I wanted to start drawing concept art, and textures for a quiet while now.
Some people use a drawing tablet for photoshop, but to have a good one, its pretty expensive.
So is there anyone who uses a touchpad stylus, and draws on tablets?
I have an ipad, and i can quickly get a cheap stylus so im thinking of going with that.
If anyone knows any good drawing apps for iPad please leave af response.
Just because there are products that are more expensive than another, doesn’t mean the less expensive one isn’t still a great product!
Check out the Intuos line of tablets, I don’t think any apps can top using a computer and Photoshop though I could be wrong.
There are a huge number of artists working on tablets. And now with penabled tablet pc’s, like the Surface Pro, that number is growing. You also don’t need Photoshop. There are plenty of lower cost alternatives for 2d artwork. Check out my site: SurfaceProArtist.com to learn more and I also recommend you visit frenden.com/reviews to learn more about low-cost alternatives to Wacom pen tablets.
I found there was too much delay when drawing of an ipad, there is a latency of a few seconds waiting for the line to move where your stylus moved. I use an intuos pro for a lot of texturing/sculpting and it feels much more natural. I’ve also used a surface pro and did some sketching in photoshop, since the surface pro uses wacom tech in the screen and pen, there is no delay, however the pro costs $1200 which is a little pricey for a sketch pad. I’m currently saving up for a cintiq, which is the ultimate tool for digital art, but they are extremely expensive, at about $2K for a 22" screen, I’d just get an intuos pro if you are on a constrained budget.
1 Like
With the Surface Pro 3 about to be released next week, there will be a lot of used or discounted models on the market. A first generation Surface Pro will probably cost less than $400 now and will run rings around an iPad for art.
I wouldn’t suggest tablet computers like the iPad, or Surface Pro for serious digital drawing.
While the Surface Pro gets a bit better since it uses Wacom technology, it’s still way behind, even compared with an entry level Wacom tablet like the Intuos.
The latency and pen pressure levels are still not there. Not to mention the small screen, which is not ideal for drawing purposes.
And believe me, a entry level Wacom is more than enough for a beginner, or even seasoned artists. You can get one for under hundred bucks.
1 Like
I wouldn’t suggest equating the iPad with the Surface Pro when it comes to digital painting. Gabe of Penny Arcade reviewed the original Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, and the Surface Pro 3, and his impressions were all very favorable. Here are some choice quotes:
It’s still not as good as a Wacom Intuos, which costs a fraction of that, what the SurfacePro costs.
1 Like
It’s still comparable in cost to the cheapest Wacom Cintq, with the added benefit of being an actual computer and not just a graphics tablet.
As to “not being as good,” would you care to elaborate on that? Are you talking from experience with the Surface Pro specifically or some other tablet?
@OP: I would think acquiring a Wacom Intuos (not the intuos pro) together with the machine you are developing with Unity would give far more bang for the buck than purchasing a stylus for an ipad+app. I think amazon.com has the basic intuos (no eraser) for a really good price.
Gimp (open source) should be able to use a tablet; I’m on osx and use pixelmator and artrage. Both are highly affordable, and depending on your needs, photoshop could be overkill (it is definitely overkill for me, and I don’t think photoshop does natural media stuff like how artrage or painter can.)
Yeah, if you want to do digital art you really need a tablet.
It will be more ergonomical in the long run. You have much more control over hand movements; and since a tablet like the Wacom has pressure sensitivity, you can adapt lines on the fly.
I have the Intuos Pen & Tablet Medium and it cost me about €110. Consider the size of the tablet you need. For all-round art you need at least a medium. Small tablets are good for sketching, but you won’t really be able to do big concept landscape paintings for instance.
Edit: Also, look away from Photoshop for most of your artist needs. There are better programs like Krita for digital painters. That’s what I mostly use, and Krita has the benefit of being open source. Check it out.
Go on ebay and pick up a used Wacom Intuos2. They are super cheap and still work great. You don’t need all those bells and whistles of the newer models.
I have a samsung galaxy Note 10 tablet which has a wacom digitizer built into it and a pen, I also have an intuos wacom 4 sitting in the closet… but most of the time I still use the old beatup intuos2. 10 years old. Works like a champ. 
When I look for used Mac Minis even 2009 models they are wanting $300 & up for. Those people are delusional.
I have a Bamboo Create with a wireless USB plugin but you can buy a no-name brand that does the same (actually Wacom’s only competitor) for about $50 less. My Bamboo & wireless dongle cost about $200 a year ago.
You won’t like drawing on a hard plastic surface compared to drawing on paper but you’ll get used to it.
The surface pro3 uses an NTrig stylus, not a Wacom. Ntrig needs batteries, when the batteries start getting low bad things happen to your stroke. Also the driver is not as widely recognized as Wacom’s so make sure whatever software you want to use supports Ntrig.
Okay, so its best to get a drawing tablet So can anyone help me pick the right one? My budget is about 150$.
150
I got a Huion 608 around the end of last year, $42.99 on Amazon. (http://www.amazon.com/Huion-Function-Keys-Graphic-Tablet/dp/B00DM5BWF2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1403114483&sr=1-1&keywords=huion+608). Don’t let the price fool you, it performs excellently and I actually like the feel of it better than the Wacoms I’ve used in school (my opinion, don’t pull out the pitchforks). I believe they also make some more expensive models (but much still cheaper than wacoms).
The Huion and Yiyunova tablets are good tablets at a great price. They use UClogic tablet technology which is pretty good, the major issue being there is no tilt functionality in their tablet and stylus technology. Not all software supports tilt anyway so it may not be much a loss at all depending on the software you use. Also you will want to make sure your software will support UClogic devices, not all of them do. Software support of UClogic seems to be wider than it is for Ntrig.
Since you’re on a budget $10 a month for PS is probably too much but you can but Autodesk SketchBook 6.x for $40 download at Amazon. If you buy a Bamboo Create that & PS Essentials is included (most of the extra cost is the SW not the HW).
There are better digital arts programs out there than photo manipulation suites like Photoshop and Gimp.
I mentioned one before in this thread - Krita . There’s also Mypaint. Both are open source and free, as opposed to Photoshop. Those are programs created for digital art rather than graphics manipulation. I’d recommend he uses those before Photoshop/Gimp, to be honest. They have far more tools created for digital painting needs and for tablet use.
I have Krita and you didn’t finish reading - I actually recommended AutoDesk SketchBook for $40 (and likely free if he buys a Wacom Tablet).
He’ll want Gimp or PS Essentials for texture editing not for drawing. Nothing too expensive or high speed.