Tablets for Artists ?

[eastmen]

My buddy is an artist and hasn't yet made the jump to drawing on computers. I wanted to get him a nice tablet for him to jump into . Under $200 would be great.

I'm looking at the wacom bamboo medium for him. I don't know if i should get him the bamboo or bamboo fun or if there is something else that is better in that price range.

I'd love any help i can get

 

[Davros]

most of the artists i know prefer valium or amphetamine you can get quite a lot for $200
on a more serious note some reviews for you
http://www.otest.co.uk/input-devices/204/graphics-tablets-2.html

 

[ShaidarHaran]

The only artists I know use Wacom products.

 

[INKster]

The only artists I know use Wacom products.

Plenty of Windows Tablet PC's actually use Wacom technology.

 

[V3]

Make him that Wiimote mod, that can turn whiteboard or LCD screen into a canvas. You only need an LED pen of somesort and a stance for the wiimote. Will be more natural compare to a tablet. It'll be like a really cheap Cintiq.

 

[eastmen]

Thanks for the help guys. I went with the bamboo medium. He seems to like it and while its pretty much for newbies but thats good for him.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

Make him that Wiimote mod, that can turn whiteboard or LCD screen into a canvas. You only need an LED pen of somesort and a stance for the wiimote. Will be more natural compare to a tablet. It'll be like a really cheap Cintiq.

That won't replace tablet features like pressure sensitivity or pen tilt angle... and it is very tyring to draw without planting your hands or elbows.

Wacoms are pretty much the industry standard.

 

[V3]

I think they are working on pressure sensitivity. For tilt angle, you can put in an accelerometer in the pen but that's getting complex.

I am sure the demo did use a table, if you want to pivot your hands and elbows. But in real world you don't want to plant your elbows when you are painting anyway.

I am not suggesting Wiimote hack for pro use or to replace real canvas, but just for a bit of fun.

 

[Dresden]

I received an Intuos3 for Christmas and it's marvelous. It was a breeze learning how to use it, which worried me a little. Wacom provides a CD with a very in depth tutorial leaving me with no questions. The only thing I've noticed that takes a lot of getting used to is training yourself to rely completely on whatever is being displayed on your monitor. Tracing/drawing is a little tricky at first. If you're unable to draw without looking directly at the medium, I would suggest the Cintiq which projects whatever's on your monitor directly on the tablet. It's a lot more expensive, though.

 

[Vadi]

I'm satisfied with the Intuos 3 (Wide) too. There seems to be some beta driver available which allows you to map "buttons" to part of the surface. For simple tracing you can just a sheet of paper on it, but a graphite tip should be good also.

 

[Sonic]

Wacom are indeed pretty good. I have an Intuos 3 as well and it works like a charm. Using that with Corel Painter is something I wish more people would do. While not as good as physical media (just my opinion) it sure as hell beats paying for the art supplies needed to do as much work as I can with the Wacom tablet.

My roommate has a Cintiq from a few years ago and still works flawlessly. He had to buy a new pen because he broke his old one.

I might just buy this bad boy for my son who is an extremely good artist at 8 years old.

http://www.wacom.com/cintiq/cintiq-21ux.php

 

[Skrying]

I've considered getting a Bamboo for editing my photography. I used a Intuous3 at a friends a bit and I certainly just felt so much more accurate, and while that didn't exactly make my results significantly better I was able to cut my time down considerably, which was the major bonus. The Bamboo certainly seems worthy of a try considering its rather reasonable price.