Scene Anime

While the Bamboo and Bamboo Fun tablet models by Wacom are meant for office tasks that don't necessarily include illustration, the Intuos 4 and Cintiq line are meant for drawing and illustration.
But if you're on a really tight budget and feel desperate to put your digital drawing capabilities to test, to see if you can keep up with the so-called 'new' era, you'd go for the small version.

Even for the $199 price on Amazon, you get an impressive 2048 levels of sensitivity, yet a good number of users would say that the price jump is unjustifiable when compared to the Intuos3 and Intuos2 versions. And there's the issue of the infamous shortcut buttons that sacrificed functionality for fanciness, being too small and too near each other.


Still, its design and surface is not as rough as previous versions and looks to enhance ergonomy. The ambidextrous capability is always a plus. The touch ring is one of the best features, it takes its time to get used to it but once you do, it feels comfortable as ever.


However, these Wacom models had one particular default issue with the USB port manufacturing and pen that came defective, that even forced the fabricant to replace the tablet per customer complaints and requests. That's why you can get a refurbished model as low as $139, but often without some of the accessories.



Beware also of the pen nibs. While the Intuos 4 models come with their pen holder, the nibs wear out too fast for frequent use. If you work 6-8 hours daily with your device, you'll know what I'm talking about. You'd have to spend an extra dollar or two for new pen nibs from time to time.

So now you see that it's not all bright, shiny and rosy when buying an expensive tablet if you're a beginner or struggling artist for the sake of it :-)

Still, if you have fallen in love with this model of Wacom tablet and feel like you can afford it, the refurbished PTK440 models have turned out wayyy better at a better price.

The process of creating a manga is never easy, much less when it comes to animation.

The idea of going digital was to facilitate that process and make it smoother, but many artists to this day prefer to do it the old-fashioned way. Why? Because they like the concept of having created something with their own hands, rather than let a machine do all the work.

Plus, there's plenty of discussions over that digital work will never be like the real thing, meaning that a drawing or illustration done with a drawing tablet will never have the life and the gesture that a true hand-drawing has.

Drawing tablets were invented to 'emulate' the pressure and the subtle hand movements of the artist when it comes to drawing on the screen, that's why you hear of 'levels of pressure sensitivity' when it comes to choosing an appropiate model.

The Wacom Intuos4 medium tablet

Ideally, a drawing tablet with a minimum of 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity should be more than sufficient when drawing manga. Programs like Manga Studio, Illustrator, Photoshop or Corel let you adjust the tilt and pressure of their pencil, brush, blob and pen tools, so you can get the best and most accurate lines possible, without having to suffer drawing with a mouse and being forced to constantly make adjustments.

Wacom is certainly the absolute leader in drawing tablets for their quality. Ask any architect, animation artist, 3D modeler, graphic designer, etc, and to them is as if you were speaking of GOD or the Holy Grial, their Wacom tablet is their livelihood and a key part of their profession.

Wacom tablets come in various models and sizes, and yes, they are quite expensive. Seems to be a part of the 'mystique' surrounding them. I thought so too when I spent 6 months saving money to buy my first one.

And I almost did. Normally you would go with the expensive, reputable item that costs $200 or much more to ensure that you have a quality, all-professional-like product. But guess what, the principle of doing proper RESEARCH before buying a product never goes stale. 


Click here to read a review of the Wacom Intuos4 Small Tablet.