also work against beginners too. They rely on the undo button and sit looking at a blank white screen half the time due to indecision. There are those that create way too many layers and crash out programs. Even a majority of the nicest pencils are cheaper than a tablet and reliable art program



Good point. Guess I forgot about all of this over the years of tempering and self-control with such things.


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