Sijun Forums :: View topic - Advice-Wacom

Cogito · junior member Member # Joined: 24 Jul 2002 Posts: 15

Greetings,

Firstly, I'd like to start off by thanking all the users here at Dhabih for the inspiration you have given me in the last couple of months. Although I know this is my first offical post, I have been viewing/reading the comments on all of your artwork. I have learned a lot about the wacom products and even some technqiues on the way. However, I have not offically bought a wacom. So this coming friday I'm going to buy my very first product of Wacom's digital drawing pads. I decided to go with the Graphire 2 to begin with. I'm not sure if thats a good choice or not, but since its my first one, I'm going to go the cheapest. The questions I would like to ask is:

1) Is the graphire2 even worth messing with? It looks kinda small, and not worthy of the other wacom products. Will it be enough for a beginner to learn from?

2) I'm currently on a P4 2 Ghz 300+ MB Ram. Will this be ok for the wacom products?

I guess thats about all I have for you all. Thanks in advance!

-Cogito

LoTekK · Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2002 7:00 pm

quote

Quote:

2) I'm currently on a P4 2 Ghz 300+ MB Ram. Will this be ok for the wacom products?

are you mocking us? you've got a top-of-the-line box, at least as far as cpu and ram go... o_O

as for the graphire2, a lot of respected artists on sijun still use graphires... remember, it's not the tools that make the artist... hell, most of merekat's earlier work was done with a mouse! so if you're on a budget, the graphire2 will be a good choice... otherwise, if you're willing to spend a little extra, i've been very happy with my intuos 6x8... any larger, and you're going to have to be very conscious of your desktop real estate...

Cogito · junior member Member # Joined: 24 Jul 2002 Posts: 15

No, I didnt mean anything by that mate. I just thought the memory might be a problem, I wasnt sure what most people use.

Oh great, I was worried about Graphire 2 not being the right thing. I'll start with it first. Thanks a lot for the information. Hopefully my next post will be my first wacom drawing

Jabo · Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2002 10:35 am

One thing to think about though! I'm using a Graphire. Analyse your mouse habits. If you like high mouse sensivity, a small graphire will be alright, but if you're rather the kind of "lamer" who moves quiet slow over your mousepad, you'll be going much better with a big intuos. This will avoid much trouble with the tablet.

Another thing to consider is the monitor size if you're going to use non-relative pen projection. For example, I'm using a 21" monitor and an A6 pad (6x8). I have to use relative projection because when using non-relative projection (also called pen-mode), the cursor would rush over half the monitor when just moving the pen about 1/4 inch. So, avoid using too small pads on big monitors, otherwise you'll have to do alot of roll action...

Cogito · junior member Member # Joined: 24 Jul 2002 Posts: 15

I'm using a 15' LCD Flat monitor at the moment. And for the mouse, I'm just using a standard optical mouse

Jabo · Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2002 11:26 pm

It's not the mouse itself, it's just that if you're going to use a small pad, you'll need hi mouse / pen acceleration settings in order to avoid that you have to pick and roll the pen all the time....

neff · Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2002 1:54 am

This is my one, a wacom intuos a5 and actually i love it. for me its the right size, because its nearly as big as my screen ;-)

eyewoo · Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2002 5:55 am

Here's a setup that I use for saving space... Cut some foam rubber pieces and attached them to the underside edges of your keyboard. The foam rubber should be the relatively hard or stiff kind.

Smaller tablets slide nicely underneath and the keyboard gets a nice feel to it...

[ July 26, 2002: Message edited by: eyewoo ]

Jabo · Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2002 8:21 am

Neff: That's an A5 Pad? Wow, then I have an A6 pad...

eyewoo: That's pretty cool, I think I'll combine this idea with a big moveable wooden panel that I will put under my desk, something I can roll in and out if I don't need the tablet or keyboard...

AZNnoodles · Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2002 3:25 pm

neato eyewoo, I'm always lookin for the desk space lol.

I hav an 6x8 intuos2 (my daddy got it for me for my b-day!) anyway, I just wanted to point out that 6x8 is an awesome size cos its big enough to work over but small enough to fit on your lap.
You don't want a bigger one. Go small.

Jabo · Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2002 6:33 pm

..AND they are pretty cheap. But mine's broken, so I'll take the chance and get a big one...

lalPOOO · Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2002 3:20 pm

I was supposed to get the 6x8 but my dad screwed up and bought the 9x12 (using mostly my money)
so now my keyboard hangs halfway off my desk

Asurfael · Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2002 6:06 am

6x8 (A5) intuos 2 has been fine with me... I used a normal graphire earlier on, borrowed it from a friend. It was big enough to colour on, but not big enough to draw (at least for me). I got around that by drawing on paper and scanning the lineart. This has been the perfect size for me. I think that a 9x12 (A4) would be too big for me as I'd run out of desk space. Desk space is an important factor... I can still keep the 6X8 model on my lap, I doubt I could go bigger.

So, graphire2 is worth having, but an intuos2 is better. Although if you're going to go for an A6 model no matter the model, then graphire2 would probably be better. I don't think that the enhanced pressure sensitivity and tilt sensitivity are worth twice the money...

Cillian · Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2002 7:15 am

As far as wacoms go I don't think the size really makes all that much difference. I'm on Graphire 2 and it seems to be working fine for me, especially on space. I've had arguments with other people saying that there isn't enough room to really draw but I don't think thats the case. A lot is just getting used to working on a smaller hand movements.

When I'm drawing on my wacom I don't look at the wacom, I look at where my cursor is on screen so therefore I know where I'm going. Also the majority of the time that I'm working, I'm zoomed 3-10 times into my picture so the size doesn't really matter for me.

If I really wanted a great wacom, I'd go for the LCD touch screen one. Where your wacom is your moniter aswell. That would be very cool...

Asurfael · Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2002 10:55 am

The problem with the wacom cintic is that the monitor only goes up to 1024x768 resolution, which isn't the best possible resolution for drawing on a computer. Also, graphire 2 is good for some people, but people that paint/draw moving their shoulder instead of their wrist do need more space, at least an A4 tablet.

Mag82 · Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2002 11:13 pm

huh I bought a Lifetec A5 pad and I guess I'm happy with it. I got this one from Ebay (as well as the first one, which lasted about a week......) for 13 bucks including shipping. Go Ebay!

My system is P3 500MHz, 128 MB... my monitor only goes up to 800x600 without flickering too much, so am I considered handicapped in digital art? *g* j/k

Watching you guys' stuff and pictures makes me wanna buy a laptop and connect my Pad to that, so I can go outside and draw stuff there (like you could easier with pencil and paper or whatever). Would that be reasonable (paying more for a faster one) or are there any probs concerning handling and stuff?