Wacom tablets?

[suikoden]

I have a pretty basic art set up: sketchpads, pencils, pens, laptop, photoshop, caffeine.... :upsidedow

I normally sketch a line drawing, ink it, scan it and colour it (badly.)

I am thinking of getting a Wacom tablet for drawing straight onto the computer. I don't want to spend a fortune on one of these. Can anyone give feedback on using these and suggest an entry level model?

Thanks in advance!

[Coda]

I've enjoyed using my fairly-inexpensive Graphite3 for the last couple of years. The only major detriment I notice is the inability to rotate the canvas like you can with a sketchpad. It's really hard to, say, draw a downward-right diagonal line with your right hand.

I'd just buy an eBay Graphite if you're not committed. I'm probably going to eBay mine soon, and go for a Bamboo since it's so good-feeling and stylish.

[suikoden]

Thanks! Do you have any artwork I could see? What size is your tablet.

[scavenger]

...and go for a Bamboo since it's so good-feeling and stylish.
I second that. I just recently bought my first tablet, a Wacom Bamboo One, which is an exellent (and inexpensive) tablet to start with. This thing is so good it totally got me hooked. And after seeing my tablet, my brother went out buying one for himself. I'm in no way trying to advertise the Wacom products, but I don't think anyone beats them quality wise. (plus, the Bamboo One comes with a nifty program called Artrage, which simulates painting on a real canvas)

[Coda]

Thanks! Do you have any artwork I could see? What size is your tablet.

It's 8x6, although even when calibrated to use only a portion of that it's perfectly fine. The smallest size would have been more than enough, and I even find it preferable not to have to lift my wrist all the time.

I drew my signature picture using it, if that's a good enough example.

[anthropos]

I just bought a Wacom Bamboo One and I have to admit I love it.
It's really easy to draw and paint with it and it wasn't expensive at all. Perfect for starters (and amateurs like me ;))

[greenapplesoda]

i have a wacom tablet, it's great, but it doesnt make you draw better, great with colouring though.
the best thing to go with is a tablet pc, which i will be buying after my first pay cheque in the summer :D(not that I cant afford it right now) or one of those cheaper touch screen tablet thing from wacom

[EcEu]

a few months ago i bought a wacom graphire 3 for $100. It's the smallest size 4" x 5" but for the way i hold a pen it's just enough!

Pressure sensitivity is just plain awesome, especially if you have ever worked with a program like painter or photoshop. Using onlythe tablet while working is really easy. the newer tablets have styluses that are really sophisticated, mine even has an eraser on the other side that i recently found out was pressure sensitive also, the tablets themselves also have plenty of buttons to configure keyboard shortcuts and key strokes so you can keep working fast. Pretty much all the work in my gallery was done with my tablet. Only the linework was done with the mouse and the pen tool.