Russell Kluwe – Art Director
When using a creative suite or a computer program, most people are able to get their work done with just the mouse and keyboard. However, a mouse can be extremely frustrating to use when creating digital illustrations or paintings. For these programs it is easier and more comfortable to use a graphics tablet. The most well known brand of graphics tablets is Wacom.
The Wacom Bamboo Tablet
This first series of tablets that Wacom provides is known as Bamboo. The Bamboo series is great for anyone who is looking into buying their first graphics tablet. With its touch sensitive pad, you can easily do activities like photography, art and sketching, digital inking, and general navigation using multi-touch gestures. These tablets usually range from $80 to $200. You can also find older models from $40 to $60 on amazon.
The Wacom Intuos4 Tablet
The second series coming from Wacom is the Intuos4 series, designed for professional use and the serious creatives. These tablets boast greater pen and pressure sensitivity, giving more accurate brush settings. The modified design and layout allows the user to work faster, using custom key binding and shortcuts. I recommend these tablets for more experienced users. Sizes range from small to extra-large and prices varies between $230 and $790.
The Wacom Cintiq Tablets
The most advanced series from Wacom is the Cintiq series. These tablets function much differently from the other two series.Cintiq tablets allow the user to work directly on the screen with HD display. With scratch-free glass, this series allows the artist’s hand to work smoothly across the whole screen. Cintiq tablets are the most accurate with brush precision and control. Users can even adjust the angle of the of tablet to fit his or her personal work space. There are only 3 models of this series so far. The Cintiq 12WX is around $1000, the Cintiq 21UX is $2000, and the Cintiq 24HD is around $2,600.
If you are pursuing a career or hobby in Digital Illustration, I highly recommend picking up one of these tablets!
