Jeph Jacques answers the question "Should I buy a Wacom Tablet?"

[Rob]

At his Tumblr account.

http://jephjacques.tumblr.com/post/672829621/should-i-buy-a-wacom-tablet

[Alectric]

Very sound advice, I believe.  It's basically the impression I'd gotten from my own experiences, but it's nice to see it validated.

Even now it takes a lot more effort to use my tablet than to draw normally, and I just know that a Cintiq would be so much easier to use, but if I'm not doing comics professionally then it's not a very reasonable investment.  I am getting better with my tablet, but like he says the learning curve is STEEP and it can get rather frustrating.

[Cary]

I would seriously consider prostitution for one of those freakin' cintiqs! That's simply wicked!

[Gibson]

He's never used anything but a Wacom, but he's pretty sure everything else is inferior. That's fine logic.

And again, why is everyone so closed to the idea that these things might be good for something other than drawing?

[Cary]

He's never used anything but a Wacom, but he's pretty sure everything else is inferior. That's fine logic.

And again, why is everyone so closed to the idea that these things might be good for something other than drawing?

Well I actually have a Wacom 16" (at least I think that's the size. It's the big one) and I like it well enough. I suck with it, but that's not because the tablet sucks that's because I haven't had the time to get used to it yet. Everyone I've worked with as colorists uses them for coloring as well so they're useful there big time. I just want the big Cintiq because I think as he says the learning curve would be less and it looks crazy fun to work on. :)

[Gibson]

I have a Wacom too and I think it's fine, but I've used a few others and I don't notice a huge difference. The better ones I've used happen not to be Wacom, but the point is if he's never used one, he should probably not comment on the quality.

[Cary]

yeah very true. It's kinda hard to be an authority on something you know next to shit about.

[Gar]

I would seriously consider prostitution for one of those freakin' cintiqs! That's simply wicked!

I got a preowned Cintiq on eBay for E300. It's one of the older models (max display resolution 1024*768), but it's a very cool toy. Looking into the cheaper options is probably a better idea than renting out your orifices.

[JGray]

This is true. While Wacom haqs the best rep, that doesn't mean other tablets are inferior. With touchscreen technology and tablet technology intersecting, people might want to hold off buying something new until the dust settles from the pad/tablet build up. I suspect the next generation of tablet based computing will be something a little more special than this one.

[ran]

I have to disagree with his assessment that a bamboo can cut it, at all. I have a smaller Wacom Graphire 3 whose mouse I accidentally busted years back by knocking it off a table. I saw that bamboos of the same size were on sale at staples last year, and thought to myself, oh hey, the stylus' and mouses are interchangeable, I could have a mouse again! I picked one up, and on a whim, installed the bamboo and took it for a test run.

The difference in sensitivity was very, very obvious, and even with the correct drivers installed and two or three shutdowns, the lines looked super jittery unless you were zoomed in to like 400% while making them. It felt weird, and I was actually kind of angry that my five-year-old, well worn tablet worked better than something brand new. If you're going to go the cheap route, pick up a refurbished graphire 4 or something. Stay away from bamboo.

[Funderbunk]

You actually use the mouse that comes with the Graphire 3? I've never used that on any occasion. I'm not even sure why it comes with a mouse.

I do agree with your post though. I've gotten to try out pretty much all Wacom models (animation student, yeah) and I've owned a Graphire 3 since they first came out (super-cheap from Hong Kong) around five years ago, which it still works fantastic, whenever I try out a Bamboo I always get the feeling it just doesn't work properly. I actually still prefer my smaller Graphire 3 to the larger Intuos as well, despite the size difference.

As for the Cintiqs, I think Jeph's being unfair towards the smaller model. While not quite at the same level of the 21ux, the 12" one works perfectly fine and has one obvious advantage over the larger model: it's FAR easier to carry. Perfect for freelance artists and students. My girlfriend actually owns one and she's incredibly happy with it.

As for different brands, I'm actually inclined to agree with Jeph. I guess it's possible that there are better ones, in fact, there probably are. But after my experience with Trust tablets (breaking within six months, common problems not covered by the warranty, no proper driver support, bad hardware) and similar experiences from fellow students, I'm not going to take that risk until I'm absolutely sure it's reliable and have seen a lot of work made with it and testimonials from people I actually know.

[Rob]

I have an Intuous 3 that I like a lot and I've installed the software on two of my three computers. It isn't very stable. Both computers give me "please reinstall tablet software" errors upon startup... all the frickin' time.

And no, reinstalling the software does not help the matter.

But the tablet works fine. Fully functional as I can tell.

But recently I wanted my artist to see if he could get used to using a tablet. Despite what Jeph says here some folks do take to tablets like a duck to water. Since Corey does everything by hand (except colors) I wanted to see if he quacks. His style for the comics is fine and I wouldn't change that unless he wanted to but for things like promotional material or stuff we may want to sell going all digital may really improve the time spent on certain things.

So I sent him my Intuous. And I miss it horribly. I never knew how much I would miss it.

So I was cruising EBay and I figured I'd pick up a cheapie replacement. I bought a Bamboo touch thinking I could pick up the stylus separately. I never really use the Intuous mouse so I didn't need that.

Unfortunately, the Bamboo Touch, despite looking like a regular Bamboo, not only does not come with a stylus, it will never work with a stylus. It only works with your fingers. And I'm here to tell you it works badly with your fingers. The most counter intuitive piece of technology I've ever tried to use. Fights me with everything I try to do with it.

So I'm getting rid of it. I'm still interested in picking up a regular Bamboo with the stylus but I have no idea who this Touch thing was made for or what wretched creature would find happiness in using it. And the software for the Touch also gives me errors.

[klingers]

I'm very happy with how my "ye olde" Graphire 3 is kicking along. It doesn't get as much use as it used to because my drawing process is weird (don't shudder here...) as I mostly draw with a mouse. It throws me off a bit because I'm left-handed, but I typically draw in Flash with a mouse and I use a mouse in my right-hand.

Great when I'm playing around in Inkscape though. It actually gels quite nicely having a mouse on one side of my keyboard and the Wacom on the other without having to move devices around.

Anyway, sorry for rambling. Actually on-topic, that was a good post. I'd personally definitely recommend a Wacom to someone, but probably one of their smaller low-end models for hobbyists.

[Gar]

I typically draw in Flash with a mouse and I use a mouse in my right-hand.

Great when I'm playing around in Inkscape though. It actually gels quite nicely having a mouse on one side of my keyboard and the Wacom on the other without having to move devices around.

Holy crap you can draw ambidextrously on your computer?!

Envy!

[Funderbunk]

I do the same. I use a lot of splines and the Flash editable line tool with the mouse in my right hand, and then I draw using the Graphire 3 with my left hand.

I used to be completely ambidextrous, but then I broke my right arm and it wouldn't heal properly for the longest time (it was in cast for 37 weeks) so it got so out of practice I'm almost entirely left handed now. It put a real dent in my drawing skills because I did most of my drawing with my right hand. :-\