Choosing Wacom Tablets For Beginners

For a starting graphic artist, you have already known that a graphic tablet will be beneficial in the long run. Nowadays, we have no shortage of tablets of any kind. The wide range of features and prices might confuse you in the beginning. But, always choose the one that fits your needs the best and is still in your budget limit. 

A few points that should be considered when choosing a drawing tablet, including the size of the tablet, the interface, the stylus pen and other accessories, pressure sensitivity, driver software, and last but not least, the price. For size, bigger isn't always better. Beginners might even benefit from a more compact size, for example around 6 by 8. Most tablets in this era have USB interface, which is ideal because it will be able to connect with most computers. When picking a stylus pen, it is better to pick the one that don't need batteries because the pen with battery will be heavier and batteries will need replacement. Pressure sensitivity refers to the tablet's responsiveness to pressure, with levels of 256, 512, 1024. For beginners, pressure level of 512 is enough. Driver software should be compatible with most computers and a lot of graphic software, for example Adobe Photoshop. Average drawing tablets price range from around USD 50 to over USD 200. So, your budget will need to be set between those numbers. 

Here are several recommendations of Wacom drawing tablets for beginners according to the considerations above. 

Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch


Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet


Wacom Intuos4 Small Pen Tablet


Wacom Bamboo Splash Pen Tablet (CTL471) is an entry level drawing tablet designed for early beginners to experiment with many elements of digital art without having to spend a lot to do it. Simple setup, flawless execution, and high quality performance. And bonus, it comes with Autodesk's Sketchbook and ArtRage Studio.

A Few Points Before Buying a Drawing Tablet

So you are a beginner graphic designer. And you have heard that a drawing tablet can be beneficial for your career in the long run. But how to choose one from dozens of drawing tablet brands out there? Here are some points to help with the decision to pick a tablet that is just right for you and in your budget range. 

First of all, consider what size fits your need. The larger the screen, the higher the cost. For beginners, size A5 is sufficient. For convenience, pick a tablet with USB interface or Bluetooth interface (for example, the Wacom Intuos4 Wireless Pen Tablet). Stylus pen and accessories also need to be taken into consideration, as well as OS compatibility (Macintosh or Windows operating system). 

Another important point in choosing graphic tablet is pressure sensitivity. Graphic illustrators might need more control of line thickness so higher sensitivity or responsiveness is preferable. The pros of using graphic tablet is that the tablet can be used without the need of a mouse, or can also be used interchangeably with a mouse. The cons? Cursor Confusion. Pay attention to where you put the stylus when you need to use the mouse.