Digital drawing devices 2025

[Lensing]

What is everyone using 2025?

My digital drawing device history:
-Wacom intuos, coudln´t get used to it.
-Wacom companion, I loved it but the battery
died after only 2 years and couldn´t get replaced.
-XPEN22E used it for the last 10 years, I loved it even
though it took me a long time to get used to drawing
on the screen, it was cheap compared to a Cintiq but
now it´s slowly dying, it flickers really bad sometimes when
I draw on it
-Ipad pro. I can´t draw on that thing, I only used it for
flat coloring when I´m on the road, worst slippery pen on
glass feeling of all my devices

I will buy something new in the next months and I´m undecided between
XPEN and Wacom. Not smaller than 22 or 24

[moontokkym]

I'm of no help because I had a Wacom intuos L for 6 years and used it to the point the surface was mirror polished in the center. I've now been on a Huion Kamvas Pro 15 since 2021 and no complaints, but I also don't have a problem with "pen on glass" textures, I actually prefer it to imitation paper textures for digital art because I feel like I'm scratching and damaging the surface unless the pen glides. Same with the iPad.

I know that Wacom does versions of the intuos with paper-imitation surfaces now, so you might want to give them a looksee if you don't like the smooth glass.

[wolflu66]

I'm currently using a Wacom Intuos 4 that I bought around August 2009, which is over 15 years ago now, and it's still in fairly good condition (I hope it doesn't immediately develop problems after saying this XD).

As for my previous tablet, it was a Wacom Intuos 2, which only lasted about 4.5 years before it broke, so it really depends on luck.

Additionally, I previously worked briefly at a company that created illustrations for English teaching materials, and at that time I used a Wacom Intuos 3, which I personally found to be the most difficult to use. Its pressure sensitivity was terrible for me because it was too sensitive - I would apply just a little pressure and it would draw very thick lines. But if I set it to require more pressure, I had to press extremely hard to get lines that were thick enough.

In any case, I'll continue using the Intuos 4 as long as it works, and I hope it lasts for several more years.

[GothickangelStudios]

I was gifted a Wacom Pro Small in 2006 still works and only on the first nib. It does have programmable buttons. The only issue I was having past Windows XP, that I had to reinstall the drivers from time to time. Even though they keep them updated for Windows 10.

I was gifted another one in 2022 because the new Wacom Pro Large had more a touch pad feel for hand zoom, span, etc plus updated programmable buttons. It worked better for 'sight touch' more accessable for my, now disability. Still on the first nib, I'm not a grinder.

I still keep my older one in a nice safe place in a preused fabric protector in my studio.

[thepenmonster]

I'm using the Intuos. Before that was a Bamboo Fun for about 15 years.

The nibs for the Intuos are way too soft IMO. I can't wait to fully switch over to pen & paper.

[ArtGremlin]

My first drawing device was a Wacom intuos. It worked pretty well for me, but it wasn’t ideal. Next I got an ipad & apple pen. For some reason the slippery feel of an ipad screen doesn’t bother me. I’ve been using it ever since.

[Leyelle]

I'm using an Amazon Fire my mom bought me. I would not recommend it but I'm grateful for it.

[Lensing]

That´s an option for me too, I have done all my last pages with pencil and ink and it was more fun
and I´m faster that way, I also think that traditional ink looks better.
I could still use digital tools to clean the pages and get the pages ready for print

[kyupol]

1) scanner, pencil, eraser, pilot fineliner... color in photoshop

2) Wacom intuos + laptop... coloring in photoshop

3) ibis paint + moto e phone

4) presently... Samsung galaxy a8 + ibis paint

[ThunderChicken]

I started out with one of those Wacom tablets but couldn't get the hand-eye coordination right, so I decided I needed to draw directly on a screen. I bought a Microsoft Surface Pro 8 and absolutely loved it but found it to be a bit cramped - not to mention the fact that t didn't quite have enough horsepower. With several layers Krita would bog down and eventually crash.

Last year I bought myself a Dell Inspiron 7630 2-in one laptop. It has a 16" 16:10 OLED screen with 3840X2880 native resolution. The pixel density is right up there with Apple's Retina display (it's actually higher in some cases) and the OLED makes colours really pop. It came with a rechargeable stylus that seems to be very precise - where I touch the screen with it is where it draws, anyway. With an Intel i7 i360p processor and 32GB RAM it has more than enough horsepower to run Krita, and I've never seen it even hiccup when working on a 6000X4000 pixel image with twenty or more layers. Because it's a real laptop with a real keyboard I can write on it, and when I want to draw I just fold the screen backward and it converts into a tablet.

[Lensing]

It was exactly the same for me, the hand eye coordination thing didn´t work at all.
I tried it every day for one year, but I just turned 40 when I first tried it and that´s
probably the reason. Probably also the reason why I will always miss the texture
of paper

[BoomerZ]

I own a wacom 27inch cintiq and it works great. Never an issue with it. I bought a chinese version and returned it in 2 days, it was not good. I also own a samsung tablet with Spen and it is good if you need a portable device and don't want to spend real money. Used the older cintiqs in animation college and all were good.

[skullforceagents]

Depends on what I’m doing. Normal drawing, I’m using an IPad, (older one). If I’m on my MacBook to do vector drawing or something like that, I use a basic Wacom tablet.

[XiuLyn_12]

I used my father's old Samsung Galaxy for longer than my current drawing tablet. That thing is considered a relic because of how slow it works now! I couldn't even believe I used it.

But I have been using Huion Kamvas 13 since 2021! (I can't believe it's been that long either, damn) It still works perfectly well, I felt like I chose the correct drawing tablet. I have no plans on getting a new one if this one hasn't shown any sign of breaking.

[Lensing]

That´s what all my illustrator friends say about the Cintiq + I´m a shopping victim

[beebutterbee]

Oh this is interesting, I actually hated the feeling of drawing on a Wacom tablet and prefer directly drawing on the iPad. Not so much because of the texture difference but I enjoy drawing directly on the surface instead of being detached drawing a blank screen that translates to the monitor. I did hear they make paper feel ipad screen protectors though to give the same vibe as a traditional drawing tablet, or paper lol.

I got an ipad because it was cheaper than buying a cintiq and a drawing program like photoshop and a desktop computer to use it with. My iPad was used and I got it for around $400 with the pen included. I bet the same ipad is even cheaper now.

[Lensing]

I got the paperlike screen protector on my ipad and the pen is still slipping like crazy
and still feels like hard plastique on glass. I don´t feel any difference to drawing on
the screen. I bought a pen cover made out of some kind of leather and it´s got
better that way because now it has some friction but it´s not as precise anymore

The wacom device you are talking about is the intuos, it didn´t work for me either.
With the cintiq you draw directly on the screen like on the ipad

[justincarbunkle]

5th Gen iPad Pro. I've used it for my comics entire run, and I'm very content with it. I use it with a 2nd Gen Apple Pencil and draw everything in Procreate.

Only other digital drawing device I had before it was a Wacom Intuos. It was okay, but it was uncomfortable enough that it discouraged me from doing much digital drawing.

[beebutterbee]

Ah I see, I hadn’t tried out the paper feel ones myself! And cintiqs are nice, they had them at the college I went to. I just don’t have the right set up for it, all I have is crap laptop so I feel like photoshop would lag so badly I usually draw traditionally though.

[ThunderChicken]

I had the paper-texture thing on my Surface, and I liked it, but man, did it ever chew up nibs for the pen. It did go a long way toward steadying my hand though. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find something like it for my Inspiron.