Hello! My name is Liz Staley and I’m a long-time user of Clip Studio Paint (I started using the program back when it was known as Manga Studio 4!). I was a beta-tester on the Manga Studio 5 program and for Clip Studio Paint, and I have written three books and several video courses about the program. Many of you probably know my name from those books, in fact. I write weekly posts on Graphixly.com and on CSP Tips, so be sure to come back every week to learn more Clip Studio Tips and Tricks from me!

 

I recently got a laptop to take with me when traveling! I haven’t had a proper laptop in a long time and realized that if I was going to do any drawing on it I would need a graphics tablet. So this week, let’s explore the topic of graphics tablets, what they are, the different types, and how I go about choosing the perfect tablet for my needs. My hope is that these tips and considerations will give you some new things to think about before making your first graphics tablet purchase.

 

In this article we will cover the following topics:

What is a Graphics Tablet?

Different Types of Graphics Tablets

What Kind of Tablet Do You Need?

Considerations for Tablet Shopping

 

Let’s get… shopping?

 

 

What is a Graphics Tablet?

A graphics tablet is something artists use to draw digitally. It is usually some type of board (the tablet) and a pen-shaped stylus. There are lots of different types of tablets, which we will cover in detail in the next section. A tablet can be used for photo editing, 3D modeling, computer animation, illustration, digital calligraphy, and more pursuits for which a traditional mouse, touchpad, or touch screen are not suitable.

 

When digital art first started becoming a common thing, tablets were pretty expensive, especially if you wanted a good one. My first tablet had a pen that was attached to the tablet device with a wire, as well as a wire attaching the tablet to the PC! However, as technology has improved, the price of tablets has gone down while the quality has largely gone up. However, this has also made the process of shopping for a tablet pretty confusing because there are so many options out there.

 

 

Different Types of Graphics Tablets

There are basically three different categories of graphics tablets - pen tablets, pen displays, and stand-alone tablets.

 

Traditional tablets are a board and a pen shaped stylus that MUST BE ATTACHED TO ANOTHER DEVICE TO OPERATE. Usually the tablet attaches to the other device via a cord, however there are many very good Bluetooth or wireless options available now that work well and are far more flexible with setup than a traditional wired model. These types of tablets are usually the least expensive, but of course if you do not have a desktop, laptop, or other device capable of connecting the tablet you will also need to purchase that. These tablets also have a slightly higher learning curve because you will be using the tablet and pen on the desktop or in your lap, but have to look at the screen of your device to see what you are doing. This requires some hand-eye coordination, but most people will get used to it and have no issues after a few hours of practice. An example of this type of tablet is the Wacom Intuos.

 

 

Pen Displays are tablets that connect to another device- such as a desktop or laptop - but that also have a monitor screen inside of it. This monitor screen is what you use the pen stylus on to create your art. You will still need another device such as a desktop or laptop to run this type of tablet, but it is more like working traditionally because you are looking at what your hand is doing. You can usually set these up to either mirror to the tablet so it shows the same image on both screens, or to have each screen work like a separate monitor, which is my preference so I can look at references on the second monitor or watch videos. An example of this type of tablet is the Wacom Cintiq.

Stand-alone tablets are a tablet with an operating system that works as its own device with storage, but also comes with a pen that can be used on the screen to draw or write. You will not need another desktop or laptop to run this type of tablet, and they are very convenient for creating on the go because you only need to pack one device and the pen. However, these are usually the most expensive type of tablets and depending on their operating system you may need to purchase special mobile app versions of your drawing software of choice. An example of this type of tablet is the Wacom Mobile Studio Pro or iPad.

What Kind of Tablet Do You Need?

Now that you know about the different types of tablets, it’s time to ask yourself what kind of tablet you need. There are many things to consider here, and here’s some of the questions you should answer before settling on a tablet.

 

What is my budget?

Will I be using this tablet on a desk or on the go?

How large of a tablet do I want? If the tablet will be on a desk, how much space is available on the desk?

What software/OS do I need the tablet to run on?

Do I want a screen or not?

Do I need express keys on the tablet for shortcuts?

Does the tablet need to be stand alone, or will I be connecting it to another computer?

 

Before we continue, a term that you will see a lot when shopping for graphics tablets is “Pressure Levels”. This refers to how sensitive the pen stylus is. The more pressure levels, the better when it comes to creating art. This will allow you to create thin or thick lines with one tool just by varying the amount of pressure you apply to the stylus. Most tablets now-a-days have thousands of levels of pressure. 4,096 levels is a good amount for a tablet, but the higher the better! I’m not looking for a certain pressure level amount because this tablet is going to be for on the go art and not to replace the Cintiq I have at my desktop, so it doesn’t need to be the most sensitive tablet ever.

 

With all this in mind, I made a list of parameters I wanted to look for in my new tablet to go with my laptop.

 

 

My list of parameters:

    + Mustfitinsidelaptopbag(lessthan16x12inches)

           + Musthavegoodsizedrawingsurface(Idrawlargeonpapersomorespaceisbetter)

                     + Stylusthatdoesn’tneedbatteryisaplus(sometabletstylusrequireabatterytorun,Idon’twanttohavetocarrybatterieswithme)

           + WirelesspreferablebecauseIwon’talwayshavecontrolofmyspaceandneedtobeflexible

       + IfthereareExpressKeys,mustbecompatiblewithlefthandeduse

• CompatiblewithWindows11

   + Trustedbrand(Wacom,Huion,XPPen)ormusthaveoverwhelminglygoodreviews
  
     + Screennotneededbutwouldbeaplusifitfitsthebudget
  

• Budgetunder$200

 

 

Considerations for Tablet Shopping

With those parameters set, I’m going to go to Amazon and search for “graphics tablets”. Even if I do not end up purchasing through Amazon, I do like to start here because I can see lots of different options and customer reviews all in one place.

Let’s start taking a look at some results, while keeping my list of parameters in mind. The first option on the search results is a Wacom Intuos bluetooth model. This is a traditional type graphics tablet without a screen and that must be connected to another device, which is just what I’m looking for.

One of the most important things to me is the size of the tablet. Because this is going to go with my laptop, it must fit inside of my existing laptop bag. However, I also know that I am more comfortable drawing in a larger area (when drawing in a sketchbook I tend to take up the entire page) so having as large of a tablet as I can that will still fit in the bag and not be too big to travel with would be ideal. Looking in the product details tells me that this Intuos tablet is about 10x8 inches, which would definitely fit in the bag and is a decent size drawing area.

The thing I don’t like off the bat about the Intuos is that the shortcut buttons are on the top, which I usually find hard to use compared to buttons on the side. However, Wacom is a brand I trust a lot, so this tablet is in the running as it checks most of the boxes on my list of requirements.

 

Now let’s take a look at another brand and type of tablet. This Huion tablet is a pen display tablet, so you use the stylus directly on the screen. Huion is a brand I’ve heard of, but I haven’t tried this brand before.

 

 

When looking carefully at the information, I did notice that this tablet has shortcut buttons, however it doesn’t say if the tablet can be used in another orientation for left-handed users, which I would need.

And of course the biggest problem with this tablet is that it’s over my budget! However, for an introductory pen display this is a really good price and the reviews are good as well. If I was looking for a tablet with a screen this one would be in the running, provided that it can be set up for left-handed users as well.

 

Let’s take a look at another tablet option. This one is an XPPen brand, which I have heard of before, and it currently has a 4.4 star rating on Amazon. I can see from the title that the stylus doesn’t require a battery to operate and that the drawing area is 8x5 inches, and there are shortcut buttons, so let’s take a closer look.

 

Opening the listing and looking at the photos, I can see that the tablet connects either via Bluetooth, via an included wireless dongle, or via the included cord. I like that the cord is a 90 degree one so it sits tighter to the side of the tablet, which would be great especially if I do need to use the cord at some point!

 

 

After looking carefully at the product dimensions, the pressure levels, and whether the tablet can be rotated to accommodate left-handed artists (It can!) I’m pretty interested in this one. My next step is to look at the reviews that other buyers have left for this tablet. I like to look at both the really good reviews and the really bad ones, because I find that the truth is usually somewhere in between. This also prepares me for any issues that might be common with the hardware or drivers.

One of the things I really like about Amazon reviews as well is being able to see photos of the item. On another tablet that I looked at while searching for one that I actually liked, one of the reviews said that the photos of the tablet showed a 90 degree USB cord but that it came with a standard cord, however on the photos for this XPPen tablet I can see that it does come with the slimmer USB connection.

My next step to make sure that I’m getting the tablet that’s right for me is to search Google with the tablet name to compare prices and see more reviews. Any tablet that’s been out for a bit will probably have reviews from both technology channels and art channels on YouTube, and I recommend watching a few of these to get a better idea of the pros and cons of the model you’re looking at.

One of the things that I was kind of looking for but wasn’t on my requirement list was hopefully finding a tablet that wasn’t black. This is because I often am at other people’s houses taking care of their pets and having something brightly colored makes it easier for me to see it and not accidentally leave it behind (and if I do leave it behind, it is usually more obvious that the item does not belong with the other tech in the house!)

 

When looking at the Medium sized XPPen, the only colors available were black and a dark green. However, when watching YouTube reviews I discovered that this tablet also comes in a slightly larger size, in the same color range that the Medium size was made in. This larger tablet still fits into the requirements of fitting in my laptop bag, while giving me a slightly larger drawing area, and though it is not available in the pretty blue color, the pink one is in stock!

 

 

Once you’ve chosen your graphics tablet, keep in mind that you may want to get a drawing glove - especially if you are getting a display tablet or standalone tablet! These are fairly cheap gloves that cover the side of your hand and usually your pinkie finger, though sometimes they also cover your ring finger as well. This keeps you from leaving handprints all over your tablet and can also provide “palm rejection” if your tablet also has a touch screen, preventing you from making unwanted marks or pressing buttons while drawing.

Now that you know what kind of tablet you want, it’s time to make your purchase! Once your tablet arrives make sure that you follow connection instructions (if you didn’t get a standalone tablet with its own operating system) and download any drivers recommended by the manufacturer so you can make the most of your tablet’s settings. Some tablets need the drivers for pressure and tilt sensitivity to work. If you got a tablet without a screen, make sure that you do some exercises like hatching lines and circles to get used to looking at the screen while your hand is moving elsewhere. Give yourself time to get used to the new tablet, it may take some adjustment no matter what type of tablet you got!

Conclusion

I hope this gave you some insight on the different types of tablets, what to look for in a tablet, and how to make shopping for your first tablet a stress free experience. Happy drawing!

 

For more information on CLIP Studio Paint, please visit https://www.clipstudio.net/en or https://graphixly.com