Category Archives: graphics tablet

Wacom Bamboo Splash Plus Corel Painter Lite

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Wacom Bamboo Splash with Corel Painter Lite

 

Right now, Corel is bundling the Wacom Bamboo Splash with Corel Painter Lite for $99.99 on their site. I think it’s a very good deal for someone who is new to digital drawing and wants to try it out without spending a fortune on a tablet PLUS software.

I don’t know how long this bundle deal will be available. If you aren’t interested in Corel Painter Lite, you can also buy the Wacom Bamboo Splash on Amazon (my favorite place to buy things) for even less money. Click here to read more about this tablet and/or buy it!

Click here to read my review of the Bamboo Splash!

 

 

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Wacom Bamboo Tablet, the Bamboo Splash

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This seems like the best and most affordable Wacom digital drawing tablet available.

Wacom bamboo tablet, the Splash

I don’t know how I missed the Bamboo Splash announcement! I’m either slacking or Wacom didn’t make a major announcement about it because it’s pretty inexpensive compared to their other drawing tablets.

Wacom doesn’t have a link to retailers on their site, but I found one on Amazon for $69.99. Click here to read more or buy.

The Splash is most similar to the Bamboo Connect. The only difference I can find is that the Bamboo Splash includes ArtRage and Autodesk, where as the Connect only includes AutoDesk.

This is an important difference if you are planning to use this tablet for art.

The Bamboo Connect is being advertised as a great tool for note taking and signature capturing. You can use it to draw, but you’ll need to own the right software for that already, like Photoshop or ArtRage.

Wacom bamboo tablet, the Splash

I recommend the Wacom Bamboo Splash an inexpensive and high quality drawing tablet for anyone looking to expand their drawing abilities. It may be small, but it’s really not any smaller than an iPad and as far as I know, you can’t use Photoshop or ArtRage on an iPad.

This Wacom tablet will make a great Christmas gift for someone who wants to make the transition from traditional drawing to digital drawing. Click here for more info or buy.

Which Wacom Tablet To Buy?

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Here’s my top five Wacom tablets list. Click on the menus at the top for the full reviews!

My Top 5 Wacom Graphics Tablets:

Wacom Cintiq 24HD Tablet DisplayWacom Cintiq 24HD Multi-Touch Tablet / Display (Links to Amazon)- Best of the Wacom tablets. The Cintiq 24HD multi-touch is the largest graphics tablet display and is considered the holy grail of drawing tablets. For serious and/or professional artists, designers and animators.

Wacom Cintiq 22HD Tablet / Display (Links to Amazon)- Expect the same high quality as the Cintiq 24HD, but for about $500 less and about $1000 less than the 24HD multi-touch.

Wacom Intuos5 Pen Tablet – Excellent for a professional designer/artist. Available in different sizes and a wireless option.

Wacom Bamboo Splash Tablet – Great for an artist who has never used a tablet before and seriously wants to make the leap from standard drawing to digital.

Wacom Bamboo Create Pen and Touch Tablet – Great for someone who is interested in the same things that the Bamboo Splash offers, but wants more drawing space. Also, this Bamboo tablet  is bundled with more software than the Bamboo Splash.

:: Click here to read more or buy a Wacom tablet from Amazon! ::

intuos5 wacom tablet computerBuying a Wacom Tablet:
I’m a self taught graphic designer who has used several different graphics tablets throughout the years and I’m offering my personal Wacom tablet reviews here. Having been disappointed by other brands, I was happy when I found Wacom. I had some confusion researching which Wacom tablet was right for me so I thought writing this Wacom tablet site might help other people make a decision.

For me, Wacom is the frontrunner in graphic design tablets. I believe they are a great company and more importantly, they design and produce high-quality products. I’ve used the other brands in the past and have been disappointed.

Related Articles:

How to Choose a Wacom Graphics Tablet
Graphics Tablets for Kids
Wacom Cintiq 24HD Graphics Tablet Display Review
Wacom VS a PC Tablet
Which Wacom Bamboo Tablet is Best for Image Editing?
Why Buy Wacom Intuos4?

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Top 3 Tips When Choosing a Wacom Graphics Tablet

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Wacom Cintiq 24HDThere are three important things to consider before buying a Wacom tablet.

  • Use/needs – This is the first thing you should figure out before browsing for a graphics tablet. If you don’t need a lot of bells and whistles, you might be overwhelmed or believe that you need them once you start looking.
  • Features – Once you know exactly why and how you will use your Wacom tablet, you will know which features you need.
  • Size – This is important. You should consider the dimensions of the entire Wacom tablet as well as the active drawing area. It’s great to have more active area space (I believe the bigger the better) but having owned several in the past, what I’ve learned is that it also comes down to your desk working area and sometimes having something too big may not be practical.
I’ve learned that knowing exactly what you need from a graphics tablet is the key to choosing the best one for you. Maybe write out a list of how you would use the tablet regularly and then read my full graphics tablet reviews for more details about each tablet. You can also click on the menu at the top of this page to be taken directly to the Wacom tablet you want to read more about.

Wacom Cintiq 24HD Tablet Demonstrations

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Since we all can’t or don’t need to buy the top of the line Cintiq 24HD by Wacom, the next best thing is to play with one at a store. If that’s still not possible, then I recommend watching some demonstrations!

This demo and review is a little over 9 minutes, but is very helpful. He demos the stylus as well as the scroll wheel and buttons. Skip to 7:50 for his opinions of the cons. Cintiq 24HD Review and Demo.

This video shows the Cintiq 24hd in action! I’m not a fan of the music, but I liked watching his progress. Drawing on the Cintiq 24HD.

Not the best video, but gives you a good idea of the size of the 24HD. Quick review and demonstration of the Wacom Cintiq 24HD.

Wacom Intuos With Meet the Masters DVD Bundle

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Meet-the-masters-wacom-graphics-tablet

For those living in Europe, you are fortunate because Wacom is including Meet the Masters on DVD with an Intuos4 purchase (excluding the XL). This DVD provides great tutorials from internationally known designers

The DVD includes:

  • Digital drawing and painting in Photoshop – Learn to create an entire illustration from scratch, from setting up a workspace to sketching, drawing and colouring techniques. 
  • Photo Illustration – Follow digital artist Uli Staiger as he uses Photoshop to create a breath taking composition. Through the process, learn about everything from 3D tools and blend modes to masking and layer adjustments.
  • Drawing in Illustrator – Find out about the different brushes in Illustrator that create a wide variety of effects in images.
  • Painter crash course – Explore Corel Painter’s artist’s tools and use them to create a piece of artwork from start to finish.

There is picture-in-picture video of the teachers using the Intuos4 pen tablet. There is also a mode called watch & work that displays the tutorial in a small window on screen allowing you to practice along with the video.

If you are only interested in the DVDs, they can be purchased separately or together on the Wacom estore.

I’m a bit jealous that we don’t get this same deal in the U.S. I have no idea why they don’t make it available here, but it’s a very good deal for anyone in Europe who is interested in buying an Intuos4 right now.

Wacom Drivers For X.org Updated

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For Linux users

Find all the drivers and everything else you need for configuring and running Wacom tablets under the Linux operating system.

The awesome folks in the linuxwacom project silently released an update last week that they’ve been working on for past half a year or so.

Wacom drivers for X.org updated

The new version marks the return of supporting each additional pen as a separate device. This feature was earlier lost in the X.org driver when hotplug settled in. The resurrection chant was sung by Alexia of GIMP fame.

via libregraphicsworld.org

 

My Cintiq 24HD Tablet Review is Up!

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Wacom Cintiq 24HDYou can find it on this site at Wacom Cintiq 24HD review.

Graphics Tablets for Kids

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Kid-friendly versions of digital drawing pads

Your young child may love drawing now, but the idea of dropping a lot of coin on an expensive Wacom tablet that might get broken easily is not something I would want to do. I’ve put together a list of fun digital tablets that are intended to not break your pocketbook or your heart if your kid decides to use it as a hammer. Click on each link to read more about each one on Amazon!

Genius Kids designer graphic tablet
Genius: the Kids Designer Graphic Tablet

 

 

boogie board paperless graphic tablet writing pad
Boogie Board Paperless LCD Writing Tablet

 

 
Graphic Tablet with Cordless Pen DigiPro
DigiPro Graphic Tablet with Cordless Pen

 

 

Genius G-Pen 4500 Tablet with Mouse and Pen
Genius G-Pen 4500 Tablet with Mouse and Pen

 

 

wacom bamboo touch graphic tablet
Wacom Bamboo Touch Tablet – This tablet is the lowest priced of the Wacom tablets, but it only uses your hands and not a pen.

 

crayola colorstudio digital drawing stylus
Crayola ColorStudio HD iMarker Digital Stylus – Not a drawing tablet, but great if you already own an Apple iPad.

 

 

Digital graphic tablet ivista
Flexible Digital Graphic Tablet by iVistaTablet – List price is a little high, but you can usually find it for $35-$40 on Amazon

 

IPen kidpix pen mouse tablet

I-Pen Kidpix Pen Mouse

 

 
LaPazz fun pad digital tablet
Lapazz FunPad Pressure Level Graphic Tablet

 

How to Choose a Wacom Tablet

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A Simple Guide to Choosing the Best Wacom Tablet

Choose based on level of artist/ designer:

Beginner/ Entry level – Never used a graphics tablet. Only knows pen and paper.

Intermediate – Has digital graphics software experience and could benefit from using more than just a mouse to create.

Advanced/ Professional Designer – Works in the design field as a designer and/or animator. Already uses a tablet, but wants/needs something a step up.

 

Choose based on type of artist/ designer:

The Casual Artist – Likes to draw or paint in their free time, but wants more than a sketchbook.

The Casual Photographer – Wants to manipulate photos.

The Hobbyist – Enjoys arts and crafts projects. For example, scrapbook making.

The Serious Photographer – Wants to enhance, manipulate or alter photographs with precision.

The Serious Graphic Artist/ Designer – This person is an artist and might be using a beginner-type tablet. Wants to translate their classic skills into digital skills.

Kid-friendly

 

Choose based on budget:

High > $500

Medium $200 – $499

Low < $200

Also, check out the Wacom Inkling and the Bamboo Stylus for the iPad if you are looking for something other than a graphics tablet.

What qualifies me to review graphics tablets?
I’m a freelance graphic designer and I’ve been using graphics tablets for years.  I have experience using Wacom and non-Wacom tablets. Back when there were barely a handful of affordable tablets available, it was easy to decide on which one to buy. Today there are numerous graphics/ digital tablets available for novice to professionals and in different budget ranges.

I created this web site as a way for people to find and easily choose which Wacom tablet to buy. >> Read more in my FAQ here! <<