On the market for a graphics tablet...

AD Chaos

AD Chaos

MGTOW
Aug 3, 2009
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Hello

I'm on the look for a tablet for drawing somewhat simple stuff - sketch some band logos and other drawings -nothing too intricate really, but still worth getting one, I think.
(Possibly still using vectors for scaling and such, but I'm guessing that may not even be necessary?)

The reason I've been thinking about getting one is that I'm getting tired of drawing something > having to scan > clean the mess up in PS > vector it > edit it > print it; all that to just see a small edit or change.. I'm guessing a tablet can make things much easier?
So far I have my eyes on this cheap one, seems like it can handle the level of things I want:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo

If you have some knowledge on the subject, I would be most appreciative!

Thanks much
 
Never used this exactly model you posted, but the Genius tablets I´ve used were a bit toyish. Had a hard plastic-on-plastic feel, you know? Wacom tablets are smoother and the pen have a better weight/grip.
A decent and cheap model is the Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch. I actually prefer the smaller models as I can zoom to draw details anyway.
 
I just recently found my old (ten years or so, I guess) Wacom Graphire2 tablet when going through some boxes. Thought I'd plug it in out of curiosity, and it actually works just as wonderfully as it did when I first got it. Considering it was one of the lower-end Wacoms and has been through rather heavy use, I feel pretty confident recommending anything from that company :)
 
Thanks guys.

Yes, that's exactly what I was afraid of... that the Genius are going to be toyish...

I'm prepared to go $100 bucks TOPS, I think. I'm no graphics designer, and the thing could end up into a pile of forgotten mess before long anyways, I suppose :lol:

Wacom seemed much higher end, but if the cheaper ones still measure up..
 
I used a lower end wacom for a while until I sold it to a friend. it's fantastic for "painting" imo more than pencil type drawing, maybe I'm just bad at it but the brush strokes always seemed more fluid than trying to do line drawing, which I ended up just getting a scanner for and just using good ol pencil and paper and cleaning it up in 'shop. if you do end up getting one, I recommend OpenCanvas for painting, that one is what i use to paint over photos all the time. I dont use it so much now as I'm more into mostly photographs but it's really intuitive.
 
I use a Genius G pen 450. And while it does feel like cheap plastic, it really isn't any problem for me at all. It's my first tablet and bought it for 35 dollars. Before that i wanted the Wacom Intuos 4, and bought really the genius just to practice my hand eye coordination. Now i don't even think of going for another tablet in the moment. Cause I think it gets the job done.

This is a Cover art I'm currently drawing it's still WIP but so you have an idea.
grain.png

(sorry for the water mark some of my work has been stolen previously)
 
^ That will be amazing, no tablet? looks like a cheaper version of a Cintiq

Still, costs double as much as I'm prepared to spend and seems to be designed only for rough sketches (I think a conventional tablet would be more versatile).
Anything with a screen is going to be out of budget for me I'm afraid.. :.(

Besides, I can work vectors (in Illustrator) with a regular one, no?

I'm really liking the multi-touch functions of Bamboos, but it's a smaller work area for a bigger price, compared to Genius... tough call.
 
AD Chaos said:
Besides, I can work vectors (in Illustrator) with a regular one, no?
Click to expand...

Yes.
And that new Wacom thing for sketches looks dodgy to me. You can´t really see what it registered until you connect it on a computer, and I really doubt it´s flawless since you have to keep the paper straight and never block the sensor. Not to mention that you have to buy ink refills from Wacom.

AD Chaos said:
I'm really liking the multi-touch functions of Bamboos, but it's a smaller work area for a bigger price, compared to Genius... tough call.
Click to expand...

As I said, the smaller work area is actually a good thing unless you´re into making huge strokes (think sumie art style). As far as detailing things go, this was done using the small bamboo in Photoshop.
 
Thanks man. Yes I'm thinking I'll go with a Bamboo (industry standard) :lol:

Still thinking about getting the medium one (Create, instead of a Capture) as the pen has an eraser, and a much wider active area..

I'm going to have to check out much more as all these models appear to be very recent, and there are not reviews yet.
 
AD Chaos said:
Thanks man. Yes I'm thinking I'll go with a Bamboo (industry standard) :lol:

Still thinking about getting the medium one (Create, instead of a Capture) as the pen has an eraser, and a much wider active area..

I'm going to have to check out much more as all these models appear to be very recent, and there are not reviews yet.
Click to expand...

Checked Wacom site now. They´ve changed the Bamboo line again, now it´s even more confusing and with even more stupid names. The product that I was recommending (Bamboo Pen & Touch) doesn´t exist anymore, and haven´t been replaced by anything similar. It would be the Capture, but with the eraser tip that now can only be found on the larger and double-priced model called Create.

You [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Bamboo-Pen-and-Touch/dp/B002OOWC3S/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318989646&sr=1-1"]still can get the older models[/ame] on the internet, though. The only downside is that they are not wireless like the new models.
 
New models come w wireless capability, meaning one has to buy the adapter separately.. Seems like pretty much the same as the older pen and touch in all other aspects, indeed :erk:

I would have to take your word for it that I'm not going to need extra space.. I don't know as I'm a total n00b at this :lol:
The eraser seems like a cool feature, except it could perhaps be replaced by simply inverting colors as I normally do on Ps when working black on white. Erasing lines or manipulating anchor points in Illustrator would be extremely useful, if the pen can do it well.

If I end up getting one it will be in midst December.. hopefully there will be reviews by then..
 
Jarkko Mattheiszen said:
I just recently found my old (ten years or so, I guess) Wacom Graphire2 tablet when going through some boxes. Thought I'd plug it in out of curiosity, and it actually works just as wonderfully as it did when I first got it. Considering it was one of the lower-end Wacoms and has been through rather heavy use, I feel pretty confident recommending anything from that company :)
Click to expand...

Same here, I think that I at least used to be semi-decent at photo manipulation with graphics program of my choice (Paint Shop Pro), so I bought actually two Wacom tablets, but quickly I noticed that I wasn't that skilled with the drawing, so I haven't used my two Wacoms for a good while, but I actually dusted off my Graphire4 today and works just like a charm. Took literally 2 minutes to get it running; plug in, install drivers and choose the pen mode of your selection.
 
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