Drawing Digitally

Help! What do I buy??

I get this question all the time from people diving into the digital drawing realm. I’m not a viral Youtube reviewer, but here’s a quick guide to what’s what when you are looking for digital drawing equipment.

Graphics tablet or Drawing tablet?

A graphics tablet is something you plug into the computer and it allows you to use a pen like a mouse. The pen is usually pressure sensitive, so you can have good line quality (thinner lines when you press softly, thicker lines when you press hard) and some are tilt sensitive as well (some Photoshop brushes are designed to change based on pen tilt – just like a calligraphy pen or paint brush). Sometimes there are buttons on the side that you can program with your favorite keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+Z!!) so you don’t have to keep reaching for the keyboard.

Up side: these tend to be MUCH cheaper than screen tablets. Also, they are more sturdy and portable, good for tossing in your backpack and taking to school without much fear of damage.

Down side is you have to look at your computer screen while your hand is off to the side. It takes some time to get your brain used to this coordination, but give it a week of steady use and your drawing coordination will improve and get up to the level of drawing on paper. #ProTip Sometimes it’s helpful to tape a piece of paper on top of the tablet surface which give you more resistance and makes it feel more like drawing on paper.

Drawing Tablets:

This is where you can draw directly on a screen with that pressure sensitive pen. This means you are looking right at your drawing, just like you would on paper so the hand-eye coordination is natural. Usually, this is a separate device you plug into your computer, so you aren’t drawing directly on the computer screen.

Upside: Drawing with these is easier! You are much more efficient when you can look at your drawing. Most have the same sort of programmable buttons, pen pressure sensitivity etc. as graphics tablets.

Downside: These can be pricey. There’s more things to plug in – power cords, USB and HDMI connections, so check compatibility with your computer. Also, drawing on a screen just feels different than paper so it takes getting used to. You can get a clear screen protector that will give you that slight friction that replicates paper and that can make the experience better.

Tablets and touch screen computers:

Many of the high-end tablets like the iPadPro and SurfacePro have great drawing and animation apps, and an optional pen you can buy to use with them. And many newer computers will convert into a table.

Upside: If you have one of these already you can make animation without buying a new device or connecting anything to your computer. And these are quintessential portable device.

Downside: Tablet computers can generally run any animation program just like a normal computer (assuming you’ve got it well spec’d out), so it’s just the matter of finding a good pen that works with your OS. With a tablet (iPad, and the like), you need to research which apps will work best for your purposes (see below). Pen quality varies GREATLY from device to device. (If you are in the Apple ecosystem, the Apple Pen is excellent.)

Also, output can vary greatly from apps. Check that you can export a frame sequence from the program and transfer it to your computer so you can edit and work with it like any other animation sequence. Some apps will only let you export a compressed video file.

Brands and prices:

Wacom tablets are great – well-built, sensitive and will last a long time. I bought my first graphics tablet, a Wacom Intuos 2 back in 2004 and the thing still works! I upgraded to a cintiq in 2008 and that still works, even tough I’ve since upgraded a few more times. Wacom products almost always end up at the top of the review lists. I personally think the investment is worth it, if you can manage it (ok, enough gushing!).

However, if the price-point is outside your budget right now, there are other options. I have not reviewed any of these, but others have. It’s always good to read outside reviews on electronic equipment before you buy (amazon reviews can be helpful, but I would put more stock in an artist who has reviewed a lot of tablets, like Brad Colbow and  Frenden.)

Brad Colbow’s Top 5 Drawing tablets

Frenden Reviews Huion’s Graphic Tablets

Frenden Reviews Monoprice Graphics Tablets

LavenderTowne Reviews old and new Graphics Tablets

Top 10 Android Drawing Apps

Some anecdotal reviews from my students and colleagues:

“The drawing experience with the iPad is surprisingly good. If a student has an iPad, an apple pencil, and a Mac computer they can use Astropad* for $30 (unfortunately unavailable for PCs as of now) to make a pretty good cintiq alternative. Despite the fact that a tablet for a PC is what I’d recommend, I mention this set up as a lot of the students might already have these products lying around. I’ve known some people who have liked Huion and heard even better things about Xpen. Both brands have drawing tablets for about $30 with good pressure sensitivity (but no tilt).” Ryley

*note: Newer Mac laptops have Sidecar, which also lets you use your (newer) iPad/apple pencile as a cintiq. I’ve tried this out, it’s works ok, but was a bit laggy for me in PS. But in that scenario you can use programs like Photoshop, Adobe Animate, Krita or Clip Studio running off your computer, in addition to occasionally using your iPad itself as an animation machine.

“I use an XPPen Display tablet (XP Pen 22E Pro) its $750 (so on the upper end) but has been good to me for the last few years. They also have some non Display options that are cheaper. I have also heard good things about the Huion range.” – Zoe

If you have a tablet you love, let us know!