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Since drawing with the mouse can be a pain sometimes, I was thinking of getting one of those pen-tablet things. And I was wondering if anyone here has ever used any. If so, would you recommend I get one?

I think they are pretty good...worth getting i would say. Though...they arent really good for drawing with...always seem kinda shaky. I dunno if thats just my one though..

I personally love using my tablet (especially since I doodle a lot on oekaki or OpenCanvas).
It suits my style, and I'm aware that there are many people who do not enjoy using one.
I'd reccomend one, but of course it'd be best if you could find a way to try one to see if you like how it feels.

I love them, although I still don't own one yet. Its much easier to doodle with something that is the right shape in my opinion.

Well I really liked drawing with mine.. But it is nolonger working. Right now I draw with pencil, scan it, then drop to 2 bit color, then back up and computer color / skin it..

Yoru folfy
Chaz

i had a genius one, wich died preety fast.
they're cheap, around 40$ or 50 US for a medium size ( 5 x 4 ) versions

but anyway wacom's versions are freaky overpriced.
280 for a 4 x 3 is crazy

I use them on alot of digital art work, at first they can be somewhat awkward, but after you get a feel for them, they are hard to do without. I have two, both Wacom's , i currently use the "graphire II" model, its a 5 x 6" pad, with an electronic pen. they work very well with graphics programs like Adobe's photoshop & illustrator, and Corel's Draw 10 & Painter. (being pressure sensitive works great with airbrush tools) the Graphire cost about $ 75 US , or $ 140 Can. There is another brand called "Jam Pad" , there is a retailer near me that sells them for about $39 Canadian, I had the chance to test one, it has fiewer features than the Wacom models, but works very well for art work. I use a commercial version at my job that is a drafting board size (about 24" x 36") and costs over $2200 , definitely to big and elaborate for general art work.  '>

Actually I've decided to wait before I get one. I'm going to the Art Institute (the one in portland), and they have the Wacom ones. So I'll get to test 'em out there. '>

I want to get a new one.. But no-one around here seems to stock them.

Anyone know of a cheep store I can order one from ?

Chaz

BestBuy.com ...look for Tablets...Aiptek makes the best ones for a very reasonable price. Wacoms crap costs too much and will die in two years without fail. I have a Aiptek 11.5" X 9" tablet and its fine. It has 675 levels of sensitivity and a whole work pad right on it for colors, saving, opening, searching, net, ect. And guess what...it was half the cost of Wacoms sucky micro tablets and its twice as good. Dont believe me? Compare the stats on their sight. you get a 4" X 6" tablet with 350 levels of pressure for what I paid at Best Buy on my tablet.

I will argue that, I still have my old serial one that i brought home from work, it has the larger 8 x 10" pad, and it's one of their first models, they used it commercially there, its over 4 - 5 years old, and it still works perfect, just the pen & table surface is worn out. (has scratches) My graphire II is about 2 years old, and hasn't failed me yet. Wacom do make them in "all" pad sizes for commercial use, from 4 x 6" to the 24 x 36" i mentioned earlier. I haven't seen any tablets sold at the BestBuy store close to me) , only at Future Shop, and some other computer drafting places. I seen one Aiptek, it's a good unit, but didn't appear to have any more usability than the other brands.
I just visited both Aiptek's & wacom's sites, Aiptek appears to have only three models, while Wacom has more than a dozen models, For comparison info the Graphire has 512 levels of pressure settings, and the intuos models have " 1024 " levels of pressure settings,see specs on the models , their commercial ones aren't displayed on their site for some reason) And i found that the Aiptek model has only 512 , same as the graphire, not 675 , see their site for specs)
 Aiptek: http://www.aiptek.com/
Wacom: http://www.wacom.com/productinfo/index.cfm
I couldnt seem to find the Jam Studio site ) there are other models, all have different features, but one isn't really any better than the other, though Wacom has more models, and better availiability. its somthing that depends on availiability, price, model selection, replacement parts availiability, (pen tips & pads)  that should dermine what tablet a person needs. If a person only uses it for personal art work , than somthing like the Jam Pad is perfect, it's best to go and find somone that has one to try it to see if its the one you like before buying one.  '>

24 x 36 = 5000$+

The 24 x 36 sizes are probally 5000 dollars plus , the price that the company i work for purchased the drafting tablet they have 5 years ago, I guessed it cost over 2200 dollars)
If there were more different companies that make tablets, the prices would probally be cheaper overall. (like all electronics in general) so far the best price i found was the Jam Pad, but i still can't find a website for them, only a site for a "Jam Cam".
Sombody needs to invent an "optical Pen" that works like an optical mouse, that will work on any surface.
I had a chance to see a "Tablet PC" , where you actually work on the screen, ...an interesting concept for artworks, but they look funky.  '>

I recieved a tablet for my b-day last month... and I'm still trying to get used to it.

Even if, I still love it!  I don't think I'd go back to using my laptop touchpad again.

Cool * , it do take a little time getting the hang of drawing with a tablet, but once you master it, it makes digital art much easier tham a mouse or touch pad. '>

[Quote]

Here's a tip for tablets:
Don't let windows think it is a mouse!  Always install the drivers and make sure that when the pen is in the upperright corner the pointer is in the upper right.

I would reccomend getting a tablet, and get as big of one as you can get.  

Quote

Buy more computer than you'll ever possibly need. --Idiot's guide to Building a computer

--gryc

I'm inclined to agree with Gryc_ueusp that setting the tablet to screen-map (or screen-align or something like that) rather than 'mouse-mode' is a good idea, but I would say from experience that Bigger does not necessarily mean better. If possible, test out different sizes for feel. Some people are more comfortable with a larger tablet, some with smaller. I'm very pleased with my 4X5 (and I didn't have to mortgage anything to pay for it;).

 If you're going to do digital art that's anything more than touching up a drawing, I would definitely recommend getting a tablet. Funds-wise, you can get pretty cheap second-hands off ebay or somesuch for not-too-much. I'd personally go with a new one, though, as the pads can be susceptible to wear and tear (although they are replacable). I am biased, but I'd say that Wacom is the best choice for tablets. You can get a graphire pretty cheaply nowadays, or go for a more expensive, (supposedly) better intuos, which I'm saving up for.

As for shakiness or uncomfortability, there is a learning curve/getting-used-to-it-time, which varies from person to person. I got pretty used to one within a couple of hours of playing around with it, and nowadays I use it more than I use a pencil (my poor neglected sharpies).

Anyway, I find two of the best things about having a tablet (and digital art, in general) are being able to use any media without limit (unlimited prismas! whee!'>, and the UNDO button (manifested also as layers). Bad things? Well, it's not *real*, and if you like texture and choosing your tooth and the feel of real media and all that, then that's a negative. But I'd say the best artists master both. I think that had a point, I'd better stop '>

Wacom setup should set the cursor to correspond with the pen position by default, not like a mouse. I have used tablets of various sizes, (i use a 2 x 3 foot drafting tablet at work) and used a 12 x 15 inch one there, and have two smaller ones at home. the size is somthing a person gets used to, all sized have advantages and disadvantages. I can work with a 4 x 5" size tablet as easily as the 12 x 15 " one. though the bigger
2 x 3 foot size is more accurate for graphics design that we do at work. Tablet surfaces and pen tips are easily replaced after they wear out. I have been happy with my Graphire since i bought it, and had no problems at all with it.  '>