Tablet suggestion (Guide)

[Maps]

I’ve got the iPad Pro and I like it a lot. It is really nice that I can bring it with me anywhere.

But I’ve been eyeing wacoms for a while too.

[Daknight]

Ipad Pro is the best choice for Ipad. I just use the more budget conscious tablets and reason I mention the regular ipad.

Wacom is the pinnacle and if you can get one I can't say no to getting it. There is a reason they are the top brand, but if you looking to save some money I highly suggest checking the Huion brand that has high quality at much more affordable pricing.

[Kiweevil]

Very informative guide
I got my wacom intuos bundle from Amazon, too. Don't let the reviews fool you, the packaged art software is very easy to download. You get two years worth of Clip Studio Paint, free.

[Daknight]

Reviews in amazon can be to hit and miss. The intous is the succesor to the bamboo and my bamboo lasted me for 10 years!! They make great tablet, even the beginners one are good.

Clip studio is what I use and it is indeed a great software, the inclusion of 3d elements make it great for people moving from traditional to digital.

[Mari]

One day I will not be destitute and I'll get a screen tablet </3

(Currently am drawing with a tablet that's pen is broken in half and the cord is broken hell yis)

[Cavechan]

I ended up going with the Cintiq 13HD. I preferred the smaller size so I can easily have it on my lap since I don't have a desk. I compared reviews between the Cintiq and Huion. Some people were saying the Huion's cord was much bulkier and the tablet was heavier which put me off to it since I knew I would be lap drawing. The Cintiq cord is still kind of a beast though since it has the outlet plug, HDMI, USB, and the actual tablet attachment.

Some people were saying the attachment isn't so good though and it is a bit flimsy. Sometimes it does get knocked out a bit during drawing and needs to be readjusted.

[skicoak]

Surface pro and CSP are the weapons I take to war with me.

[Maps]

That’s good to know because a friend was asking for suggestions that are fairly priced and not apple and I blindly suggested the surface.

[LCT_m_a_d]

This is probably well known
But if you use a macbook, do not buy an hdmi powered tablet with the intention of buying an hdmi - USB converter. I bought a Cintiq and never managed to get the screen to work.

The product is pretty decent though... stupid buyer error.

[Rhonder]

Nice guide Dak

I can hop in and talk a little bit about the Huion GT-191 Kamvas list above, as that's the exact model I upgraded to last December. Overall it's been a massive upgrade over the little Wacom Bamboo that I had been using since 2012 (a non-screen tablet with... I think only around 1,000 levels of pressure lol). That one certainly got the job done but moving up into a screen and 8x more pressure has been fantastic. The quality of the tablet itself is really nice, it's durable feeling and has a robust adjustable stand. It's also large enough to comfortably use as a 2nd monitor even when not drawing xD

The downsides that I've noticed after a year of using it: as some reviews I looked at prior to purchasing it said, the lack of hotkey buttons is a little bit of a downer (granted I rarely used the 4 my bamboo had either... but I think now that was mostly because I was a digital art newbie xD).

Also I've heard this about Huion tablets before, but it seems to experience somewhat frequent disconnection issues, at least on my computer. If I walk away for too long without powering it off first it either becomes unresponsive or changes my cursor into this weird little dot that still works but is strange. Sometimes this can be fixed by heading into the tablet software where it'll say "Device Disconnected" and running Administrator Privileges to kickstart it again, other times I simply need to restart my computer after which it's fine again.

Lastly idk if it's just my incompetence in the matter or the screen itself, but I haven't been able to properly color match it to my main screen after 11 months of trying lol.

All things considered I've been very happy with it this last year though, especially for the price. It didn't break the bank too too hard and was a massive upgrade over my previous tablet

[Daknight]

@Mari Amazing you can output your art (which is amazing) i with such limitation! Hope you are able to upgrade soon!!

@cavechan If you can afford the cintiq that is the way to go indeed!! The bulky cable do suck, but is a evil necessity in those kind of tablets!

@skicoak I was almost going with surface, but a long came an ipad air deal that I couldn't refuse (289 whne is usally 499).

@Maps Surface is a great choice if not interested on apple. Similar Android tablet (with stylus support) are just way to expensive. Only one I can recommend that I feel a bit stupid I didn't list it is the Piccasso Tab. Is an android with stylus (already included) and 1024 pressure sensitivity price at 219.

@LCT-COMICS Thanks for this tip! Suck that problem happen though

@Rhonder Thanks for your own review!! I do have the problem of disconnect with my own HuioPro, but is mostly cause of the cable, since is not integrated it can become unplug from the tablet, specially if you use the hot keys and touch it from time to time cause of the location of it.

As for color matching, is hard, heck even same model monitors can't 100% color match. This means two completly different models will even have a harder time, more so uf one has higher brightness output than the other.

[Shanny8]

I bought my iPad last year at Black Friday for $250 from the local Target...I had to pick up an Apple pencil later(I had bought an Adonit stylus at the same time, but they dont work with Clip Studio; does work with Procreate). Still trying to get used working on it; I'm doing okay, but I just need to work with it more, as well as download a few more brushes.

I've had my Intuos tablet since 2015...the stylus is wearing down, but I'm going to stick with it a little longer coz I want to get all my debts paid up first. Next tablet I want to get is the 16" Cintiq for $750...I use CSP on the laptop as well; the plan is to [eventually] use my laptop & iPad to pencil/ink pages, then use the laptop to color/letter.

The main reason for getting my iPad was to eventually eliminate carrying my laptop to the day job, but I still have to- especially since I've fallen behind on my comic making schedule. Once I do catch up(or finish out my current chapter) my plan will be to use my iPad to scribble out standalone art pieces & bolster up my Patreon page.

Oh yeah- if anyone wants a stylus, I have an Adonit Pixel stylus that I'm willing to part with(for a price); it cost me $60 bucks...I'm willing to let it go for a reasonably lower price.

[Daknight]

Cintiq is mostly the dream of all us using tablet xP Though many artist are also using the Ipad Pro for convenience factors of course. IF Wacom ever release a stand alone tablet...that be the dream xP

[sakebento]

I've used Wacom Bamboo (then Intuos) for years now, and they've always been extremely durable for me. The Intuos I'm currently using has touch capabilities, which I actually kind of love? It's not necessarily a drawing feature, but it's made the rest of my workflow a little more convenient.

I recently picked up the Huion H430P for travel. It's tiny, and the texture isn't entirely to my liking (too slippery), but the lines I ink come out a lot smoother than my Wacom. Also, some of the Huions come with battery-powered pens, which I imagine would forget constantly.

[Shanny8]

Would probably be ill advised for Wacom to release a stand alone- especially now that not only have Surface & iPad cornered that market, but their affordable pricing would put Wacom to shame.

[mitchrandom]

I'd like to add that if you want a drawing monitor for your computer (Mac/PC), I think the best deal is probably the XP-Pen Artist 22E Pro. It's more expensive than the listed tablets at about $400, but there are occasional sales and I think it's worth it if you want 21.5" of drawing space. I haven't experienced any bugs with Affinity Designer, Krita, or Inkspace so I can wholly recommend it.

Here's a tip: On Amazon there are two listings for the Artist 22. Both are $400 (Amazon has a 10% off coupon to make it $360 on the listing). One is the 22 Pro and the other is the 22**E** Pro. They are almost identical, but the E variant has 16 extra programmable buttons, so it's a better buy.

Amazon.com: XP-PEN Artist22E Pro Drawing Pen Display Graphic Monitor IPS Monitor 8192 Level Pen Pressure Drawing Pen Tablet Dual Monitor with 16 Express Keys and Adjustable Stand 21.5 Inch: Computers & Accessories

[Daknight]

@sakebento They are indeed durable, I also started with a Wacom Bamboo and thing lasted me for years! I hear you on the texture, the Huion is indeed more slippery compare to Wacom which has a but of a texture feel to them. As for battery a single charge (at least on the one I have) can last almost 2 months, but it is indeed easy to forget to charge it though.

@Shanny8 I didn't research much when I mention stand alone...but they actually do have a stand alone tablet O_O

https://us-store.wacom.com/Product/wacom-mobilestudio-16-s01#/undefined1

The price is clearly beyond Surface and Ipad like you mention, but Wacom has never been known to be in price range of the competition and they still are the standard of quality most people want. With that been said...I would still suggest and Ipad or Surface over this any and every day O_O. Heck you could get and Ipad/Surface with a pencil, a GOOD desktop CPU, a cintiq and STILL wouldn't come near half the price of this thing.

@mitchrandom That is really nice! It has great Pen pressure, size is quite amazing!

[ButterflyEmpress]

I have a wacom intuos tablet, although the model I have is 5 years old and looks slightly different, it's pretty much the same. Even though I scratched it to hell (Due to me not changing nibs when I'm supposed to) it still works new. The only problem I have is that Wacom has buggy drivers, but as of lately I haven't had any issues with it yet.

I also recently bought an iPad(6th generation) and pencil(1st) so I could draw elsewhere without having to lug my laptop around. I saved around 80$ from price matching. I wanted to get the pro, but I'm a cheapskate and don't believe in buying tablets that cost more than a desktop computer. Plus the cheaper options have just what I need.

I'm thinking of getting a Huion drawing monitor whenever my wacom croaks. I can't believe how cheap they are compared to cintiqs!

[Shanny8]

@Daknight I know about the mobile studio...I've also heard stories where people pretty much got tired of dragging their mobile studio all over the place so they invested in smaller, lighter tablets to carry around.

Pretty much Wacom rules the graphic tablet/graphic screened tablet market; if Windows or Apple were to try & make a graphics tablet to compete with Wacom, they'd pretty much lose out as well- coz not only would they have contend with the fact that Wacom is the standard, but then they'd have to contend with other brands that are doing good as well: Huion, Veikk, Monoprice, Yiynova, XP Pen, Ugee...

I think Wacom- as well as Surface & iPad- are doing fine, staying in their lanes.

[Daknight]

@ButterflyEmpress I got myself and Ipad Air in special after seeing many reviews and people drawing on it (and testing it myself). The Pro would be the ideal choice, but even then the regular Ipad or Air with pencil support is still just as good!! Even some profesional artist used it instead of a Pro

Huion is really good and they are indeed cheaper than the cintiq! I am surprise how they have such good quality and the price is just right!

@Shanny8 Don't doubt it, than thing does not look comfortable to drag around at all. Is also probably the reason we barely hear anyone speak about it compare to Ipad Pro and the Surface, or heck even the Samsung S6 tablet!

I don't think Microsoft or Apple want to invest in graphic tablet style Ipad/Surface at all. What they provide is good enough for the market as many people are accepting and doing amazing art with it. I think they rather do collaboration with Wacom instead (and vice versa). Microsoft surface pen was Wacom based before going proprietary after all and Apple allows Wacom to use their apple pencil technology (at least software based part) in their Bamboo pen for Ipad.

As you mention the graphic tablet market has expanded quite a lot with many brands now offering good quality to rival Wacom, especially in the main draw for people: price. Huion has taken a lot of market share and so has XP Pen. The good thing is that thanks to that the market has grown twice the size (based on data from 2017 to 2018) from 280 million to 480 million O_O So yeah, is best Wacom concentrates on it's core market!