I would like to know, if possible, the general opinion on the best affordable hardware for drawing on my PC/laptop. I work mostly in cartoon-like design and charcoal painting, for many years, but I never bought a Wacom (for example) or an Ipad before. On the PC I work mostly with CorelDraw and Photoshop as software.
Is it fitter and/or easier to use an IPad or a digital table instead (and in this last case, is it worth buying with a screen, or is the regular one easy to adapt - drawing not looking at the table)?
I am on a tight budget. I’m asking since there are surely many users here that have much better knowledge and past experience of this in practical terms.
It does take a bit to get used to drawing while looking at a screen, and not your hands - especially if you’re used to a traditional medium. It also makes your orientation a potential issue - the screen and the tablet don’t automatically match rotations, so shifting your position will throw you off. If you can afford it, a tablet with a built in screen is pretty much objectively easier to work with. They may have slightly shorter lifespans, having to worry about the visual elements and all, but you can factor that into your budgeting if need be.
I can second Huion as being a decent, less-expensive alternative to Wacom, but I will add that when I got one it took a good deal of under-the-hood fiddling to get the drivers to play with Photoshop properly. Hopefully they’ve gotten better since then, but in my experience Wacom setups have been much smoother and simpler - so just make sure to check whatever model you’re looking at for issues or complaints, and make sure that there aren’t recurring difficulties for something you need that takes more than you can handle on your own.
(I replied yesterday to your post by email, but the message was not posted - I am sorry)
Good evening,
Thank you very much for your reply @praxis I was not aware of the Huion option. Do you mean something like the HUION KAMVAS Pro 13 GT-133? Or with another model (it goes up to the 16)?
The levels of pressure, like the rest, seem very similar to the other options (not equal of course) and it is much more affordable indeed. And that gadget seems really quite useful (especially in Photoshop).
That would be your suggestion then? Because if the result is good, it’s the best choice I have seen until now.
(I replied yesterday to your post by email, but the message was not posted - I am sorry)
Good morning,
Thank you for the input @Kaegro. I thought the same regarding drawing without looking at my hands, but I did not realize that the orientation could be an issue (and I do work very much like that, rotating the paper I mean).
So, definitely, a tablet with a screen (newer model of Huion or a Wacom) is your opinion (instead of an expensive IPad)? Any suggestions regarding the models?
It is a macro keypad with rollers and a joystick. All the controls generate keypresses or mouse actions or media controls. The software has a set of default keyboard shortcuts but keyboard shortcuts specific to different programs are also programmed in. So if a button is pressed the software asks the operating system which program is running and if it is on the list then it uses the keyboard shortcut for that program, if it is not on the list then it uses the default keyboard shortcut.
In drawing programs the vertical and horizontal rollers move whatever is selected up or down and side to side, there are modifier buttons to change the behaviour for big steps and small steps, in Inkscape they are completely the opposite to Scribus but on the Navigator they are the same buttons, each button generates the appropriate keyboard shortcut for the program that is running at the time without having to load keymaps, it is all done automatically. I use the big knob for changing magnification in drawing programs, for continuous scrolling in web browsers and PDF readers and as a volume control by default.
It saves on having to learn lots of keyboard shortcuts and on having to press two or three keys at once.
My gadget has the added advantage of functional even in time of power blackout, as long as there is daylight, and does not require batteries. It’s made by Staedtler. I can choose from HB to 6H and to 6B.
After careful research, I am inclined to buy either the HUION Kamvas 20 (434.88 x 238.68 mm) or the iPad APPLE (10.2’’ - 64 GB - Wi-Fi - Silver) + Apple Pencil Pro or the WACOM Cintiq (USB - Windows and Mac OS - 344 x 194 mm).
Does anyone know any practical problems regarding these (apart from the ones mentioned above) or a favorite due to a particular characteristic?
I appreciate the help and guidance. And I am sorry to bother.
Thanks for the reply. Yes, in fact the Wacom weights 1.9 kg (didn’t see that…). Not a major issue, but bad if I want to draw in a different place , like in a park, etc.
I was trying to avoid the iPad since it’s the most expensive, but I begin to understand why most use it to draw (with Procreate and other software).
Not anymore, but before I retired I was an electronics engineer working for 42 years as part of a small group doing Medical Research at the Hallamshire Hospital in collaboration with Sheffield University.
I was not aware of the Huion option. Do you mean something like the HUION KAMVAS Pro 13 GT-133? Or with another model (it goes up to the 16)?
(didn’t see that…). Not a major issue, but bad if I want to draw in a different place , like in a park, etc.