Graphics Tablets

[Elegance.Is.Refusal.]

I did a search and couldnt find a thread on them which is strange considering computer software is used alot in fashion illustration.

I've recently just been getting to grips with illustrator and photoshop CS doing a module for uni drawing and editing in these programs. Although i find it very difficult drawing with a laptop mouse pad so was wondering about graphics tablets.

brands, recommendations, pros, cons, does the size of the tablet matter, price, all that computer jargon about dpi etc.

basically any information would be much appreciated

 

[retro-girl]

I have a Wacom Graphire Tablet and I highly recommend it. It's the basic model but works great for what I do...retouching and photo restoration. They have more expensive ones with a lot of extra features but I have never tried them. Here is their website: www.wacom.com

 

[Elegance.Is.Refusal.]

would it be alright for drawing in illustrator?

they seem to to different tablets used for different things, your gona have to be patient with me i am overly stupid when it comes to technology.

god i know nothing

 

[retro-girl]

Yeah, it works great for Illustrator. The only difference between the Graphire and the Intuos are the shortcut key buttons which you don't really need. A larger tablet will give you more space to move around which makes it easier to work but it isn't necessary. If you are just starting out the small one works great.

 

[Elegance.Is.Refusal.]

thanks

i'll get looking into it i may aswell learn abit about the thing i want to buy. although im gona have to save up for it im thinking it will be a good investment.

would you say an A6 one would be too small would an A5 one be a better option considering i dount i'd have the room for an A4 one since im thinking that would be bigger than my laptop

 

[retro-girl]

Welcome

Well I have the A6 size and I haven't had any problems. The A5 would give you more room to work with though. It's just user preference. If I had the money I would get the larger one. B)

 

[Elegance.Is.Refusal.]

its all about the money

supose if i could see one in real life i would get an idea i was just thinking in paper sizes A6 is tiny but then again that probs wouldnt matter with a computer

umm i may have to go on the money preference but i will may aim to save up for the A5 tablet

 

[misssakura]

Yeah, it works great for Illustrator. The only difference between the Graphire and the Intuos are the shortcut key buttons which you don't really need. A larger tablet will give you more space to move around which makes it easier to work but it isn't necessary. If you are just starting out the small one works great.

That's not the only difference. A graphire has half the amount of pressure steps, so if you want to do detailed inking work in photoshop or painter it's really worth going up to an intuos and getting that extra sensitivity to avoid any stepping. I'd recommend trying to find a large Intuos 2 (a4 size) rather than an Intuos A6. I have the A6 and although it's a lovely tablet, the buttons are irritating, they're excellent on A2+ pads because there's a lot of room. But on smaller models you'll find yourself accidentally hitting the buttons all the time. It's easier to get a larger Intuos 2 A2 tablet and use the keyboard at the same time as far as I'm concerned.

I've tried Aiptek and a few other brands and they're just not up to scratch, they belong in the kiddie pool.

If you're only using Illustrator then you're most likely doing bezier pen tool work in which case a Graphire would work fine for what you want, since you can adjust handles and what not later and you wouldn't notice any sensitivity problems.

Also if you're going to be working for stretches of 4 hours + I really really suggest you get a much bigger tablet. This means you can use your wrist ark properly, on the A6 your natural curve is limited. On a larger tablet you won't experience any cramping from drawing on a smaller scale than is recommended .

 

[fourboltmain]

Wow, you girls hit the nail on the head like 5 times. Bigger is better, but since you're using it for school, don't worry too much, just get the biggest you can afford. I like the Intuos series myself, but my broke *** won't have one anytime soon. Check on eBay, you can find them far cheaper than a store price.

 

[Elegance.Is.Refusal.]

misssakura thanks for telling me the difference i thought there might be one but then again i know very little about these things! I dont really have the money for a tablet as big as an A4 one since that would be more i paid for my laptop in the first place

fourboltmain I would try ebay but for some reason i have a great fear of it

 

[girafarig.]

i usually draw it out on paper, scan it, and use live trace. it works quite well and is free! you can still manipulate it after you've expanded it in a vector.