New user q: Wacom tablets?

[Jon G]

Hi everybody,

I've been lurking here occasionally for a year that I've owned Xara, but joined only now as will have more time to dedicate to computer graphics. I do web design and print work (along with music&audio stuff) currently for NGO's and friends' comapnies & projects, but I feel like trying my wings as a more serious part-time/freelance some day. I have a pretty well-payed job in sales&marketing, but it's killing my creativity. Over with presentations, this looks like a good resource with freindly athmo, so thanks to the admins, mods & users!

To improve my productivity, I'm shopping around for Wacom tablet. AFAIK, the clones don't really cut it even though some are very wallet-friendly, so original it will be.

If someone could advice me about the differencies between the older product lines (I've seen Intuos2's go with reasonable prices), and their experiences as what comes to the tablet size, I would be very greatful.

My budget is under 200€, but wouldn't really mind paying less under €100 . This means that I'm in the Graphire/older Intuos zone. My main application is Xara X1, but I will learn Blender/Yafray and was really impressed with ArtRage when I tried it yesterday!

Thanks in advance - I don't have any experience with tablets, so your comments will mean a lot!

sunny days,

.jon

[personal site & portfolio delayed by other projects & the good old 9-5]

[Grafixman]

Mike S posted a similar topic a while back...

http://talkgraphics.com/showthread.php?t=17784

If you're looking for a tablet, buy a Wacom. Graphires are good enough for most people. Intuos is more sensitive, but a bit of an overkill, unless you plan to do some serious digital painting or have a very deep wallet .
Small tablets are fine if you have small hands and draw small, short strokes. If you're used to broad movements, a bigger tablet might be more suitable...

[masque]

Tablets are fine if they suit the kind of work you are doing and you have the desk space. I had one for a while. When it stopped working I found I didn't miss it a great deal and when I eventually replaced it I found I didn't use it very much as it seems easier to draw in Xara, (I don't know what software you are going to use), using a mouse. For me, I had far more control over the lines I was producing using the mouse and editing what I had drawn rather than trying to pretend I was using a pencil, because there is no comparison. Theres no feedback for a start, you are just scraping plastic over more plastic.
If you want to draw with a pencil then do so, and scan in the result and work over it.
If you really want a Tablet then Wacom are the only ones that seem to work well; just buy the best you can afford; or the cheapest and see if you get on with it.

Derek

[Jon G]

Thanks for the input, guys, helpful opinions and a good link. I'm getting a Graphire3 XL with the classic S/W bundle. A6 is a bit too small, and A4 is too large to be really useful, so A5 will hopefully be quite perfect for a first tablet.

I'm going to work with Xara (former long-time Corel user), but I often feel that I can't sketch freeform stuff fast enough with a mouse- I end up with a rounded representation of what I had in mind if I use fast mouse movements. I've tried the draw&scan-method, but it really isn't very efficient either. I'm also very interested in pressure sensitive brushes, and scanning doesn't help there.

cheers again & sunny days,

.jon