If you are a first-time beginner or a professional artist looking to get into digital art, how much does a good drawing tablet cost?
It’s an important question. A good tablet for professional art and illustration will cost anywhere from $100 to $3000.
Let’s discuss in more detail why there is such a wide price range.
How Much Does A Good Drawing Tablet Cost?
Size Matters! When It Comes For Drawing Tablets, Of Course
The size of your graphics tablet will directly affect the price you pay. Larger drawing tablets cost more than their smaller alternatives. This is true whether it’s a drawing board or a tablet with a screen.
Screen Or No Screen
If you already have a fast PC or Mac with a decently sized screen, and you’re happy to have it with the most popular illustration and design software, you don’t need a graphics tablet with a display.
Drawing pads such as the Wacom Intuos range are much more affordable than screen drawing tablets. If you prefer to draw directly on the screen rather than a pad, you’ll need to be willing to invest more.
Some tablet screens still need your PC or Mac to work but provide the on-screen drawing experience. These large pressure-sensitive screens come in various brands, and the prices vary accordingly. Pressure sensitivity varies from brand and model to brand, so check the specification details when comparing.
The Tech Specs, What’s Under The Hood?
If you choose the best drawing tablet because you need it to run specific software with advanced features, you should check the tablet’s specifications before parting with your hard-earned cash.
For example, if you want to use Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, or 3D modeling software, make sure your tablet supports pen and touch input for these apps, and make sure the specs run the programs. The key things to keep in mind are processor speed and RAM, as they affect the speed and smoothness of applications.
Hardware specifications include pressure sensitivity, number of hotkeys, Bluetooth or wired, battery or no battery, active area size and resolution, connectivity options, etc.
The Brand
Leading brands will always come at a higher price than lesser-known, affordable tablet alternatives. That’s not to say they’re necessarily better. Depending on your budget and needs, an unknown brand alternative could work very well.
One of my friends she is a professional illustrator for over 20 years; she uses the Wacom tablets, both pad-style and on-screen. She said she found it very reliable, easy and great to use, and with interchangeable pen nibs, it’s easy to get the right feel for the pen.
Since they are very popular among top industry professionals, there is a lot of online support from other users. They are the best drawing tablets for drawing.
Size Of The Drawing Area
The bigger the tablet, the more expensive it tends to be. It’s no secret that artists and designers love having as much space as possible to express themselves; graphics tablet manufacturers know this.
It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an advanced user of graphics tablets. You will agree that a larger display is much more comfortable to draw on and instantly increases the user experience.
Sure, having a better pen (stylus), which has multiple levels of pressure sensitivity, is great. Still, it has little impact on the overall drawing experience compared to the size of the drawing space.
Computing Power
There is an even better graphics tablet for those on a slightly bigger budget. These devices are much more than graphics tablets; they are computers with touchscreen properties and can also be used as graphics tablets.
At the end of this article, I mentioned ordinary drawing tablets, which are drawing tablets with tracking capabilities. That translates pen movements into lines on a computer monitor.
What You’re Really Looking For Is A Standalone Drawing Tablet
Standalone graphics tablets contain absolutely everything you need to draw. Just install the desired software on them, such as Adobe Photoshop or Corel Painter, and use the pen (stylus) or even your fingers to draw on the screen.
These devices are the best graphics tablet ever created because they go beyond just being a peripheral resource; they are complete computers in their own right. The only disadvantage of standalone graphics tablets is that they are significantly more expensive.
What Makes A Good Drawing Tablet?
If you are not yet a pro and want to practice, there is no need to spend large sums of money on a device. Go for something simple that has been tried and tested over the years.
If you already have some experience and are already working (or at least considering starting work soon), be sure to pay attention to Huion KAMVAS GT-191. Right now, this is the best drawing tablet in its price range.
For those on a slightly higher budget, the Microsoft Surface Pro is a great option, not only because it’s a powerful computer but also because it’s so portable.
Buy Best Drawing Tablet
UGEE M708 Graphics Tablet
The UGEE M708 Graphics Tablet is a sleek, affordable, and reliable graphics tablet that is great for professionals and students.
This tablet is fully compatible with Photoshop, Illustrator, CorelDRAW, AutoCAD, Autodesk Sketchbook, and more.
Wacom Intuos Small Graphics Drawing Tablet
The Wacom Intuos small is the tablet that does it all! It has a larger tablet’s size, feels, and functionality for easier navigation but at a smaller scale for improved portability and space efficiency.
GAOMON PD1161 Tablet
With 8 Shortcut Keys and an 8192 Levels Pressure Sensitive Pen, this Drawing Tablet offers the convenience of both a graphic tablet and a pen display in one. You’ll be able to sketch, paint, and draw with various brushes, markers, pencils, and pens.
HUION KAMVAS Pro 16 Graphics Drawing Tablet
With HUION KAMVAS Pro 16 Graphics Drawing Tablet, you can be one step closer to this experience. Powered by a screen full-laminated tilt battery-free stylus, it offers an accurate drawing experience like never before.
Conclusion
Digital artists need a graphics tablet that is affordable and easy to use. The best graphics tablets on the market will give you fantastic performance, accurate interactive pen display technology, and all the features you need for professional work.
Getting the right tablet will allow you to create and produce high-quality digital drawing work more efficiently than ever before, so it’s definitely worth investing in the best you can afford right away.
