Ryū Sensei: What are some Good Drawing Tablet Options??
- Draco Dreams Art
- Oct 14, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Dec 22, 2022
Welcome!
A lot of artists who who are looking to start their digital journey may not know what to look for when it comes to drawing on a digital device in the first place.
Before diving deep into digital art, it is important to know what your options are.
I recommend investing in a drawing tablet. Now don’t worry, If you don’t have a drawing tablet it is still possible to create a lot of lovely artwork. I was working without a tablet for a long time before I finally got one. I plan on covering alternative options to drawing tablets in a future blog.
Both Screen and Screenless tablets are great options whether you consider yourself a 3D sculptor, digital illustrator, graphic designer, or animator.
Screen Tablets
Screen Tablets, also known as graphic displays or pen displays, are a type of monitor usually designed for artists. These types of monitors come with styli designed with higher pressure sensitivity than a normal stylus would.
They tend to be more expensive but they are a FANTASTIC way to transition from traditional to digital.
I recommend waiting for screen tablets to go on sale such as "Black Friday" or "Back to School" sales as they become a lot more affordable. Be aware that some screen tablets may require an external Dongle, for Mac computers specifically. (Some Macs, especially laptops only support thunderbolt cables, and with the aid of a dongle, it allows certain tablets to connect to the computer screen.
Screen Tablets are significantly faster to use and feel far more natural than screenless tablets. Screen Tablets are highly recommended for animators especially since precision is crucial for frame by frame animation specifically. Being able to work fast is important, and having that native familiarity with "drawing on paper" has a lot of benefits.
Screen Tablets are also great for better line work on the computer also due to better "hand-eye coordination".
They can also be quite beneficial for digital sculpting in Blender, ZBrush, or Mudbox to name a few.
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Screen Tablet Pros & Cons
Pros
✅Easier to adapt to
✅Faster Drawing
✅bigger drawing area
✅pens tend to be more responsive
Cons
❌ can get expensive
❌ more permanent set up area (not easy to travel with)
❌ Can take up a lot of desk space
❌ Sometimes requires more cables to set up based on computer
Additional Notes
🌟Computer tablets for the most part need a computer in order to work. They are an accessory and therefor do not run on their own unless otherwise stated (which would then be categorized as a tablet or all in one computer at that point)
🌟Some Tablets do come with touchscreen variants, such as the Wacom Cintiq 32 Inch monitor. These tablets are still an accessory to a computer and not a standalone mobile tablet.
Screenless Tablets
Screenless options are far less expensive and come a few different sizes ranging from Extra small to medium.(with some older models including large as an option)
These are great options if you are on the go and need something quick to put in a book bag with a laptop or if you’re simply on a budget or even just straight up prefer this method over a screen tablet. The big problem with screenless is a lot of artists may complain about the disconnect with the hand-eye coordination and thus is known for having a hard learning curve.
My first tablet was a screenless tablet and I adapted pretty quickly, however, I can say I was drawing with a mouse for about 11 years before graduating to a screenless tablet.(largely because they where not easy to come by and quite expensive at the time) Because I was already adapted to drawing with a mouse, the common "hand-eye coordination" problem was something I already adapted to. If you ever decide to invest in a screenless tablet, I recommend keeping the tablet Infront of the computer and not to the side as that may throw off the hand-eye coordination even further.
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Screenless Tablet Pros & Cons
Pros
✅Easy to Travel With
✅Very Inexpensive
✅Durable
✅Easy to set up
Cons
❌ Hard Learning Curve
❌ Drawing may cause shakier lines
❌ Can Cause wrist strain if not careful
❌ can be slower than drawing on screen tablet.
Additional Notes
🌟Computer tablets for the most part need a computer in order to work. They are an accessory and therefor do not run on their own unless otherwise stated (which would then be categorized as a tablet or all in one computer at that point)
Mobile Tablets make for a great mobile drawing device on the go or even if you want travel to the living room and draw on a tablet like you would a sketchbook. They are easy to carry around, lightweight and fast to boot up. One of the big perks workflow wise is the ability to pinch to rotate and zoom a canvas in a very nonchalant way. This differs from a computer tablet as usually you need to adapt to keyboard shortcuts to do these functions.
Recommended Tablets:
Ipad Pro (IOS)
Microsoft Surface Pro (Windows)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 (Android)
Unique to Mobile Tablets
🌟touchscreen zoom and rotate
🌟easy to travel with
🌟most tablets are lightweight
Some differences to consider if you get a mobile tablet:
Ipad
Pros
✅Vibrant Colors
✅High Resolution Screen
✅very responsive apple pencil stylus
✅Can connect wireless mouse
✅beginner friendly
✅beginner friendly
Cons
❌ natively can only use apps for IOS such as Procreate and Clip Studio Paint
❌apple pencil needs to charge
❌ can get expensive
❌has a slippery surface
❌no built in Micro SD Slots
Additional Notes
🌟Procreate is currently exclusive to ipad/iphone
🌟 can use desktop application but only through screen mirror apps 🌟Luna Display & Astropad are unique screen mirror options for Ipad.
🌟Uses IOS and not the Desktop counterpart of OSX. Uses Apps much like a phone would.
fits in nice with the "apple ecosystem" of devices.
Surface Pro
Pros
✅Vibrant Colors
✅High Resolution Screen
✅Has full Windows operating system so has full access to desktop software. This includes Photoshop, Blender, Clip Studio Paint, After Effects, and Premiere.
✅Newer Surface stylus has almost same pressure response as apple pencil
✅stylus also has eraser
✅ Has Micro SD Slot for Surface Pro 4 and Later
✅ can connect with wireless mouse
✅
Cons
❌
❌ stylus needs to charge
❌ can get expensive
Additional Notes
🌟 Effectively a Slim Touchscreen Laptop
🌟 Does Not Use Apps the same way an Android or IOS device would. 🌟fits nicely with the "Microsoft eco system" of devices.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8
Pros
✅High Resolution Screen
✅ Has Micro SD Slot
✅ can connect with wireless mouse
✅ Customizable Interface
✅ Easy to Store Data on Device without Cloud Drives
Cons
❌ natively can only use art apps for Android such as Autodesk Sketchbook and Clip Studio Paint
❌ stylus needs to charge
❌Most Samsung Stylus are not as sensitive as Surface or Ipad styli
Additional Notes
🌟 can use desktop application but only through screen mirror apps (generally not as good as ipad's Astropad app)
🌟 Tablet Better suited for Mobile Gaming than Art.
Phones Effectively follow the same rules as the above mentioned tablets such as android phones and iphones. When getting into mobile territory, this of course means you're even more limited in software as well as overall space available to draw. The main difference being the styli available as well as the drawing space is significantly smaller.
There are now a lot of options for "touchscreen computers". Generally, most touchscreen computers aren't as sensitive as a drawing tablet designed for drawing, however they are still a valid option. One of their advantages is, similar to a phone or tablet, you can very easily zoom and rotate by pinching the screen which most stand drawing tablets do not have this option available. Here are some options:
Touchscreen Computers
Some Tablet Questions:
Do I Need a Tablet?
I personally recommend investing in a tablet or a related option with a stylus when it comes to drawing digitally. Tablets make the drawing experience a lot friendlier for hand-eye coordination and thus make drawing significantly faster and far more natural.
What are the benefits of a tablet?
Aside from tablets being a faster drawing experience, they also unlock "pressure sensitivity". Pressure sensitivity is the variation in line when either drawing fast or pressing harder on the stylus. By pressing harder, the line tends to get thicker/darker much like a real pen would. I plan on covering more details about What pressure sensitivity actually means in a later blog.
Does it matter if I use Mac, PC, or Linux for my tablet?
Macs PCs, and Linix based computers can come with their own unique and wonderous problems when installing tablets. Sometimes, you may have a lucky break and there are no problems at all. Sometimes, you may need to roll back the operating system compatibility of the tablet if you end up buying a used or older model. (For example, if using windows 11, some older tablets may work better when setting back to windows 7 compatibility)
In some cases, you may need to purchase a Dongle, especially if you're a Mac User. (a device to connect the computer to the tablet. some Macs only support thunder cables, and some tablets don't support thunder cable and need a dongle to connect)
See You Soon!
Thank you everyone for reading this blog. Once again, look forward to upcoming art ideas and topics. Make sure to subscribe to stay up to date! You can also take a look at my social media updates on Instagram!
thank you for this. your information and ideas are genuinely helpful. - HHH