Wacom tablet?

Alschroeder · Post by **Alschroeder** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 1:58 pm

I've been thinking about buying a Wacom tablet. Any advice, horror stories, things to look for and against...?---Al

Berg · Post by **Berg** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 2:13 pm

Do it, if nothing else you'll be able to simply press Ctrl-Z if you goof up while drawing.

Mvmarcz · Post by **Mvmarcz** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 2:27 pm

only problem I had was an error in manufacturing, I'm waiting to get my repaired tablet right now.

Corgan_dane · Post by **Corgan_dane** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 3:29 pm

Some people say using a wacom makes your skills increase on the computer, but not on paper. I haven't found that to be true, but some people say it.

Mvmarcz · Post by **Mvmarcz** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 3:54 pm

it made my coloring lots better on the computer that's for sure, preasure sensitivity is so great!

Jops · Post by **Jops** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 4:03 pm

I got an Intuos 3...
I can't actually say if it's better or worse than other tablets 'cause this is the only one i've ever used, but i can say that i never had any complaint about it.

corgan_dane wrote:Some people say using a wacom makes your skills increase on the computer, but not on paper. I haven't found that to be true, but some people say it.

It's an half-truth to me. Since when i got used to the Tablet i begun drawing in a far more sketchy way on paper and very detailed on computer.
However, if i need to draw something in a fashion that looks clean and good on paper i'm stil able to do that.

Christwriter · Post by **Christwriter** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 5:06 pm

No horror stories here.

I remember somebody had a problem with the stylus, but the problem turned out to be a jammed pen nib.

The tablet is defeantely worth the investment.

CW

Garasade · Post by **Garasade** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 5:26 pm

The tablet seems to be designed with a couple of particular programs in mind. Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop (although I can use it with Gimp and Paint Shop Pro). I do not find it especially efficient working with this, since it provides more option in digital drawing that is easily more accessible.

My most recent experience with it is how the pen nib is gradually blunted gives the different feel of texture on the surface. Fortunately, the tablet provides with extra plastic nibs along with two other types that provide different feel.

I agree a tablet is a valuable tool. I don't use paper and pen / pencil anymore, which may be not a good practice. I guess my advice is get the biggest one that you can get (financially viable). I think the price difference between increasing sizes is justifiable.

RemusShepherd · Post by **RemusShepherd** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 7:27 pm

I have an old Intuos 1 that still works great. It takes practice to draw with a tablet, and (at least on my old thing) you will never be able to draw exactly the line that you want, so you have to learn other ways of getting the lines you need. It also helps to be an expert in the graphics program you are using. If learning those skills doesn't daunt you, go for it.

Subhuman · Post by **Subhuman** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 7:50 pm

Switching to a tablet isn't as earth-shattering a change as it might seem. It can make your art look cleaner and crisper, and correcting mistakes is a thousand times easier, but ultimately it's just a tool, like a pencil or brush.

Wacom seems to be the go-to brand. Which model and size you get depends on your budget and how big you like your drawing canvas to be, respectively. I have a Graphire 4x3", which works well for what I do (basic shapes and small figures).

Johndar · Post by **Johndar** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:30 pm

I am also getting a tablet, does anyone know if the Wacom Graphire4 is agood tablet or not. It's the only tablet in my price range, but I don't want to get a bad tablet.

Bekka · Post by **Bekka** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 12:55 am

My comic is entirely powered by Wacom. I couldn't recommend their tablets enough, they are just awesome.

As for the loss of ability of sketching on paper, that's not true. I've been doing the comic straight in Photoshop with a tablet for the last two years and when I sketch on paper I'm better at it than I used to be.

Linkara · Post by **Linkara** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 1:09 am

My parents are absolutely in love with their tablet PCs... of course, they don't make webcomics with them. ^_~

Personally, as time-consuming as it can be, I prefer my method of penciling with paper and then inking/coloring in Paint Shop Pro. There's just something more naturalistc and freeing about it... erasers are my friend. ^^

Mo · Post by Mo » Fri Jun 16, 2006 2:41 am

I, too, am going to finally buy a tablet next month, and I've decided on buying a wacom... however, I'm not sure which one to buy. The ones that are in my price range (I'm speaking Norwegian prices) are Graphire Bluetooth, Graphire4 Classic, Graphire3 (which, curiously enough, is more expensive than Graphire4... why??) and Intous3, all of these in A5 editions.

Any thoughts?

Godai · Post by **Godai** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 2:43 am

I got Graphire 4. The only problem I found is that it belongs to my company, not to me personally.

Worth the price, an excellent tool.

Joel Fagin · Post by **Joel Fagin** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 2:53 am

Cookie wrote:Any thoughts?

I don't know the models you mentioned but generally, the larger the drawing area the better. That said, I've found a small drawing area on a cheap tablet isn't as bad as you'd think anyway.

- Joel Fagin

Mo · Post by Mo » Fri Jun 16, 2006 2:56 am

Joel Fagin wrote:
Cookie wrote:Any thoughts?
I don't know the models you mentioned but generally, the larger the drawing area the better. That said, I've found a small drawing area on a cheap tablet isn't as bad as you'd think anyway.

- Joel Fagin

Well, the drawing area is the same size on the models I'm looking at (I think). I was wondering about other specifications.

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 4:23 am

I have a vacom and I haven't found anything to complain at.
Well, actually, both tablet and scanner were incompatibile with some programs (namely ICQ) and kept blocking. But once I reinstalled without offending program I never had problems again.

Drawing area on my tablet is relatively small, A5, but I never found that a problem. It seems like freedom of work doesn't relate to size of working area.

What you have to expect is that working on tablet is very different than working on paper. Your hand will appear more shakey with tablet, for instance, unless you use some auto-correction system like Flash. Therefore, working on zoomed image is a must. But possibility of zooming is a definite plus with tablets; error correction is completely different (for one, you can fix proportions just by moving selections a little to the left or right; and so it possibility of using Corel Painter or more painterly techniques in Photoshop. I find Tablet very useful for quick drawings, whether I want to scribble something for forums or just to draw something for my own amusement and don't have too much time.

However, I wouldn't give up scanner for it.

Pimpette · Post by **Pimpette** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 4:54 am

A tablet (most especially a Wacom) is a great investment. I got my graphire2 a good three and a half years ago, and it's still going strong. The only problem I've had with it is that the left mouse button sticks a little now.
But the mouse isn't the important part, so that's not a very big problem.

GO WACOM!

*is jealous of people with giant intuos tablets*

ChibiJess · Post by **ChibiJess** » Fri Jun 16, 2006 5:57 am

I really enjoy having my tablet, it's very convenient.

The only problem I've experienced is when I'm painting or drawing on paper and I make a mistake, I'll reach to hit "ctrl z" to fix it. I'm sad, I know.