wocaisuxin

· 02 Sep 2023

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What is the best drawing pad for digital art?

Looking for a drawing pad so you can start doing digital art, but not sure which one to choose?

Depends if you want it to be portable (painting in/on the sofa, bus, plane, subway, bed, toilet etc):

If you want to work at your desk with your desktop or laptop, then there are a few main brands, you can go screen or no screen depending on budget and preference:

Wacom: Cintiq for pro-level tablet with screen, Intuos pro for pro-level tablet without screen, Intuos for hobbyist-level tablet without screen.

Huion and XP-Pen have a few interesting offerings, both with and without screens. Think of them as a budget-Wacom.

They do offer much more for the price and depending on model are already ahead Wacom as Wacom has been lazy for years now they still offer good products with strong Brand name but competition is hitting hard.

If you want the flexibility of a standalobe drawing tablet without computer, you have a handful of options.

Apple ipad Pro + apple pencil: Industry standard for portable illustration, but you're stuck with IOS apps, plus the 'Apple tax'.

Microsoft Surface Pro features a stylus (sold separately), and is essentially a windows laptop but thinner and lighter, with a stylus-enabled multi-touchscreen.

I use the surface pro 9 for all of my digital art- the battery isn't great, especially when using Photoshop for digital art, but is more acceptable when using the new Fresco software for digital painting. I carry a 20,000 mAh powerbank in the carry case.

Android tablet solutions like samsung galaxy tab with S Pen included. Haven't tried these myself, some swear by them as a budget alternative to the apple/MS offerings.