Which size Wacom should i buy?

[Cergorach]

I've always wanted a Wacom tablet, a year and a half ago i bought (on
impulse) a huge Wacom CAD digitizer (a very old model, something like
18"x24"), the problem is that i can't place the thing (to large) and i can't
get any pens for it. So now i want to move on to the new Intuos 2 series,
those things are far from cheap and i'm hesitant to lay down EUR800 for some
new hardware (especially when the following month i'm upgrading my
computer). I also don't want to realize a year down the road that the Wacom
tablet i bought is to small and i need to upgrade.

What i intend to do with it:
- Cartography in photoshop
- Try my hand at drawing again (in photoshop)
- Heavy InDesign CS user

The options (including taxes and shipping)
Intuos 2 USB DTP
- 6"x8" (A5) EUR328
- 9"x12" (A4) EUR464
- 12"x12" (A4+) EUR600
- 12"x18" (A3) EUR794

Which board would fit my needs best?

 

[s/LaSH]

OK, I'm pretty new to tablets myself, but I've looked around and may be able to offer some insight.

Bigger is normally better. But there is such a thing as too big. If you're the kind of person who draws from the wrist, rather than with the full arm, you don't want something too huge. I'm using a 6x8" Graphire3, and it's almost too big for the way I draw. To be fair, the greater finesse of an Intuos will probably minimise that flaw. But still, I'm not sure I'd want to go bigger.

I draw holding my tablet on my lap, and it worked just fine once I got the hang of correlating my hand to the screen. I certainly don't have the deskspace for it...

If you can track down someone willing to give you a hands-on demonstration, it's a good idea. If not, by default I'd err on the side of the small (and cheap). But that's just me, and my experience is limited.

 

[Aristotle]

I picked up the Intuos2 6x8 platinum a couple of months to go (still just messing around with it to get the hang of it). I wanted a bigger one but couldn't afford it. I'm glad I couldn't. The 6x8 is plenty big, and I'm having fun finding room on my desk for it. A bigger one would likely not fit my desktop nor my drawing style.

If your acustomed to making large sweeping motions when you draw/work then maybe you really do need the bigger model. I'm very much a "from the wrist" artist and I find that I still need to teach myself to open up my movement more to take full advantage of the 6x8 tablet.

BTW: I got mine from buy.com. They had the retail version makred down cheaper than the academic version of the same product. Gotta love a bargain.

 

[Cergorach]

Actually, i do draw from the wrist, and the 6"x8" seems just the right size for that, but how about using it for cartography?

Maybe i'll just start with 'just' the 6"x8" version and learn how to use it...

Anyone any experience with the different pens that are available for the Intuos 2 series (that airbrush does look spectecular).

 

[pogre]

I'll just add my voice to those who like the smaller version of the pad. I have not had the time to experiment with the different kinds of pens, but would like to hear other people's experience as well.

 

[Dogbrain]

My wife (an artist) got a "pen mouse" instead and draws on whatever sketch pad she has that suits her.

 

[Cergorach]

I broke down and got the 9"x12" version, i hope it'll arrive today (or tomorrow).

 

[Fargoth]

I bought an Aiptek and love it. The only thing I use it for is cartography. Here's a link to the large model I purchased:
Aiptek Hyperpen 12000U

I will admit that I have no experience with a Wacom so I cannot compare the two. I like the large drawing area on the Aiptek. It works seemlessly with Photoshop 6 and Paintshop Pro 8.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I've used tablets from 12" square down to A5 and A6 size. A5 is my favourite by a long shot. By far the easiest for me to use in terms of space and my drawing style.

Cheers

 

[Turanil]

Bigger is normally better.

My experience of tablets is that smaller is better, in addition to being cheaper.

In fact it depends on how you draw: if you naturally draw with wide hand gestures involving he arm, you should better get a big tablette. However, many artists draw only with the hand (the arm doesn't move at all), so in this case it's better to have the smaller tablet.