Every aspiring artist who is interested in digital painting or graphics once asks himself the question: what is needed besides talent and experience to paint so beautifully and accurately? What is needed above all is a graphic tablet - the most important tool for a modern artist.
Appearance and features of the instrument
The graphic tablet consists of a working surface, which sizes vary from A6 to A3 format, and a pen with replaceable nibs. Typically, a tablet connects to a computer via a USB port, just like a mouse.
To a person who has never held a tablet in his hands, at first it seems that he is good only because with it you can draw more precise and accurate lines than with a mouse. But it is not so. If you use vector graphics editors such as Adobe Illustrator, Corel Drow or Inkscape, you can control the curvature, thickness and direction of lines very precisely, even if you have nothing but a mouse at your disposal. To do this, the programs mentioned above, as a rule, use tools that can be identified by the icon in the form of a pen or pencil. What's more, even bitmap editors such as Adobe Photoshop and Paint Tool SAI have built-in vector tools. You can trace the contours of objects and carefully create uniform color fills for them if you are patient and attentive. Therefore, quite often graphic designers, when drawing any design elements or logos, do not use a graphics tablet. Why is he needed then?
The fact is that a graphics tablet also has such a useful feature as sensitivity to the pressure of the pen, which allows you to adjust the thickness and transparency of lines or brush strokes, just as it happens when drawing, for example, with a regular pencil. Thus, digital works acquire liveliness and expressiveness, and the drawing process itself becomes more creative and enjoyable. The degree of pressure sensitivity is different for different tablet models. It is logical that models intended for children's creativity have less sensitivity than those used by experienced professional artists. Moreover, this parameter can be adjusted in the tablet driver setting - not all artists like it when the brush reacts to the slightest change in pressure, but someone, on the contrary, needs the highest pen sensitivity.
Attempt at writing
Often a novice artist, having tried to draw on a tablet for the first time, is disappointed: the pen does not obey, the lines turn out to be uneven, and sometimes - oh, horror, the tablet simply does not feel the pressure! But in this case, do not be upset: find information on setting up and calibrating it on the website of the manufacturer of your tablet model, check if the necessary drivers are installed on your computer. And, of course, the habit of the hand to the tablet decides a lot. Not everyone immediately succeeds in balancing the force of pressure and the speed of movement of the hand. And to draw, looking at the monitor, and not on the surface that the pen touches is at first unusual. So don't plan to immediately create a brilliant canvas, practice first by doing the exercises that can be found on sites for aspiring artists. In addition, a lot depends on the settings of your graphics editor. In many drawing programs, the smoothness of the line can be artificially adjusted so that your work will acquire more accurate outlines.
Choosing a tablet
It is very important to choose the right tablet model and its parameters for you. For example, size. Of course, the A4 format gives you more room for creativity than the A6. But if you plan to take your tablet with you on trips, carry it with you to work or school, it makes sense to think about a more compact model. In fact, even on an A5 tablet, you can create full-fledged artwork. When choosing a tablet, think about how conveniently you can place it in your workplace.
The leading specialist in the production of graphic tablets is Wacom. She produces a fairly large line of various models that are constantly updated. On the company's website, you can get acquainted with all the parameters of its products, and choose exactly what suits you. There you can choose both a small tablet with a minimum of functions for a child who wants to "draw on a computer", and a professional tool for an experienced artist.
