Beginners Tablet

kemingMatters · 10-11-2011, 11:23 AM

Pick a wacom in your price range, I think you may be able to get an medium intuos4

darkwolf29a · 10-11-2011, 01:24 PM

Check out http://www.wacom.com. Do not forget to check the refurbished ones also. They carry the same warranty, but you can get a lot more cheaper.

Do take into account your screen size.

I have a Bamboo at home. It works perfectly for my old computer with a 20 in monitor and on my 13 in laptop. But...with my 27in and 20in monitors...uumm...NO!!! LOL So, what I'm suggesting is that you pay attention to that and get the biggest one that you can afford. You'll thank me later.

**Buda** · 10-12-2011, 02:39 AM

I'm happy with my Wacom Bamboo, but I've never played with the Intuous so don't know what I may be missing.

What kind of design are you going to be doing?

These days I very rarely take my tablet out of the draw. Maybe once or twice a month. It's not much. I don't do any digital painting so it's generally used for photo retouching work.

For a designer that's just starting out, I would highly recommend you master the pen tool and bezier curves. The pen tool is more suited to the trusty old mouse.

kemingMatters · 10-12-2011, 03:21 AM

Originally posted by budafist View Post

I'm happy with my Wacom Bamboo, but I've never played with the Intuous so don't know what I may be missing.

What kind of design are you going to be doing?

These days I very rarely take my tablet out of the draw. Maybe once or twice a month. It's not much. I don't do any digital painting so it's generally used for photo retouching work.

For a designer that's just starting out, I would highly recommend you master the pen tool and bezier curves. The pen tool is more suited to the trusty old mouse.

I use my stylus 100% of the time now, I don't find working with beziers to be a pain with it, but that might be because I figured them out with a mouse first.

FatKat Printz · 10-12-2011, 09:33 AM

Joel what is your contact information..you do not have private messaging set up

**garricks** · 10-12-2011, 11:54 AM

FatKat, you don't have enough posts to send or receive PMs yet. We do that to cut down on folks who register here to spam advertise through PMs.

FatKat Printz · 10-13-2011, 03:34 PM

Originally posted by garricks View Post

FatKat, you don't have enough posts to send or receive PMs yet. We do that to cut down on folks who register here to spam advertise through PMs.

dangers of a noob

ReMeDy · 10-14-2011, 04:43 AM

To expand on the topic, what tablet do some of you professional graphic designers use? I'm a graphic designer who just graduated with his bachelor's, but I've never used a tablet before, so I want to step up my game and get a very professional quality tablet for the work place. I don't want to waste time on beginner's tablets, if possible.

Because I'd like to bring it to wherever I find a job, superb compatibility is a must, meaning it'd need to be PC and Mac compatible and support wide-screen monitors. There's no telling what computers a company will provide, so I can't give details.

What do you guys use?

kemingMatters · 10-14-2011, 11:54 AM

Originally posted by ReMeDy View Post

To expand on the topic, what tablet do some of you professional graphic designers use? I'm a graphic designer who just graduated with his bachelor's, but I've never used a tablet before, so I want to step up my game and get a very professional quality tablet for the work place. I don't want to waste time on beginner's tablets, if possible.

Because I'd like to bring it to wherever I find a job, superb compatibility is a must, meaning it'd need to be PC and Mac compatible and support wide-screen monitors. There's no telling what computers a company will provide, so I can't give details.

What do you guys use?

Buy one for your system at home – get comfortable using it.
When you are confident using it, explain to your superior how it would be beneficial for you to have one, suggesting a specific model and the reasoning behind your endorsement. Then you don't have to be worried about your kit.

Bob · 10-14-2011, 12:23 PM

Biggest isn't necessarily the best in tablets. I mean, depends a lot on your 'inputting style', physical 'reach' and monitor setup.

I typically have a stylus in my left hand, tablet to the left of the keyboard, and a mouse on the right side. Two monitor setup. My hands are large enough to keep typing even with a stylus in between fingers. I can also manage say, 'A to \' with my handspan.

A large tablet is good for two monitors but you have to remember that if you want to keep the mapping (that is, position of pen to screen) proportional, in most two monitor or even one wide monitor setups, you'll be tossing out about a third of the active area of the tablet to do so.

Some people prefer mid-size (say, 6 x 9 inch) for single monitor setups (I do) because it's a good compromise between desk space and speed. Really big tablets might be good for Autocad type work but can slow you down if the bulk of the stuff you do is in Photoshop.

I wish that Wacom had a 'try before you buy' option.

**Buda** · 10-16-2011, 02:02 AM

I'm not a big person so I see a big tablet being more hassle than what it is worth. If I used a tablet as a mouse, it would be like having a giant mousepad. I dont want a workout when touching up a photo thanks.

There is no shame in trying a beginners tablet. I have been using mousepad sized ones for 10 years. They're reasonably priced and you can decide if it works for you before springing for a more expensive one.

Scarlett · 10-20-2011, 11:01 AM

Yeah my experience with Bamboo has always been positive, and I use a smaller tablet for my 27" screen and have no problems with it. Some people prefer to have the full scope of the screen before them but it comes down to how often you plan to use it, what you use it for, and if you plan to upgrade in the future.

The Lumberjack · 10-23-2011, 09:29 AM

I've been using the first generation Graphire that I got when I started learning. It's quite inaccurate, and the stylus slips around a lot, so while it can do basic retouching, it's useless for drawing and painting.

This is also why I'm a bit wary about buying a Bamboo. I hear the Intous is much more paper-like and accurate. So I'm thinking of going with an Intous and a Magic Trackpad and leave out the mouse altogether.

Sneaky · 10-23-2011, 04:51 PM

I managed to acquire a Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch and as a beginner its doing the trick for now, its pretty big but I didnt think about it at the time bigger seemed better to me but I was still a noob :L Think there pretty cheap to around £100-£200

Beginners Tablet

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