Are you a drawing enthusiast, and would you like to try your hand at digital art? Are you taking your first steps in the world of technical drawing, and do you need a tool to draw precisely on the computer? Then there is no question. It would help if you had an excellent graphics tablet. In this article, we will give you a complete guide about drawing tablets for beginners.
Graphic tablets, also called digitizers, are devices that allow you to draw directly on the PC using unique nibs or airbrushes (which can virtually transform into brushes, pencils, and many other tools). Their appearance vaguely resembles that of a trackpad, but this is of little importance. To understand how a graphic tablet works, you have to think of it as a virtual sheet, more or less prominent, which transfers everything drawn on its surface to the computer screen in real-time (through electromagnetism).
There are many different sizes and types, from the cheapest ones for users who do not have very advanced needs to the more professional and expensive ones. Today I would like to introduce you to some that I find particularly interesting. But first, let me help you “decipher” their technical characteristics. Otherwise, you won’t be able to know which one is best suited to your needs!
Best nine drawing tablets for beginners
XP-Pen – Artist 12
Cheap screen graphics tablet XP pen 12Let’s start with some models of graphic tablets with screens also called “display tablets.” Usually, when we talk about a graphics tablet, we mean a device. That connects to the computer and transfers input to it. In some cases, however, it is preferable to use a table that also acts as a display. To see precisely the drawing while it is being completed. XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro is a graphics tablet with an excellent display. Has an active drawing area on the tablet of 11.6 inches diagonal. Which gives it a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080.
The display has an impressive 72% Adobe NTSC gamut, which is the same as professional tablets. However, the color accuracy is good but not perfect. You will need to use a color calibrator to adjust it to prevent the graphics colors from being inaccurate when printing if you use it professionally9.
The stylus is battery-free and boasts 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity and 60 degrees of tilt functionality. Also, what I have to say is that the sensitivity of the pen is fantastic. Feeling of using a real pen to draw or write. A graphics tablet can do most of the work, but you are a professional illustrator/model maker. You love drawing in notebooks, painting, etc., using a graphics tablet with a display could be a significant change. Where you put the pen is where you draw – there’s no learning curve, no disconnect, screen space is fantastic and hyper-responsive.
Wacom – One Creative: Drawing tablets for beginners
Wacom one screen graphics tablet the second choice among graphics tables with displays. So, Wacom One is a graphics tablet with a display that faces professionalism, nodding to beginners looking for a semi-professional device. Wacom is the leader in drawing tablets for beginners, but it looks like it’s finally expanding to be more accessible to artists of all categories, and it’s not the ones who have at least $ 1000 to spend on a graphics tablet.
Wacom One is a graphics tablet with a display capable of being appreciated by many users at a more than fair price. With 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and a natural paper-like feel on the screen, drawing or writing feels almost as natural as in a sketchbook or notebook.
It would have been nice to see some shortcuts on this graphics tablet, but we are satisfied. If your goal is to acquire a tablet to carry, Wacom One is not for you. Although it is lightweight, the tablet always requires a power source, and you need a USB-C hub if you want to connect it to your Android device. However, Wacom One offers an enjoyable experience at home or in the office.
If you’re looking to enter the digital design industry and want the recognition and reliability of a leading brand in quality and service, Wacom One is a great choice. If you’re looking for something a little cheaper, still in the world of display tablets, XP Pen Artist is a viable alternative. For all other cases… continue further.
Gaomon – S620
Gammon graphics tablet s6Among dozens of inexpensive drawing tablets, the Gaomon S620 is one of the better options. The tablet’s build quality is better than one would expect in this price range, plus the smooth and consistent stylus performance makes the Gaomon S620 one of the best drawing tablets for beginners in this price range.
Among the main pros, we find a medium-sized drawing area (from 6.5 x 4 inches), good build quality, 4 programmable shortcut buttons, good surface texture, 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, and Android support. Similarly, we must point out that the stylus has no rubber on the back, average build quality, and no tilt sensitivity.
Of course, Gaomon has compromised the build quality of the stylus to keep prices low, but, on the other hand, this tablet also supports Android devices, which is quite rare in this price range. Overall, suppose you are looking for an inexpensive graphics tablet. In that case, the Gaomon S620 is a great option capable of not compromising the user experience too much but capable of being found at a truly unbeatable price.
XP-PEN – Deco01: Drawing tablets for beginners
XP-pen deco graphics tablets Deco 01 is a graphics board with a modern, minimalist design with an ultra-slim profile that makes it easy to take on the go. It is small and slim enough to fit in a backpack or laptop bag. The tablet is designed for ambidextrous use. So you can rotate it to have quick buttons on the right or left side of the tablet. You can also adjust the tablet for right- or left-handed use in the settings.
The bottom is equipped with rubber pads in each corner to prevent slipping. The Deco 01 connects to your laptop or desktop via a USB cable. You can’t connect wirelessly, but the USB cable makes it easy to use just about anywhere. It has two shortcut buttons that allow you to the right or left-click. You can also customize these buttons to your liking.
The stylus has no battery, so you don’t have to worry about charging it. Dig a little deeper into the technical specifications of the pen. You’ll find that this model offers 8192 pressure levels, 266 RP, and 5080 LPI. You also have the option to customize both sensitivity and pressure in the settings.
The Deco 01 offers eight quick keys which can be programmed at will. The Deco 01 is compatible with most operating systems and creates software programs. Windows users will be able to use this tablet with Windows 10/8/7, and it will work with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Mac users can use this tablet with Mac OS X version 10.10 or later.
Gaomon – M106
Let’s move on to another graphics tablet designed to offer good performance at a minimal price. The Gaomon M106K graphics tablet works well when it comes to drawing, except when used with Illustrator CS5 (Mac). It seems to have some compatibility problems in this sense. Build quality is good, no different than other budget graphics tablets. It is solid and robust enough. For those who like physical shortcut buttons, there are 12 of them here and 16 virtual keys, so rich.
The pen is battery-powered and must be charged separately. The charging port is located right on the back. Battery life is estimated at 350 hours, which is 14 days of non-stop use. Charging is fast enough, from half an hour to an hour. If you run out of battery, you can quickly recharge for 15 minutes to recover some energy. The power-saving mode takes effect when the pen is idle for 3 minutes.
The pen supports 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity. The minimum standard nowadays. The two buttons on the pen are customizable via driver. The overall drawing performance is good. Pressure sensitivity is adequate for the price. The transition of strokes is smooth. There is little or no delay. Online there is talk of problems related to the use of Illustrator CS5 (Mac) where the tablet refuses to work. All other Mac software shouldn’t have any problems.
Wacom – Intuos S
Designed for beginners, the Wacom Intuos S offers the ultimate precision and customization among beginner graphics tablets. The supplied pen is comfortable enough even for extended drawing sessions. Intuos is the most affordable Wacom tablet and offers the best value for money among graphics tablets on the market. It comes with Corel Painter Essentials 6 for drawing and painting or Corel AfterShot for photo editing. None of the other tablets we considered offer as many software options (aside from Wacoms).
The Intuos S with Bluetooth is almost identical to the Intuos S, except that it offers Bluetooth connectivity and costs a few tens of euros more. We don’t recommend Bluetooth for most beginners, but it’s worth the price if you need wireless. Compared to non-Wacom tablets, the Intuos S offered more control with no drive issues or input lag. On this tablet, it is easier to create constantly faint, medium, or dark lines (and go from one extreme to the other) by varying the pressure we exert on the pen. While other tablets offer twice the pressure sensitivity, 8,192 levels, versus the Intuos S’s 4,096, it remains a good choice.
Like all Wacom tablets, Intuos S allows you to customize your pen and tablet to a much greater extent than the other tablet brands we tested. In addition to giving you access to support and driver updates, Wacom’s Desktop Center software allows you to customize, backup, and restore pen and tablet functions. In the pen settings, for example, you can set tip sensitivity or pressure sensitivity. It’s like choosing between a 2B soft pencil, which leaves a lot of graphite on the page, and a harder 2H pencil. Which leaves more precise, cleaner lines and requires more strength to make a mark.
Huion – WH1409: Drawing tablets for beginners
Huion is a well-known brand in the budget graphics tablet market, but what many artists don’t realize is that the company also offers mid-range tablets with many of the same features you’d find on more expensive models. So, huion WH1409 is an easy-to-use graphics tablet that offers a large workspace, wired and wireless options, and the ability to customize a dozen quick keys.
The thing that sets this graphics tablet apart from other competitors is the size. The WH1409 has a massive 13.8 “x 8.6” drawing area. By comparison, most drawing tablets for beginners have a 10 “x 6.25” working area. Many models have even smaller workspaces. Despite this, the weight is just over 1 kg.
You will notice a special control panel in the upper left corner of the tablet. This panel has a switch at the top that allows you to turn the wireless function on or off. This is another unique feature of this tablet and one that most artists will welcome with open arms. Having the choice between wired and wireless functions allows you to work almost anywhere you want and to adapt to your environment.
The buttons are easy to reach as you work towards a streamlined flow. LED indicators can sometimes be distracting, but they serve a useful purpose. It is helpful to know that the battery is getting low. The stylus isn’t the best on the market, but it does the job. It offers 8192 levels of pressure, which is pretty standard in the industry. With 5080 LPI and 233 PPS, this tablet offers better performance than other budget tablets.
Wacom – Intuos M
The Wacom Intuos Graphics Tablet is designed to bring a physical and hands-on experience in creating digital art. The company is known for its professional tools with relative professional-grade prices. But the Intuos series is designed for excellent value for money about pressure-sensitive control in illustration, design, and photo editing.
The Wacom Intuos series (not to be confused with the high-end Intuos Pro line that exceeds $ 200) offers 4,096 levels of pressure-sensitive pen control with a reasonable inclusive price. Intuos is available in two sizes, small or medium, with 7-inch and 10-inch diagonal work surfaces. The miniature version is available with or without Bluetooth, while the medium model includes Bluetooth as standard.
The most significant advantage Intuos has over using the mouse is pressure sensitivity. More pressure creates more minor, darker strokes, while less pressure creates a line as extensive as the selected brush with more edge feathering. The pen doesn’t mean you’ll never have to choose a brush size, shape, or edge again. But the pressure sensitivity lets you get the maximum brush size or just a fraction of the selected brush with light pressure.
The pen feels like a typical writing pen in the hands, to a similar point at the end. However, it also has two side buttons that can be customized like those of the tablet. Made of smooth black plastic, similar to the feel of the keys on a MacBook, Intuos should be at home on most desks.
Wacom – Intuos Pro: Drawing tablets for beginners
The Wacom Intuos Pro graphics tablet is the latest in a long line of Intuos Wacom tablets. It comes in two sizes, medium and large. The smaller size is only available as the previous version. The new Wacom Pro Pen 2 is a more sensitive upgrade of the historic Pro Pen. It’s battery-free, has 8,192 levels (compared to 2048) of pressure sensitivity, tilt response, and lag-free tracking. There are two switches for accessing customizable shortcuts.
Also included is a redesigned desk pen holder with 10 extra pen nibs (6 standard and 4 felt nibs). The Bluetooth option at the extra cost of previous Intuos Pro tablets now comes standard along with a wired USB connection. The Intuos drawing surface has a slightly textured surface that mimics the feel of paper. This is a lovely solution. Optional texture sheets are available in three roughness grades. Note that with a line of Wacom Intuos tablets. You look at a monitor while your hand draws on a flat surface out of sight. While it may be strange at first, it quickly becomes an easy and productive way to work.
But how does the graphics tablet work in daily work? In a word, beautifully. It’s a Wacom, so it’s no surprise – they’re the top standard among graphics tablets. The increased sensitivity of the pen is a welcome improvement. Drawing or retouching with the pen is exact and straightforward. The Wacom pen has been able to do this for years. But the new Pro Pen is better and even more responsive than before.
