Technology is at its zenith in the 21st century. Everything has a digital alternative now, from education to shopping, and so does drawing. The traditional creative pursuit of drawing has shifted to the online space. From digital illustration to motion design and animation, technology has given us many tools to create art digitally and from the comfort of our homes or on-site.

Most of the tech gadgets come with a restriction, and you either have to use them in a specific location, for instance, an office, or stay connected to a power outlet. Also, if you need to sketch something on-site, you won’t need to carry sheaves of paper and sketchbooks and an array of pencils and pens, only to come back and digitally sketch everything again. Sounds time-consuming!

It may be okay for some, but many artists prefer movement and portability in the devices they use for creating art.

Portable drawing tablets are the best solution for a more location-friendly drawing session. You can quickly charge them and carry them around wherever you go so that your artistic instincts don’t have to wait until you reach home or the office to execute your idea. It’s more fun, and you have a lot of opportunities to experiment and try out different effects.

What other benefits do portable drawing tablets have?

Something for everyone

Although the name highlights its primary function, drawing, that’s not the only purpose of some portable drawing tablets. Apart from assisting creative artists, students, writers, specially-abled people, and people from other areas can also use them. Students and writers can use it for note-taking, scribbling ideas, creating flowcharts or diagrams. From highlighting eBooks to drawing, a mobile drawing tablet has considerable versatility. Many portable drawing tablets now come with assistive touch technology, which makes it convenient for people with disabilities to use tech gadgets.

Portability

If you haven’t guessed already, the best feature of a portable drawing tablet is the rechargeable battery. You can recharge most drawing tablets, so you don’t have to sit next to a power outlet for hours. The stylus that comes with the drawing tablet is also rechargeable. Although some styluses don’t require charging, like the capacitive touch ones, some high-end ones do require a few hours for charging.

Ergonomic design

The design of a portable drawing tablet makes it more ergonomically friendly and reduces the chances of developing a carpal tunnel. Since graphic designers and digital artists tend to work for hours, in the end, strain injury in the wrist is likely to develop. Portable drawing tablets come with a stylus that is better than using a click-pointing device for drawing. The combination of a tablet and a stylus is more user-friendly than a non-portable graphic tablet that only works using a mouse.

Better drawing experience

Since there is a stylus with most portable drawing tablets, you get a better drawing experience. The tablet’s electric pen and flat surface are designed to mimic the drawing experience you get on paper. As you shift from a graphic tablet to a portable one, you will notice that your strokes are much smoother, and it is easier to draw complicated shapes. Creating seamless strokes and curves with a click-pointing device is challenging, but it is much easier with a stylus and portable tablet.

Pressure sensitivity

Using a click-pointing device on a graphic tablet to create thin and thick strokes is challenging as the mouse cannot detect your hand’s pressure. Although this feature may vary for every portable tablet, most come with a pressure-sensitive stylus. The stylus can gauge the pressure your hand exerts on the flat screen and help create more realistic strokes and shapes.

Other integrations

Portable drawing tablets from high-end and low-end brands can also function like a small computer. With an Android or iOS operating software, you can also use apps like Netflix, Instagram, and E-book readers on a portable drawing tablet. This feature makes the portable drawing tablet multi-purpose. As a result, people from all walks of life can use a portable drawing tablet, and not just for drawing.

Some drawing tablets also come with pre-installed drawing apps, which can be pricey sometimes.

Lightweight

The portable drawing tablets design ensures easy mobility. They are very lightweight and come in a range of sizes. Depending on your budget and nature of work, you can decide which size to buy. Some brands even have different features for every size of the tablet, which adds to the price.

Responsiveness

Flagship portable drawing tablets allow you to create artwork responsive to the screen resolution. This feature means you can easily adjust the quality of your content according to the screen resolution. Previously this feature wasn’t readily available in most drawing tablets, and images would often become pixelated or distorted due to changes in resolution. Most drawing tablets now have more responsive screens.

Better Technology

Apart from portability, drawing tablets also come with better technical features. Initially, only flagship models like an iPad would offer these, but some low-end drawing tablets now have HDR-compatible screens with more vibrant colors. Some drawing tablets also come with a liquid-retina display that produces more saturated colors. These minor enhancements can mean a lot for a digital artist as their work is all about creating better visuals.

Accessories

Since portable drawing tablets don’t need to be connected to a computer, they come with electric pens or styluses. There are four types of styluses, which your tablet brand might be offering:

• Rechargeable stylus
• Electromagnetic resonance stylus
• Battery-powered stylus
• Capacitive touch stylus

Every tablet has a specific stylus, but a capacitive touch stylus works on most. These styluses are usually the cheapest and free from the hassle of charging.

Conclusion

If you’ve been using a wire-dependent drawing tablet, it is time to switch to a portable device. Not only do portable tablets come with better drawing options, but they have more options for integrations. These integrations allow portable tablets to be used for more than just drawing, like reading a book or the newspaper, watching a movie, or scrolling through Facebook. Although it comes down to what type of artwork you do and your budget, most drawing tablets offer all the basic functions suited for any digital artist. Make sure you do complete research before spending money on one.