Cheapest way to digital art????..

[RafuRum]

hey there! to any person (artist) who happened to click this here thread... I'm just some dude who do some little drawings...I usually do it with the traditional pen and paper *no colors even*.. but lately I've been thinking that digital art is an advantage in a lot of ways.. so with that I just want to ask for some suggestions as to what do you guys think is the cheapest way of getting into digital art on a tablet PC?..

 

[Teapot]

When you say tablet PC, what specifically do you mean? Is it an iPad, an Android tablet, or a Windows tablet?

 

[RafuRum]

ow.. I meant that in general.. I have no clue as to which one to get...

 

[Teapot]

Ahh, gotcha. I guess you've got quite a few options, really - most artists work on some form of Windows laptop, generally with a graphics tablet to imitate having a pen. (Alternately, the Surface Pro comes with a touchscreen and a stylus and is regarded as absolutely superb for artists and creative professionals.) That costs a few bob, though - especially if you factor in the price of a Photoshop subscription, although there are other tools like Paint Tool SAI which are much cheaper, if not free, and work very well for drawing.

On the other hand, a lot of folks these days like an actual tablet, like an iPad, with some of the apps you can get for cheap on there. You can get apps like Pixelmator, Paper, or Sketchbook Express for a few quid, all of which are excellent. The disadvantage is that the iPad does not have a stylus and basically can't work with one - any of the styluses you can buy are awful and just don't work properly. So you end up painting and drawing with your fingers. From what I hear, it's very, very possible, and some truly excellent art has been produced on nothing but iPads, but it's not for everyone.

 

[_Umbreon_]

Actually you can connect a wireless stylus with the iPad for Sketch book!

 

[Teapot]

Actually you can connect a wireless stylus with the iPad for Sketch book!

You can! There's one called "Pencil" that works with the Paper app too. But, as mentioned, they're not always very good. Even the Pencil, which is regarded as one of the best on the market, is a bit finicky and inaccurate sometimes - or so I've read, anyway. They're also very expensive as they have to be smart Bluetooth affairs due to the iPad's screen not being designed for styluses. So yeah, although they do exist and do work, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable recommending one as a serious artistic tool - not without the chance to try one out first, anyway!

 

[_Umbreon_]

Yeah here I'll add a screen shot!

k

 

[Kiwibear]

Gunna chime in and say if you want to start with a wacom, definitely start with bamboo!
For programs, I would recommend clip studio paint, its usually about 70 but goes on sale for 15 a lot! It's a good combination of sai and Photoshop
If you want a cintique like experience ( which I really recommend once you're serious about this as a career) the yiynova mspu 19! I have one and it's amazing. For a more portable experience, like teapot said the surface pro works wonders! I would recommend number 2 over everything else because the pen is waaaayyy better. It has double the sensivity and requires no batteries. Number 3 also breaks apart from wacom ( the company) so its not so artist heavy.
Pros and cons between wacom, yiynova, and surface (as I've used all three)

Wacom

Pros:
Super cheap
Gets the job done with pressure sensitivity
Portable + a laptop/tablet

Cons:
Teaches you the "wrong" way of drawing.
This is really the biggest con to a wacom for me, becasue it detaches you from your drawing quite a lot. It's a subtle effect but if you don't draw traditional as much as you do digital, itll be a disaster drawing traditional. This has happened to me and a lot of my peers. However! It's not a bad starting point overall, just remember to draw more traditional alongside so you don't lose the feel of pencil directly on paper.

Yiynova

Pros
GIGANTIC SCREEN
Pressure sensitivity is A++++
Eliminates the con of wacoms as explained earlier
Everything you need to draw digital tbh

Cons
Because it is big, if you don't have desk space/an arm its a bit uncomfortable to work with.
Expensive.
uses VGA. Which imo is outdated as crud, but eh.
Pen is battery.

Surface Pro 2
Pros
PORTAAABLLLEEEE
Eliminates cons of wacom

Cons
Costly
Screen is a bit too smooth, unless you don't buy a screen protector it might take sometime to get used to.
OVERHEATS LIKE A MOFO. Idk the deal with surface, but its a laptop with tablet dimensions which means no fan which means overheating. There's no way to avoid it. However not using chrome as a web browser helps. Also slapping some water on the back helps it.
NOT really compatible with older versions of sai, however if you get csp, its actually optimized for the surface! Which is super cool
Sorry if this was Meh..I got tired of typing near the middle, however if you have any questions feel free to ask!

 

[RafuRum]

To sum things up.. according to everyone? Wacom and surface pro is a beginer's way to go .. but since the ipad poped-up.. is it safe to assume that other general use tablets *like samsung galaxy tab* can do the job too?? Or are there atleast other andriod based devices that one can consider to use?.. *thanks a lot for everyone who provided their thoughts * also sorry for asking more questions...

 

[Mrs.Serene222]

The way I usually do my art is on Manga Studio with my graphics tablet. I also have a Epson scanner/printer which lets you draw something then place it into the scanner and it puts it on your computer. It costs quite a lot I imagine but I don't know because me dad got it!