Wacom Art Tablets

[Anime Kidd]

I've been looking into Wacom tablets/art tablets so I could try my hand at CG coloring and general artsy stuff. I was thinking of Wacom's Graphire 4x5 tablet, but as I've never seen one I don't know how they are. Does anyone here have one? What were your experiences with it? Does it make CG-coloring easier? How about reouchs and pure CG drawings? What are some other concerns with them?
Oh, and what the surface area of it? I'm under the impression that the area of the pad equals te total computer desktop space. What I mean is that I won't have to keep picking up the pen and moving it to keep like a mouse? Or would the pointer move accordingly even though I picked up the pen and moved it elsewhere? Does that make sense?

 

[pogre]

I'm not a cpu artist of any kind, but I use my small wacom tablet all the time. I can do a lot with the small size and you do have to move around what you are working on with the small size, but only if you are working on something huge. I'm not familiar with the model you are talking about - mine is an older one I purchased on close out.

 

[TogaMario]

I have a Graphire 3 tablet that's a little larger than the one you were looking at, and the sum of the it's surface is equal to whatever resolution your screen is at. Pointing at the very top of your tablet area would move the mouse (instantly) to the top of your screen, and moving to the bottom of your tablet would move your pointer to the bottom of your screen. It's one of the best things i've ever bought for my PC Since I do some conceptual art, it's invaluable.

 

[JVisgaitis]

Does anyone here have one? What were your experiences with it?

I have a Wacom Bluetooth and I've owned at least half a dozen of their tablets. We use them for all of our artwork. They work great. I couldn't recommend anything more then Painter IX, Photoshop, and a Wacom.

Does it make CG-coloring easier? How about retouches and pure CG drawings? What are some other concerns with them?

A heck of a lot easier. Using a mouse is no comparison. And its not like you can't get the same results with a mouse, its just that a Wacom at least IMHO is 200% more efficient. The only really concern is the learning curve. You are drawing but not looking at what you are doing. I know people that can use a Wacom as good as a pencil and a piece of paper. I'm really proficient with one, but I do find it easier sometimes doing an initial sketch and scanning it.

Oh, and what the surface area of it? I'm under the impression that the area of the pad equals te total computer desktop space. What I mean is that I won't have to keep picking up the pen and moving it to keep like a mouse? Or would the pointer move accordingly even though I picked up the pen and moved it elsewhere? Does that make sense?

Your correct. The area of the pad is equal to your screen, but you can set it up different ways. I have mine set to be equal to my screen as that works the best for me. I would certainly pick one up. The one you are looking at is like $99 isn't it? Its definitely worth trying out at least.

 

[Anime Kidd]

I've been reading on a few other boards on tablets and they've said the samething about not looking at what your doing. I also heard that the pad is real slick, making it kinda awkward to use at first. Sounds like fun. =)

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[A Crazy Fool]

what are you using it for (and what's your budjet), i personally use a wacom intuos 9x12, a lot better but a lot more expensive. I'd advise against buying anything smaller than a 6x8.

 

[A Crazy Fool]

oh yeah, the pad is reeeely sticky, i tape a sheet of watercolor paper over my tablet, it helps.

 

[Anime Kidd]

Well I'm planning on getting the 4x5 to see how it goes then go 6x8 if I can work with it. As for what I plan on doing with it, well I'm gonna try to put color to my art instead of always having pencil shaded pieces. I will also try to use it for practice sketches and the like. Might even make maps for my homebrew since I always seem to be redoing it and wasting paper.

Oh one more thing. I also heard that there is a special clear sheet that one could put over a sketch so you could trace whatever picture is unerneath. That true? If it is, it would be a great help in just getting an outline of all my work, make it easier to color instead of dealing with pencil shading.