Starter's Graphic Tablet

igloomaker

My friend loves to draw, and I was considering buying her a graphic tablet for her birthday. I was wondering if anyone has suggestions for good graphic tablets that is affordable.

Thanks in advance.

notagame

igloomaker wrote: »

My friend loves to draw, and I was considering buying her a graphic tablet for her birthday. I was wondering if anyone has suggestions for good graphic tablets that is affordable.

Thanks in advance.

What is your budget? In any case, Wacom Intuous tablets are the industry standard for pretty much everybody from architecture all the way to feature film. The small Wacom Intuous 4 is about $200, medium ones are about 350. I would get the medium one since it's the best size for pretty much everyone. However if you want to save money, the small one is not bad, it just takes some getting used to. It's functionally the same but the draw area is smaller. Although one advantage of the small tablet is that it can easily be put into a laptop bag and your friend can use it anywhere.

Word of caution, do not get the Wacom Bamboo or their other low end tablets. The difference is huge and the low end ones are kind of crap to be honest.

Linespider5

Definitely get a Wacom, one of the older models, like a Graphire.

link

They're pretty affordable, I bet there's like new ones on Amazon for cheap. I got mine 5 years ago for like 160.00 or something from a Best Buy, and it's damn near indestructible. Works great too. If it had a screen built into it I'd never want another.

igloomaker

Mainly want to get her one because she really likes to draw and is really good, but doesn't think she could do anything with that skill. And I figure that if she is able to have access to a tablet will help her reconsider her decision not to pursue her drawing skills.

Think I might just end up going with the WACOM Bamboo Pen & Touch Touch. Seems like a reasonable trade off between quality and price, and if she enjoys it then she can upgrade later.

Fletcher

I don't know why notagame is recommending against a wacom bamboo; in my experience there is really nothing wrong with them

i mean sure they aren't quite as advanced in terms of pressure sensitivity levels etcetera, but that is why they cost less

I have had my 4x6 inch bamboo for two years or so now, and i haven't had any trouble with it whatsoever; I haven't even had to replace a pen nib yet!

I'm considering shifting to a more expensive tablet now, but that is just because I am starting to draw at way higher resolutions (which makes the lower pressure sensitivity really stand out)

If she is doing anything less than really high res design work, then a bamboo is a fantastic (and relatively inexpensive) place to start.

But definitely get a wacom tablet of some kind; no other companies really match them in terms of functionality and ease of use

MagicToaster

notagame wrote: »

Word of caution, do not get the Wacom Bamboo or their other low end tablets. The difference is huge and the low end ones are kind of crap to be honest.

I am a professional designer and I use a Bamboo at work and a Graphire at my home every day for the past 4-6 years, the quality is excellent. What huge difference are you talking about?

Wassermelone

I use a cintiq everyday as part of my job, but I've also played around with the bamboo. I think is pretty fantastic for the price actually.

Im not sure what notagame is on about.

igloomaker

Well... got her the Bamboo Pen and Touch, she seemed to enjoy it, but is now upset because of the cost of it. Sigh.

Awk

Do you have a crush on this girl?

Synthetic Orange

What, that you got her a really cheap tablet? :I

igloomaker

nah, she is just a really good friend.