whats a good starter tablet

[DigitalBlaspheme]

I have just recently purchased the bamboo fun which was only about $80. I can't recommend a tablet enough!! I feel my $80 tablet was more than worth it. I'm also a beginner with 2d digital art.

[TomasWarren]

A5 Intuos 3 works fine for me, good sensitivity, good design, sturdy and easily portable

Some professionals will have massive tablets, but its not really necessary if you're a beginner. Indeed i often think less is more in this case, as with a smaller tablet it requires less effort to make a stroke of the same magnitude than on a larger tablet, so i'd argue in this way you have greater control & power with a tablet of A5/A4 size. Thats all assuming you use an absolute mapping mode rather than relative of course

[eyecon]

TomasWarren: Sorry I have to disagree with a little of what you said. A larger tablet could give you bigger control and is quite useful than a smaller one. For one you have a large elbow and palm space second you can always change the area where you can draw, making it a little bit smaller than is it. Also you could "trace" pencil works since you have a larger spave to put your drawings on.

But as with all tablets, its still the artist that decides... I use both small and large Intous 3 tablets, small one for home and when I'm mobile, large one at work. I think thats also the same with Ryan Church. Also I've heard somewhere that Dylan also uses a wacom intous, not sure what series though...

As a recommendation, I suggest Intous 3. Thats the best one out there and a wacom is always a very good investment for every digital artist. Just scrifice a little bit on the price but in the end it's all worth it.

[TomasWarren]

Fair enough, i've never used one larger than my A5 so i've never really been sure as to the benefits of a larger tablet. You don't know till you try i guess

[memod]

I think as long as you are going for wacom, you cannot do much wrong, they are worth their money. I tried aiptek before wacom and was sooo put off.
I had a tiny A6 wacom volito 1 until this year and it served me well for many years.

As for the size, I think it depends on the way you draw. If you draw much out of your wrist, perhaps go for a smaller size, if you draw out of your elbow and with your whole forearm, go for a bigger one. That just accomodates you better. In any case the A5 should be a good compromise.

Model-wise the intuos is definitely the best (well I can't judge the cintiqs, haven't had the chance to get my hands on those, yet, but they're a whole different deal anyway, I guess), but if you're just starting out and unsure about if you will stick with all that and about spending all that money, the graphire line should be fine. As far as I know they only go up to the A5 wide model though. so if you need A4 or more, you can only go with the intuos.
Whichever model you opt for in the end, I think it is well invested money. Have fun with your tablet and show us your paintings! :D

Daniel

[Mobious]

I have some of Dylan Cole's DVDs also. I got them months and months ago, watched them, loved them... and then had no way of trying it myself.

I've wanted to get a wacom too. Personally, I wont be buying one until I can afford a 12wx. $999 is a lot of money, but when you consider what your getting... thats cheap as hell, and worth every penny. I've read reviews, watched video reviews, all on that specific model and even though its the smallest of the 3, it seems like for the whole package, its all you could need. So considering that, I cant justify forking out a couple hundred on a normal tablet, when I could just save longer and get an actual screen to draw on.

But thats still a long way away, so I thought I would just continue to watch my DVDs colect dust until I found this (http://www.collectingsmiles.com/colors/) Its a drawing program for Nintendo DS. You have full control over brush hardness, opacity, and color picker. You can also transfer your paintings from your DS to your computer and scale them to a larger size without loosing any detail.

I dont know what your budget is... But maybe you might want to check out that to hold you over for a while. I already got a DS just for that, but it hasnt arrived yet (got it off ebay) but plenty of people have used it and dont have anything negative to say about it. Just check out the gallery.

So basically you pay a small fraction of the cost (good since your a beginner) and you get a small portable screen to draw on. Take with you everywhere. Practice. Save money. And if you decide that painting is your thing, you can buy a wacom, and at that point you can probly afford a better one that will allow for more usability, combined with the practice you've already gained on your DS, before you know it you'll be getting plugs here.

or so my plan goes.... lol =P

[nickmarshallvfx]

I have a Wacom Intuos 3 A4, and its my pride and joy. I have had it for about a year and a half and it changed the way i work completely (for the better). I think if i were to choose again i would either get exactly what i have now, or perhaps the Intuos 3 A5 wide, coz they have almost the same working area and i tend to work widescreen the majority of the time anyway.

My Intuos 3 A4 is possibly the best piece of kit ive ever bought.

Nick

[DavidStokes]

thanks for all the replies they where very helpful

thanks:)

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