Graphics pad?

I'm an aspiring clothing designer. I've been working hard to make some clothes and learn the process. I feel very unnatural using a mouse though. Do most of the quality designers in SL use a graphics tablet in photoshop, gimp, paintshop etc. I feel as though it would make it much more detailed and easy. But before buying one I wanted to see what help it could provide. Thanks...Merry Christmas

Let's just say... when my time comes, I want to be buried with mine! I have the Wacom Intuos3 in the 6x8 size.

http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Intuos3-8-Inch-Pen-Tablet/dp/B00030097G

Wow that's a very nice one. Would it even be worth it for me to buy a $50 pad? Or is that not going to be helpful at all?

I really don't know nowadays. Years and years ago I tried an inexpensive Wacom tablet, and it really didn't work very well.

ETA: The one I tried was one of the Graphire ones, but they could have changed a lot since then.

I think the general consensus among graphics pros is "don't settle for anything less than Wacom". The low-end Wacom tablets, I think they call them "Bamboo Fun" these days, are pretty inexpensive. The Graphire and Intuos lines from Wacom have more features, like pressure sensitivity and pen-tilt sensing.

There are cheaper tablets out there than what Wacom sells, but none of the cheap ones can compare with Wacom for usability.

Get a Wacom or don't get a tablet at all. It's that simple. That's not fanboyism talking, or blind brand loyalty, or anything like that, and no, I don't own any stock in the company. The fact is no other brand even comes close to offering the performance level of Wacom, not to mention durability and reliability. Even the cheapest Wacom you can get will beat the pants off the very best of the best of all other brands. I can't stress this point enough. The difference is beyond night and day.

I've got two Wacoms currently. My main one is a 12x19" Intuos 3, which I'd sooner sell my first born into slavery than do without. It's arguably the most important device I own. It's exactly the same size as my 24" monitors, so it's perfect for me. I also have a 6x8" Intuos 3, which I use with my laptop.

Before I got the big Intuos 3, I used a little 4x5" Graphire 3 (not made anymore) for several years, so I've had 3 in total. They've all been wonderful. I gave the Graphire to a friend when I got my second Intuos. He ended up replacing it with an Intuos 3, and I think he then passed it on to another friend. The damned things last forever.


It will take you a few days to get used to using a tablet for the first time, so be prepared for that. It will feel a little awkward at first. But after you've had a little practice with it, you'll never go back to painting with a mouse. Ask anyone who's got one, and they'll agree. Once you start using a Wacom, you won't know how you ever existed without it.

People often ask for advice on sizing. It's really a matter of personal preference. I usually recommend getting the biggest one you can afford. You can always subdivide a big tablet into a small drawing area, but you can never make a small tablet bigger. I find that the closer in size a tablet is to the screen, the more natural it feels to use it. Some people do prefer a small drawing surface, though. To help you decide, print out a few images of tablets from the Wacom website at full size, and then draw on them, to see how it feels to operate within the various size constraints.

Here's a quick breakdown of the different Wacom lines, just so you know what does what:

Intuos - This is the top of the line. Intuos tablets feature dobule the resolution and double the pressure sensitivity of the Graphires, Bamboo Funs, and Bamboos, and they sense the tilt of the pen, which none of the others do. Also, there are several useful accessories available for Intuos (different types of pens and mice), which are not available for any of the other lines.

Bamboo Fun - This is the midrange line, great starter tablets. Eventually, you'll probably want to upgrade to an Intuos, but if you're looking for an inexpensive tablet to start out with, Bamboo Fun is the way to go.

Graphire - Most of the Graphire line was discontinued when the Bamboo Fun came out. The only one to survive was the wireless version. In my opinion, getting a Graphire Wireless is not the best idea. Wired tablets are more reliable, and less expensive.

Bamboo - Bottom of the line. I don't recommend the Bamboo because its eraser is not pressure sensitive. You'd be surprised how useful a pressure sensitive eraser really is. Also, the Bamboo doesn't come with a mouse. (Not that tablet-mice are really all that useful anyway, especially on small tablets.)


Bottom line, if your budget is $100-200, get a Bamboo Fun. If you can spend more, an Intuos is worth every penny. Either way, you really can't go wrong with a Wacom.

It all comes down to what you can do with the tools you have available to you. The most expensive graphics tablet isn't going to make a monkey paint like Rembrandt, know what I mean? Although, I must admit that a graphics tablet makes life as an artist much easier, but a mouse is just as useful... albeit a rather cumbersome device.

Basically, use whatever is more comfortable to you and gets the job done.

Btw, I have a little 4x6 Bamboo tablet (cost me $30 on sale) and it does everything I could possibly ever need it to do. So again, it depends on what your artistic needs are.

Thank you so much. I'll have to search around for the best deal on a Wacom it seems. Hopefully this will take me to the next step in clothing design in SL. It should be a lot easier and more natural than a mouse I'd think.

I went mental a few months ago and got theWacom Cintiq 12.

I love it like a family member. Once you go Cintiq, nothing else compares

Cintiq is a bit out of my price range lol. I still stink at making clothes. I just find it extremely difficult to do any detail using a mouse. So I figure maybe a tablet will help. But maybe I'm wrong and I really just need to learn more, I'm just blaming the mouse lol.

I actually find that in my texture making, I move back and forth between my Wacom tablet and my Logitech LX3 mouse. There are some tasks that really benefit from a pressure sensitive pen, and for which nothing else will do as well. There are other tasks that work just as easily with a decent quality mouse, and that in my own work are easier with a mouse than with a pen.

But in the end, a tablet is just another tool in an artist's tool kit. Having a really good one makes it easier to do tasks, certainly, IF you have the skill to use it well. But the best tablet in the world wont grant you skill and talent and experience. Only time and practice, and a natural talent, can grant that.

$50 isn't that bad for a graphics tablet, especially a decent Wacom one. Even a decent mouse that's going to last more than a few months to a year costs around that much.

I have a cheap one since some years ago and still better than a mouse I can't use photoshop, feehand or another design programs without it