Which Graphics Tablet for newbie?

[Trent R]

I would also suggest InkBall on Vista, another fun game for tablets.

~Trent

[auriond]

Just for reference: earlier upthread there was a question about Genius tablets. I've just lost my Wacom pen (I'm really bummed ) so I've resorted to borrowing my husband's Genius G-Pen M712. It's heavier than my Intuous 3 and the pen runs on batteries.

Of course it goes without saying that I prefer my Wacom: the Genius tends to lag a little, especially when the pen goes near the edge of the tablet where there are all these shortcut keys. Also, the pen nib retracts slightly into the pen when you put pressure on it, which I'm really not used to. I prefer the illusion of using a real hard pen, but that's just me and my years of being a loyal Wacom user. And the blue lights on the top are kind of distracting...

But there my list of complaints stops. In every other way it's almost identical to my Wacom. Sure, the pen's shaped weirdly so that you can only really hold it one way comfortably, but that hasn't been an issue to me yet. One advantage this thing has over my Wacom is that its touch-sensitive parts are all on top, so I never touch them accidentally. And finally the price - it's less than HALF the price of the Wacom, with a HUGE drawing area! If I were a little less picky about tablets (i.e. if I were buying my first tablet) this would be a great bargain.

So yeah, make of that what you will. Right now I'm feeling a lot less panicky about having lost my Wacom pen. That actually says a lot about the Genius's ability to replace the Wacom.

[cuestaluis]

I've had my share of cheap tablets in the past, and I can say they are ok for beginners (I actually learned on them). It also depends on how much you will actually use them. I personally have to use it all day long, as I work as a graphical artist/designer, so I may have some problems due to wear and tear.

First I bought a Trust one (A5), worked fine for a few months, then the pen broke in half, litterally.
I then re-bought the same model because a replacement pen would cost more or less the same with shipping and stuff. Again worked fine for a year or so, then it started making weird jaggy lines when I attempted to draw.
I got a Genious one for my birthday the next year (A4), and it didn't give me any problems other than a little lag (jaggy lines) sometimes, but nothing to worry about.
Finally I decided to switch to Wacom when I got my job, so I went big, and got an Intuos 4 Large, it's got different tips that feel like drawing with different materials, it's orgasmic. (I wonder if the Bamboo has spare tips as well, they make a difference)

So there, on my opinion, Trust ones are the most fragile, Genious feels like the Trust ones but has lasted more and are a great start, cheap and reliable as well. And Wacom is top notch, although I might need to order more tips as they get consumed preety quickly, way more expensive, but it's worth it if you plan on giving your tablet a lot of use.

[Babar]

Guess what I got today?

It is a Wacom Bamboo Fun small (5.8x3.7). So far I have no complaints, but I get the feeling my wrist will be aching in a bit soon, as the angle of the wacom/desk isn't all that comfortable. I've been going at it in Adobe CS2, and I think it is more some memory problem with my PC, because (among other unrelated stuff) occasionally, like right after I save, it starts lagging. As you can see, right now my art seems more of a blur-fest hi-res version of most of my pixel art, but I'm learning slowly .

[2ma2]

Most amateur artists draws with fine movement. In these cases a A5 or even A6 is to recommend. Professional artists tend to work with greater and greater movement, and prefer to zoom in to >200% even on highres images for precision work.

Therefore, first take a look on your analogue technique. The above is of course a generalisation.

Me myself started out really small, but started working on larger and larger originals. When I finally bouught a tablet, I went for a used Intous 3 A3. There's no real wear and tear on these suckers and a new stylus is (relatively) cheap. You can always scout eBay for a nice deal.

I'll second the oppinion on older models. New models mean new finesses, but they does not have a direct impact on your drawing. I checked out the Graphire 4 on SPX09, which had a couple of nifty gadgets to increase and decrease brushsizes dynamically and a focus mode. But apart from an alleged increased pressure sensitivity, everything new was time saving gadgets.