Recommendation for a tablet
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Hi Everyone, I am looking for recommendations for a tablet for my niece who is just starting out- I have a Wacom intuos with soft keys that I love, but want to hear all of your thoughts-thanks in advance!
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I have a large Intuous pro. I don't love it, but it gets the job done. I never use the buttons on the side, and hardly use the scrolly wheel thing. I've tried, but I just can't get a feel for it, so I tend to just use keyboard shortcuts for most of my additional functions when painting in photoshop. I liked my old Intuos 3 better in terms of the button layouts, they were more compact and I could easily feel them out with one hand, and the touch strip felt like more control for me. I've been itching to just go iPad, and try painting directly on that, and/or using it as a tablet, but still saving up for that one.
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The Intuos would be great. I think that's what many of us start off using anyway right? Before investing in more expensive devices like Cintiq's.
You could maybe get one used too, on apps like OfferUp. I've sold my Intuos 4 on there. Or, you can check out the new iPad that's starts out at $329. Which is still expensive. But when compared to thousands of dollars for Cintiq's, and iPad/Surface Pro's it's not a bad deal.
I use an iPad Pro and swear by it but I would only recommend it to someone who is fully committed to using it to further their career as it's definitely a $$$ investment.
(Had a Surface Book for about two weeks and had nothing but problems. Returned it.)
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I can’t say an intuos is the best but i agree, it is a good starting point. I started using a wacom intuos small. It was hard but it worked and It got the job done. If you’re looking for a little more comfort, I suggest avoiding the small and perhaps going with a medium. If you like you can also check the huion tablets. They work great for they’re price too.
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There is an artist named Mike Austin. A few years ago I took some of his classes and he was doing amazing stuff using only the bamboo. I think people become too focused on having the best tech. My first tablet was the Bamboo and I still have it.
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I got a wacom intuos pro medium last year and love it, its quite portable slim and not too bulky. It's not huge but I'm comfortable with the size, as I'm working on a 17" laptop.
If as you said it is for your niece, a starter, an inexpesive wacom intuos draw might be a good option. I think they are equivlent to the old Bamboo tablets. under 100 dollars I think.
I have heard Huion are a good competitor now for wacom now and their tablets are quite good quality and cheaper, I've never used them though. Might be worth investigating.
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I only just began playing with digital at the very end of 2017, but I started with a Wacom Intuos small.
I really really like the Wacom Intuos small, I was worried it would be too small, but I find it perfectly fine. I wanted to see what it was like to draw on an actual screen though, so picked up a cheap Surface Pro 2 and I also like that
I do feel however, I would like something a bit bigger when drawing on the actual screen (going to save up for a Kamvas 22 next year), whereas drawing on a tablet and looking at the monitor, I feel like I would be totally content to keep that small.
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I started with a Wacom Intuos 3, and then an Intuos 4.
I am currently using an XP-Pen Artist 15.6, which is great, not too big and can be stored when I am not using it. I also use a Surface Pro 3 when travelling, it is not as good as a dedicated device, but it does the job.My colleagues and I are currently looking into getting a few Viekk A30 tablets on Amazon. They look pretty decent and are super cheap. $45.
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You don’t mention your niece’s age. If she is 15 or under, I would purchase a nice set of pencils, drawing pads, watercolor, etc. let her get some time in traditional media and explore a bit.
If she already has a foundation in traditional media, purchase what your budget can afford. Good art can be created on anything.
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@rcartwright I started on a bamboo, I loved it, it died after 8 years so I went to a Wacom intuos
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@jimsz 23
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@lmrush said in Recommendation for a tablet:
@jimsz 23
OK, so I guess the 152 pack of Crayolas (with the sharpener) is out......
BTW, in my local elementary the kids can no longer bring any crayon pack larger than 24. In fact the only ones you can bring is the 24. The school said the kids that didn’t have the giant box with sharpener felt bad about themselves because they didn’t have what others did so the school won’t allow them any longer.
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@jimsz Ya she is past the crayon stage
Although I still color with my four year old with them...I have to say I have had a pack of large crayons with a sharpener... -
I agree with @rcartwright . I know of an artist from back in the day (like 2004 or so) that used to do incredible work with just a mouse. So even if your niece gets just a Bamboo she can still do good work with it -- just depends on her passion. Then if she finds she wants to pursue art further perhaps she can upgrade her equipment later.
She could try one of the cheaper Wacom alternatives -- the Huions get good reviews on Amazon and run under $100.
Brad Colbow does great reviews from an illustrator's perspective on his youtube channel. He covers everything from iPads to drawing apps for Android, so you might like to check that out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClozNP-QPyVatzpGKC25s0A
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@jimsz said in Recommendation for a tablet:
@lmrush said in Recommendation for a tablet:
@jimsz 23
OK, so I guess the 152 pack of Crayolas (with the sharpener) is out......
BTW, in my local elementary the kids can no longer bring any crayon pack larger than 24. In fact the only ones you can bring is the 24. The school said the kids that didn’t have the giant box with sharpener felt bad about themselves because they didn’t have what others did so the school won’t allow them any longer.
wow... hmmm, but the school could buy a big box and share it with all the kids no?
anyway, back on the topic - i use an Intuos pro medium and it totally gets the work done. I agree with @rcartwright . It's just a tool. Craig Mullins was drawing with a mouse so... In my opinion the drawing with the superexpensive tablet doesn't produce great art by itself and in children i don't even think it produces huge excitement or even appreciation after a while. Maybe i'm mistaken though. But i think one can learn to draw traditionally and go digital with a simpler tablet. I did a lot of work with a bamboo because i couldn't afford an intuos. But will the tablet itself make my art better? Not really. I won't advocate for drawing just traditionally but to me expensive tablets for pro artists who make money out of them. :)) For beginners the Bamboos are good. or intuos even
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@phil-cullen I recently purchased a huion pen tablet monitor and I love it. 100% recommend. Some people complain about having driver issues but it looks like the major issue is that the huion and wacom drivers do not play nice with each other. You have to delete the wacom drivers in order for the huion ones to work, but as long as you aren't on a machine where you are going to want to switch back and fourth between different pen tablets it's a non-issue. I upgraded from an intuos3 and in terms of pen sensitivity and responsiveness I see no difference. Drawing on the screen as opposed to on a tablet while looking at the screen is a game changer and I was able to afford so much more screen real-estate with the huion than I ever would have with a wacom.
