Last week, ozoneocean resurrected a forum post from a little more than eleven years ago by necroposting the “Tablet Recommendation?” topic on the General Discussion forum board. The post is definitely dated, yet it still holds up to the idea of allowing for time to pass before purchasing a big ticket item because technology becomes more affordable as new upgrades are introduced into the market.

Tablets were the cutting edge of professional looking digital art when I began drawing comics in 2007. Several of my favorite webcomic creators used tablets and I would hear names like Graphire, Intuos, and the much revered Cintiq. Before tablets were easily accessible, I had to paint all of my comics digitally using a mouse and I still do not know how I was able to put up with all the clicking without going insane.

When I wanted to become serious about creating webcomics ten years ago, I reached out to my mom and asked for a $89 loan so I could purchase a flat bed scanner. I reimbursed her as soon as I had enough money in my account. Later that year, I felt that a tablet could only improve my comic pages so I asked for a second loan of $99 so I could buy a WACOM tablet. Both the scanner and tablet are on my desk and fully functional today. If they never broke and still work today, then why bother upgrading? I guess that I never attempted to go back and learn new techniques once I learned a comfortable method of creating digital art.

Ozoneocean mentioned in the forum post that “tablets have come a LONG way since then, so what are the recommendations now? How have things changed since 2005?” That statement inspired me to go to eBay and type in tablets and several wonderful models popped up and the prices were jaw dropping. There were some tablets (originally priced at $329) I would admire in the student store and they are now available for less than $50. I am almost tempted to add to my tablet collection even though I know the Bamboo Fun has always served it purpose and is still a very good tablet.

I am certain that several tablet improvements have happened since 2005. I remember using the computer lab at a design college and I remember the awe-inspiring tablets the graphic design students used for 3D modeling. The only thing is that my own personal collection of technology is still stuck in 2008.

If you would like to add your insights and advice on the best modern tablets, please head on over to the General Discussion forums and add to the Tablet discussion!

Link: http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/forum/topic/161543/

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