Which tablet should I buy?

[Lightning Dust 19]

I want to buy a tablet like a lot of people use to draw mlp on their computers, but I don't really know which one I should buy. I'm not very experienced in drawing yet, but I want one and was wondering if you could also give me advice on the program I should download on my computer for it. Thanks in advance, Isa

[himanuts 165]

Alot of artists use Intuos tablets. Prices range from 150 (smallest tablet) to around 500 (for the largest). 

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=instuos+tablet

 

I used to work with a Bamboo that cost me about 120 with Photoshop Elements several years ago. For what it was, it was pretty fair.

[Leafeon 2,701]

I personally find tablets to be a bit overrated... but I would suggest getting a bamboo. They are quite cheap, and come with a lot of good programs.

[SkyBound 825]

Since you say you are just starting out and you are genuinely interested in a tablet, you best choice may be the Bamboo Wacom tablet.  It is the most inexpensive tablet Wacom offers and it should provide everything you need to start out in digital drawing.  As far as program, I believe when you buy a Wacom tablet, you also receive a couple programs to use with it though I could be mistaken.  For digital painting, there is Sai and Gimp, with the latter being free to use.

 

Just remember that just because you have a tablet does not mean that you drawing skills will increase any quicker.  Just like the pencil, it is merely a tool to help you practice, which is the only course for improvement.  I should also mention that my knowledge of digital painting is quite limited, so hopefully someone else will be able to fill in the large gaps I have left.  Happy drawing and good luck!

[akita-ken 581]

Starting out with a tablet you say? Get a Wacom Bamboo, they come cheap and get the job done. They've recently refreshed the product line with some new names and such, but the Bamboo Pen I got last year was the best hundred dollars I've spent so in a long while. (And the tablet area is really not that bad, it's small but definitely adequate enough for drawing)

 

Have you tried drawing with a mouse though? Don't underestimate the mouse, I started off with my mouse and I can safely say that while a tablet is something that is nice to have, it is not a necessity for you to generate results, all it does is just make life slightly easier once you're used to it. You don't have to master it, but it definitely helps if you can adapt to either. You will be surprised at how much control you can get with a well-calibrated mouse with a decent-dpi, nearly all gaming mice meet the mark.

 

As far as drawing programs are concerned, if you're using a tablet, you'll definitely want to take a look at Paint Tool SAI and Photoshop. Both are paid programs. Otherwise if you're looking for free, then you'll have to settle with GIMP or some other alternative. Of course, if you're thinking of going into vector art then that's a different ball game, for that you'll be looking at Illustrator as a paid option and Inkscape as a free one. Take the time to experiment and choose your starting path 

[Lightning Dust 19]

I went to a shop and I found something there. I got really excited because it looked very good and well it's name is Slimline Widescreen Tablet. The brand is called Trust. I bought it already

[CloudFyre 848]

Wacom is always a good company to go with. They're strong, durable, easy to use, and have legendary status in the tablet realm. I can almost guarantee you that the artists drawing up MLP are using Wacom tablets. (Most likely the Cintique line, but those are $2000+)

If you want a cheaper one that works well, go with the Bamboo line from Wacom. You can find them brand new for under $100, and they work excellently for the price. Some have extra buttons as well that you can program as shortcuts to certain tools, which is especially handy when using Photoshop, etc.

[Death By Chocolate 12]

You should get the Wacom Bamboo as suggested by many other people above me.

 

I bought one 2 years ago at Best Buy and it's still working perfectly fine!