PC Peripherals Hardware for digital illustrations - Wacom tablets?

[logistopath]

I want to make digital illustrations. It will entirely be for biology oriented diagrams, so there will be plenty of minor details that need to be accurately depicted. I have two options before me.
1. The age old traditional method of drawing using pens, pencils and paper, and then getting them digitized. The up side is that there is little investment that I need to make. Down side is that, drawing will be cumbersome. Some drawings require pens to be used, and any mistake in them will be difficult if not impossible to correct. Also, the second option is more portable and can be carried anywhere easily.
2. Use a digital tablet like one of those Wacom ones. I have little idea about these. Is it relatively easy to draw illustrations directly while looking at the monitor? Does it offer full control, as in being able to undo a few actions, or copy paste the last action, or something like that..? What format does the illustration get stored in?

Anyone using these tablets, please share your views. How much should I be looking to spend, if I need to buy a decent but basic tablet that meets my requirements?

Tagging @terence_fdes

 

[terence_fdes]

Hi .... howz u ?

Ok. WACOM is the BEST out there. Do not ever settle for any other brand (eg. i-ball etc).

I have been a Wacom user for over 15 years. At the outset itself let me admit that I have no "hands-on" experience with using a wacom for drawing/painting or illustration purposes. I have known of colleagues using specific Wacom products for sketching/modelling/painting etc with great satisfaction. Wacom products last for years and years literally, with all the heavy duty work thrown at it. It is also totally maintenance-free. All buttons on the wacom are customisable & you can programme it as per the software that you use.

I have used the wacom Intuos primarily for my work - with a dual monitor setup using the Avid DS Nitris software & occassionaly minor paint, touch-ups, rotoscopy work. It is the combination of the "pen & tablet" that speeds up work & is extremely efficient. The plain old alternative of using a mouse is very tedious and cumbersome once you get used to a "pen & tablet".

I have used both the medium & largest size wacom Intuos tablets. Size does matter - I consider the smallest size wacom tablets a waste. It slows down your work (especially of one has gotten used to the medium or large size tablets). The small size tablets are ONLY suitable for those who want an alternative to the mouse and NOT be doing any serious drawing, sketching or painting work.

Ideally, I would recommend the Cintiq 13HD - Creative pen display by wacom for your needs. This is expensive (over 72K), however it would last you for years. Check if your institution can sponsor this . When you use the Cintiq - you are directly working within the software - Illustrator; Coreldraw; Paint; Photoshop etc - Your computer monitor gets mirrored onto the Cintiq screen . Saving files is upto you - whatever format the software supports.

The alternative to the Cintiq is going back to a plain tablet only device eg - Intuos Pro Medium or Large size tablet. Note: Almost all of wacoms products are also available on Amazon.in today.

I have not used any of their earlier Bamboo products (these are all "Intuos" today).

Lastly, you must check out the various videos on you-tube for the specific model that you would want to buy, this would make all things very clear to you.

 

[RD274]

With regard to 2 --- Ive used Wacoms for a couple of years now and honestly the experience has been less than stellar. Sure there are a lot of benefits to working digitally but me and many of my friends just couldn't work (long term) with a tablet. We tried for a month or two and then eventually just got fed of it and went back to pencil and paper. We now only use it when we have particular work that requires detailing or finishing. So honestly even if you do get a Wacom it will take time for your hands to set to this style of input and even if you do, theres no guarantee that you won't want to go back to traditional pen/paper. The tab connects straight to the pc so you can use it with almost anything - paint, illustrator, art rage, photoshop, although few softwares like PS take advantage of the Wacom pressure and tilt sensors (which I'm guessing you won't need anyways). So all the usual undo, copy/paste, save formats etc all depend on the application you choose and I recommend Photoshop just because it is a solid all-rounder but if you want something fancier with more features and options then theres Art Rage.

Nowadays we draw rough drafts with a pencil and paper, then scan that and then redraw it digitally. Its sounds like quite a process but its literally the best of both worlds.

For the tablet, I really don't think you need an Intous series product as you simply don't need that level of features and hardware, plus they cost a bomb even for the small ones. A simple Bamboo Fun Large should do it (9k).

Also, if you're coming close to pending that level of money have you looked into the Xolo Tegra Note tab? Its a full blown Android tab with a fast Tegra 4 chip and has a reasonably capable stylus. You can work from anywhere although you are limited to a smaller screen.

 

[logistopath]

Thanks for the detailed replies.. I will be spending out of my pocket, so really not possible to spend lots of cash. I was thinking about 5K max, but obviously it seems I have to revise my budget or settle with the first option.

 

[YashBhatt]

Similar to terence and RD274, I also have been using a Wacom for quite sometime now and personally find it much better than using a mouse. It gives me better control and precision over what i create, similar to writing with a pen rather than using a mouse for it. Pen Tablets will definitely give you better control when drawing illustrations as it would be technically the same as drawing with your pencils but producing a digital output instead of a regular paper handwork and honestly, be it Photoshop or illustrator, these DTP/Design software's are much more forgiving than your average pencil/pen/paper artworks (lots of redo's and undo's).

So, If you have decided to go for a pen tablet there is none better than the Wacom line up but the only problem is that the recent bamboo line-up has been revised into Intuos which cost a lot more than what the earlier bamboo tablet's used to but as terence mentioned you can still grab them from sites like Amazon and Ebay.

Now, according to your budget and use, I would recommend going for this particular model - Wacom One Medium
It's a medium sized tablet which is really good if you haven't owned a Wacom yet or need some hands on practice with these tablets, you can shift to an Intuos Pro or a Cintiq at a later stage but that's just my personal opinion.

 

[logistopath]

^^ Yeah.. I am convinced enough to go for option 2 and buy a tablet. I have been looking at the One by Wacom. I will have to stretch my budget a little for the model you mentioned. How important is it to go for ones with larger active areas? I mean, the same can be achieved on smaller ones, right? I know it will make a difference, but will it be huge?

How good are the options from Monoprice, Tursion Huion or UC Logic? I came across these brand names from a comment on Amazon.in. Does anyone here have any experience with these?

 

[RD274]

^^ Yeah.. I am convinced enough to go for option 2 and buy a tablet. I have been looking at the One by Wacom. I will have to stretch my budget a little for the model you mentioned. How important is it to go for ones with larger active areas? I mean, the same can be achieved on smaller ones, right? I know it will make a difference, but will it be huge?

How good are the options from Monoprice, Tursion Huion or UC Logic? I came across these brand names from a comment on Amazon.in. Does anyone here have any experience with these?

Not really sure about the new Wacom range or the brands you suggested but larger active areas make a hell of a difference. Drawing tablets (by default) make an exact copy of your screen in the surface area of the tab, so basically having a larger surface area translates to far better accuracy as you move the pen across the surface area. The main benefit I have seen is that you can work at lower zoom levels (and see more of the canvas) if you have more surface area. For example, if I used my friends Bamboo Fun large I could work on canvases in Photoshop with zoom levels of 80x without having trouble with pen accuracy especially with thin brushes, but if I used my own Bamboo Pen and Touch I'd have to zoom in to around 120x to get that level of accuracy.

Obviously a larger surface area means you will have to move your hand more, but you can always limit your surface area/input screen space in the Wacom Tablet Preferences.

 

[logistopath]

Okay. That makes things clear. I should be looking at a medium size tablet at least, in that case.

 

[YashBhatt]

Okay. That makes things clear. I should be looking at a medium size tablet at least, in that case.

For Digital illustrations and paintings where there is lot of hand movements and variation required, having a medium / larger surface area doesn't let you fall off the grid that easy but then again depends on your style of working with illustrations. I have people at work who produce wonderful illustrations even with small pen tablets so the necessity of getting high end tablets to make better artwork at this stage is just a myth.

First get comfortable with your transition from paper to digital artwork then upgrade whenever you like and stick with Wacom for pen tablets. Their products might be expensive but they produce quality stuff