TWCL

[scottry]

So I've read lots of reviews and such and have decided to purchase a graphics tablet. I'm leaning towards the Wacom splash, any tips, suggestions, advice? Also if anyone has abused graphics tablet they'd like to sell I might be interested

[iaviv]

If it's your first tablet you may want to consider a cheaper alternative, like Monoprice. I just got one of their graphic tablets and it's great. I used a Wacom before that but didn't feel like paying a fortune for a new tablet (I'm broke!). Wacom are great, though, no doubt.
Also, if you can try the tablet before buying it - go for it. If it's your first then it may not mean much, it takes time to get used to working on any tablet.
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[vulpeslibertas]

I've got a Wacom Bamboo. Very nice, screen feels a lot bigger than it looks. Definitely try before you buy, especially for higher end stuff.
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[Casual Notice]

I also have a Wacom Bamboo. Sadly, mine comes from a period when the guys at WaCom decided that the world would be tablet-driven, and everyone would want to use a pen nstead of a mouse, so it has no mouse. It also has no eraser-tip on the pen for some reason. Hopefully they switched back to tablets that non-psychotics can use.
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What I lack in sincerity, I make up for in sarcasm.
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[iaviv]

Casual Notice wrote:

I also have a Wacom Bamboo. Sadly, mine comes from a period when the guys at WaCom decided that the world would be tablet-driven, and everyone would want to use a pen nstead of a mouse, so it has no mouse. It also has no eraser-tip on the pen for some reason. Hopefully they switched back to tablets that non-psychotics can use.

You actually use the eraser...? There's a shortcut for that, and a whole lot of other stuff. I only use shortcuts, in fact. That's why you have two hands. Flipping the pen is nonsense. Why would you want to waste time on that. Not to mention there's buttons! Do you really need a third button? Why?
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[Casual Notice]

What can I say, I'm old. Flipping the writing instrument over to the eraser is as naturaly to me as dialing the phone or winching open the sluice gate of my irrigation ditch.
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What I lack in sincerity, I make up for in sarcasm.
S*P*Q*R

[LiamMac]

I have very little artistic skill so I'm debating getting a tablet to see if this will compensate for the problem. However the cheapest available is a Wacom Bamboo for £99 so if anyone can tell me if I'm wasting my time/money it'd be much appreciated.

[Kail]

I'd argue it depends what you're trying to do, what you're looking to get good at. In general, I wouldn't get a tablet to improve your drawing skills.

If you're looking to get good at traditional drawing techniques, then I'd say the money is much better spent on drawing supplies and, unfortunately, practice. A lot of practice. A tablet just makes it easier for what you draw on the computer to look like what you draw by hand.

There are some types of drawing (painting, for example) which can be tough to do in real life (or require special setups or equipment) and if you're going to be working digitally anyway, a tablet might be helpful in that respect. But in general, a lot of the skills you'll need to pick up are pretty universal regardless of what tool you're using. Stuff like perspective, anatomy, proportions, scene composition, and so on, aren't helped by having a tablet.

But that's just my opinion.

[Casual Notice]

I agree with Kail. You'd probably be better served getting a sketch pad, a couple of good pencils and pens, and a Teach-Yourself-to-Draw book.
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What I lack in sincerity, I make up for in sarcasm.
S*P*Q*R

[vulpeslibertas]

LiamMac wrote:

I have very little artistic skill so I'm debating getting a tablet to see if this will compensate for the problem.

I'll echo what CasualNotice and Kail said. A tablet is very nice if you already know how to draw. It will be cheaper and better for you to get a cheap sketchpad and burn through some pencils.

Find a good art community where you can get friendly but honest critique.

And amazingly enough, one of the best ways to learn to draw is to make a webcomic. You do regular updates for a year or two, and you'd be surprised how much that alone will improve your style. Take just about any major webcomic and compare the first comic with the latest comic.

Buying a tablet without knowing how to draw is like buying a Ferrari without knowing how to drive: it just makes the eventual wreck more expensive. So please don't blow your budget on it until you know you can actually use the tool.
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[Metruis]

LiamMac wrote:

I have very little artistic skill so I'm debating getting a tablet to see if this will compensate for the problem. However the cheapest available is a Wacom Bamboo for £99 so if anyone can tell me if I'm wasting my time/money it'd be much appreciated.

You can get a Wacom Bamboo for cheaper than that! (I just noticed that pounds symbol.)

The tool won't make you a better artist. It'll just make it easier to do digital art... and I would like to note that I was digitally painting with a mouse before I got a tablet; I knew it was my interest and that to carry out what I knew I would eventually get to be good at, I'd need a tablet.

I started with a pencil, a sketchbook, and acrylics. However, tablets are nice if they're in your budget. And you can go for way cheaper off of eBay, brand new... http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEWEST-Wacom-Bamboo-Splash-Pen-Tablet-CTL471-with-2-FREE-Full-Version-Software-/261101787824?pt=US_Graphics_Tablets_Boards_Pens&hash=item3ccae11ab0 70 bucks + shipping.
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