A Guide to Buying the Best Standalone Drawing Tablet
If you are an artist testing out your creativity on the digital platform, be it for better recognition or personal interest, you may feel hesitant to invest in a digital device initially. But for digital artists, any useful tool is a medium that reflects their art and hard work.
In this case, the tool, a standalone drawing tablet, offers designers, illustrators, and animators a way to bring the art to life digitally. But there is no denying that it takes a little effort to find the right drawing tablet.
Before you delve into the drawing tablet specifications, you should look into the gadget as a whole. Its battery life, weight, graphics programs, and screen optimization.
Gadget Features
Battery Life
Given that you will spend copious amounts of time on the screen, the standalone drawing tablet must have long battery life. On many occasions, you may use the tablet when you are outdoors, away from power sources. So, go for tablets that offer more than 10+ hours of battery life once fully charged.
Portable And Lightweight
A slim and lightweight drawing tablet makes it easy for you to carry around. There are chances a bulky tablet can weigh you down when you are on the move, especially if you are an outdoor artist.
Screen Sensitivity
Art is not art without details. A drawing tablet with a high sensitive screen will let you draw, shade, and sketch accurate and intricate designs. It will allow you to capture every single detail without a glitch. Some tablets even have features like multi-touch capability and shake and tilt recognition.
Graphics Programs
When it comes to performance and power, go for a device with at least 8GB of RAM. With this powerful RAM, the tablet handles advanced and intensive graphics programs. Also, check the tablet’s storage space, depending on the amount of artwork you do.
Now you will have a fair idea of the specifications of the standalone drawing tablet as a device. When it comes to the drawing tablets’ functionality and quality, there are many more features to explore.
Drawing Tablet’s Specifications & Features
Screen Size
Screen size denotes the overall size of the active area, the portion where you draw on. If you are an artist who does intricate drawings giving importance to every small detail, then a bigger active area is the right choice.
You can work on detailed and more extensive drawings without panning and zooming for every stroke.
Pressure Sensitivity
Pressure sensitivity is the feature that determines how you can work with width variations when you draw. You do this by applying different pressure on the tablet surface. The more pressure sensitivity the tablet has, the more variations you can use on strokes. With this feature, get a feeling of drawing on a traditional medium.
Standalone drawing tablets offer around 300 to 3000, pressure sensitivity levels. If you are a beginner, you can get a tablet with a minimum of 1024 pressure levels. If you are on advanced levels, go for a tablet with at least 2048 pressure levels.
Responsiveness Factor
When you create a design, the content you create should be responsive on the screen. It means that it should automatically adapt to the screen resolution of that particular tablet. It also refers to the speed at which your actions appear on the screen.
This action entirely depends on the device’s specs and the tablet’s drivers. Based on your requirement, go for the software that will suit you the best.
Accessories
As an artist, you cannot go a day without a stylus. There are three types of styluses you can use to work on a drawing tablet.
- Rechargeable Stylus
- Battery-powered Stylus
- Electromagnetic Resonance Stylus
Just like the other electronic devices, the rechargeable stylus can be charged with a power source. In appearance, they are much slimmer and can easily fit in your hands.
The battery-powered stylus comes with a battery that can be changed when it runs out. As its design has to accommodate a battery, this stylus is thicker and can be hefty for some of you.
Relatively new to the industry, EMR styluses, as the name suggests, work on electromagnetic frequency. It is wireless and transfers power sources for the stylus from the tablet itself.
Choose a stylus that is comfortable to use as you will be spending most of the time with it in your hand.
These are some of the basic features that make up a good drawing tablet. A standalone drawing tablet is a wonderful gadget for artists, illustrators, sketchers, and those who want to explore their creative hands. As they are specifically designed for artists, it is your job to find the right tablet that will meet your needs.
