forum Best Tablet for Digital Art?

Started October 31, 2019 by @shattered_heart

tune

I have been dreaming of doing digital art for as long as I can remember. I finally have the chance to go for it. I am just unsure of what the best tablet would be.
Could someone please help me out?

well, it depends on your budget tbh. There are a few factors to digital tablets but I'll try to cover them for you.

First, do you want a tablet with a screen? Those tend to be more expensive and less mobile, but allow you to draw directly onto your picture, where otherwise you have to get used to/learn spacial connection skills so you can draw without looking (not really that hard, just like using a mouse without looking at the mouse, but I prefer screens). Second, do you want the pen to be cordless? All pens have a cord for power or charging, but some are permanently attached to the tablet. Lastly, it also depends on your comfort with the program. I know photoshop very well, so I use a lot of shortcuts and hotkeys. My tablet has several buttons and toggles that I programmed to be those hotkeys, which is very efficient for me.
For actually buying a tablet, consider your space, budget, mobility, and computer. If you move around a lot or take your computer with you places, you'll want a smaller tablet, likely a screenless because those are meant to be mobile. Some tablets are also wireless, but tend to be more expensive.

So, if you thought through all that, I'll just list some. Most of these can be bought on amazon.

Xp-Pen:
My personal tablet, I have the xp-pen artist pro 16 . Artist Pro is the model, and 16 is the screen size. It's about the size of a laptop, but not meant to be moved much. These tablets are relatively inexpensive for having screens, but xp-pen also makes screenless tablets. Their pens are really nice and comfortable to hold, and they are wireless rechargeable pens. The tablet itself has a more difficult set up, cause it needs both a USB and an HDMI connection to you computer (there are converters if you don't have an extra hdmi slot). My tablet is very sturdy and rarely has problems. It has separate settings, so you have to adjust the screen to get the colors right at first. The driver/program for it is very user friendly.

Wacom:
Expensive. These are the Apple Iphone X of tablets. My first tablet was a wireless and screenless wacom, but it broke after 2 years when the charging port came un-soldered so it couldn't charge. This was a while ago, so they likely have improved a lot since then. If you have the budget for one, then wacom is considered the Pro brand but many people like other brands just as well. They make good small tablets for moving around a lot.

Huion:
I've heard lots of good things about this brand. I've never owned one, but many friends recommend this brand as reliable and on-par with wacom (similar to xp-pen). Especially the Kamvas model (screen), people like the accurate colors and reasonable prices. I considered this brand but got xp-pen because of a sale. Good customer service when I asked questions.

ipad:
yep. Many youtube artists use an ipad and stylus to do their drawings, so this is an option if you want, though I personally can't stand the styluses and the distance between the stylus and the actual drawing because of the screen, and there aren't many options in the way of express keys/toggles or pen accuracy.

Well, I hope that helped! I put a lot of research into my tablet, so if you have questions ask away and I'll do my best to answer :)

So I prefer one that has a screen. I dont really have a set budget. I am not particular on whether the pen is cordless or not. But I dont particularly want a tablet that connects to the computer, as my parents usually use our computer and my dad hates downloading programs on it. I used to have photoshop and illustrater but we got rid of them. So I just want a pen compatible tablet and download one of the free apps like medibang or sketchbook.

I do own a tablet but it isnt compatable with the spen and I hate using me finger.

Does the Huiom Kamvas have to connect to a computer? I was eyeing of a Wacom at first, but its not really an option.
What do you mean by not being able to stand the distance between the stylus of the Ipad?

Should I just wait to go into digital art if I cant use a computer?

The Kamvas does connect to a computer. Most tablets don’t actually run programs, and they need a program called a driver to work (download to the computer).

The distance from pen to screen is an issue that used to be really big at the beginning of digital art, some artists call it lag. It’s the distance between where you touch the pen and where the actual drawing is, lots of tablets let you recalibrate (I do so every few weeks or so), but with an iPad the glass screen makes a visble difference that I find very annoying.

I recommend having access to a computer or a laptop. If you don’t have a budget I recommend getting a midrange laptop (I have an HP for school and it’s held up well for the past few years) and a smaller screenless wired tablet. That way you can have full use of everything and can be mobile. Or you can use something like an ipad, though that has more limits on what you can do.

As far as programs, Adobe is expensive and becoming less worth it. I like clip studio and Sai, both are paid but very cheap one time payments I believe.

I know this has been dead for a month but as a broke artist with too much time on her hands I’d like to add a few free program recommendations:

Krita-
Has nearly all the features of Photoshop but for free, extremely professional, can be hard to learn tho

Autodesk Sketchbook -
Not as featured but perfectly balances professional-ness with beginner friendly-ness in my opinion

MyPaint -
Lightweight program with an infinite canvas and a whole lot of brush features, but quite lacking in other features

MediBang/FireAlpaca -
Both of these are basically the same program, only difference is MediBang has a darker interface and FireAlpaca has basic animation tools. They’re a lot like Paint Tool Sai but not as nice, I personally hate both of these programs with a passion but my best friend swears by them and hates Krita with a passion so the quality really depends on who’s using it

I know this has been dead for a month but as a broke artist with too much time on her hands I’d like to add a few free program recommendations:

Krita-
Has nearly all the features of Photoshop but for free, extremely professional, can be hard to learn tho

Autodesk Sketchbook -
Not as featured but perfectly balances professional-ness with beginner friendly-ness in my opinion

MyPaint -
Lightweight program with an infinite canvas and a whole lot of brush features, but quite lacking in other features

MediBang/FireAlpaca -
Both of these are basically the same program, only difference is MediBang has a darker interface and FireAlpaca has basic animation tools. They’re a lot like Paint Tool Sai but not as nice, I personally hate both of these programs with a passion but my best friend swears by them and hates Krita with a passion so the quality really depends on who’s using it

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer. I have only ever tried medibang and autodesk sketchbook. I didnt particulary like Medibang, and although Sketchbook is quite basic, I have found it easy to use, and I think it is a good one just to start with. I do want to give Krita a go and see what its like.