Chapter One: Inventory
LESSON FIVE
Drawing Pad
I’m calling it a drawing pad for the sake of clarity, but this particular device is usually called a ‘tablet’. Tablets however cover two styles of drawing accessories, the first being this ‘Drawing Pad’. This is just a slab of plastic that you can attach to almost any device, and when you draw on it with a stylus the drawing will be projected onto your device.
There are a wide range of these available, across a number of brands, and available in quite a few sizes. Their low price tag means that this is usually a very inexpensive way to try out digital drawing. These will typically go for anywhere from $20, to $100.
Pen Display
Pen Displays are a mix between a drawing pad and a computer display or monitor. Rather than the image being projected onto your computer monitor, this is a monitor that you can draw on directly. These come in a wide range of sizes, and depending on the size and brand, the prices can be relatively inexpensive, while others can be over $1000.
Tablet
Tablets range from being something like an iPad or Samsung Galaxy to being just a straight up computer. The unifying quality being that they exist on their own and do not require a secondary device to run off of. This can be very convenient because they are completely mobile devices that can be used on the go.
Whether you want to draw on the couch, outside, on an air plane, or on your romantic honeymoon to Paris; all you need is your tablet and stylus. They come in a variety of sizes and prices so you’ll be able to find something that fits all of your specific needs.
These can range in price from just a couple hundred dollars or a couple thousand dollars depending on what kind of features you are looking for.
Digital Media
Getting started with a digital set up doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated. Despite the initial investment, digital has the potential to be less expensive in the long run, as you don’t have to replace and restock all of your materials constantly.
There are a lot of brands out there, but I have to suggest Wacom. Their basic drawing tablets are reasonably priced for new users, and they have superior products for professional artists. Additionally, they provide superior support for their customers which can be really important to some people.
I suggest that you buy either the Wacom One tablet or one of the Wacom Intuos tablets, depending on what your budget is. If price is less of an issue you can get a pen display, which is my preferred way of working, and they have two types; the Wacom One pen display (yes it has the same name) and the Wacom Cintiq.
My Opinion on Digital Drawing
Many people are of the belief that you should learn the fundamentals of drawing traditionally, avoiding digital mediums until you have mastered the basics. Personally, I think that this sentiment primarily comes from a bias against digital drawing - however there is a limitation to digital in some aspects.
The primary being the limited canvas size. Although the theoretical canvas size can be almost infinite, or as large as your computer can handle, the actual workable area on a tablet is permanently limited. So, when moving forward with this course, keep in mind that any exercises that are intended to be done on large sheets of paper will obviously not have the intended effect on a small drawing device.
The secondary reason is going to be that when working with traditional mediums, there are various hand grips and drawing techniques you can take advantage of, that you cannot use when drawing with a stylus.
Outside of this, I do not see why you can’t achieve basically the same effect on a digital device that you can on traditional papers.