digital art drawing tablet

zumbrennen14180 April 17, 2023 Comment

There’s a ton of real estate on the XP-PEN Artist 24 Pro’s 2K Quad HD display, giving you room to dream big and draw bigger.

The Wacom Cintiq 16 Drawing Tablet has all of the bells and whistles that most artists look for in a drawing tablet.

It’s never been easier to express your creativity on your computer. With a tablet and a digital pen, you can paint or draw your next masterpiece directly into a digitally native platform. There are lots of great drawing tablets out there, from specialty devices for professionals and hobbyists, and versatile devices for everyday life whose artistic uses are just part of the picture. Whether you’re just getting started, or a professional artist in need of a new device, these are the best drawing tablets.

Artist Display 12 Graphics Drawing Tablet

As a freelance technology critic for over 10 years, I’ve reviewed technology, including tablets, for publications including Popular Mechanics, Tom’s Guide, The Daily Beast, Architectural Digest, Apartment Therapy, and Bob Vila. I tested three of the items on this list and the rest of the selections are based on extensive research, conversations with artists, and reviews from other users.

Now that you know the basics, it’s time to go out and pick the best drawing tablet for you. Our list of the best tablets takes a wider approach than similar lists from other publications. In addition to drawing slates for pros from brands like Wacom and Huion, we’ve recommended some everyday tablets that support digital pens and offer strong visual art software. Not everyone who wants to draw on a tablet needs a dedicated drawing tablet.

Why it made the cut: The Wacom Cintiq 16 Drawing Tablet has all of the bells and whistles that most artists look for in a drawing tablet.

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The Wacom Cintiq 16 is the best drawing tablet for most people, from beginners to seasoned pros. The 15.6-inch glass display has a large 13.6- by 8.6-inch active area, making it big enough for expressive, lag-free drawing. It has an anti-glare coating that cuts down on potentially distracting reflections and adds a level of friction to help simulate the feeling of drawing on paper. Its express keys are out of the way on the tablet’s rear edge, so they don’t take up valuable screen space. The relatively compact tablet conveniently connects to your computer using an HDMI cable, which produces better video quality than a USB cable and has foldable legs that can provide up to a 19-degree incline.

The Wacom Cintiq 16’s battery-free, cordless pen is lightweight, pressure-sensitive, and has a natural feel, like you’re writing with a regular pen. It can also tilt up to 60 degrees. The tablet also gives you a little software-enabled help, using anti-jitter technology to ensure you get smooth lines. Between the versatile pen and the high-quality surface, the Cintiq 16 is a well-rounded drawing tablet for hobbyists and pros.

Why it made the cut: There’s a ton of real estate on the XP-PEN Artist 24 Pro’s 2K Quad HD display, giving you room to dream big and draw bigger.

Artist Drawing Something On Graphic Tablet At The Stock Image

If you want a lot of drawing room, the 23.8-inch XP-PEN Artist 24 Pro provides a ton of space to create your work. The 2K QHD display realizes your designs in vivid color, allowing you to notice even the smallest details. It’s built for comfort: The tablet’s stand is adjustable and can tilt up to 60 degrees, making it easy for you to find your sweet spot. It also accommodates both right- and left-handed artists, with dials and shortcut keys on both sides of the tablet for ambidextrous access. Either way, all 20 shortcut keys are customizable so you can set the tablet to meet your needs. The XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro comes with a battery-free stylus, which features 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity and 60-degree tilt, giving you the most sensitive digital drawing experience.

Why it made the cut: The Wacom Intuos Pro Digital Graphic Drawing Tablet provides creative control and all of the necessary tools for experts.

Wacom is popular among creative professionals—and for good reason. The company has over 35 years in digital pen technology, and its products are used by everyone from fashion designers to animators and filmmakers. The Wacom Intuos Pro is a surprisingly slim and lightweight tablet at 16.8 by 11.2 inches and weighs only 2.86 pounds. However, the black anodized aluminum and fiberglass composite resin make it a sturdy choice. The battery-free Wacom Pro Pen 2 is extremely pressure-sensitive and tilts 60 degrees. There’s also a pen stand included to keep the stylus safe and out of the way when not in use.

Why You Really Need An Art Graphics Drawing Tablet

The Wacom Intuos Pro is a graphic drawing tablet, which means it doesn’t have a screen. It connects to your Mac or Windows PC via USB, or wirelessly over Bluetooth. Its multi-touch functionality lets you easily scroll, zoom, and navigate your art via the tablet. (You can also turn touch-based gestures off if they mess with your flow.)

For a true traditionalist, there’s also a more expensive “paper edition” Intuos Pro, which adds the ability to convert paper drawings inked with a special pen into a digital image. Drawing on paper over your tablet may seem like a waste of time on paper, but it may make a world of difference for some artists.

If you’re specifically looking for a black-and-white, paper-style experience, the reMarkable 2 is the way to go. The ultra-thin tablet features a unique 10.3-inch “Canvas” display that simulates the look and feel of reading and writing on paper. Though it feels like a whole other world, it integrates into your digital life surprisingly well, converting articles from the web to a more focused, book-like form, converting handwritten notes into text, and sharing your tablet screen via a desktop or laptop. For artists, built-in templates and layers make it easy to start drawing, and there are brushes and tools to fit any type of project. ReMarkable’s proprietary stylus, the Marker, features a high-friction pen tip and doesn’t need to be charged.

Best Free Drawing Software For Digital Artists In 2023

While it’s impressive in many ways, it’s worth pointing out that using a paper-style tablet is a choice, with limited functionality compared to the iPad or Surface models on this list. If you’re willing to commit, though, it is incredibly good at what it does.

Why it made the cut: As an affordable, kid-friendly tablet, the Boogie Board Play and Trace is an irresistible pick for little artists.

The Boogie Board Play and Trace LCD Writing Tablet is a great way to introduce your kids to drawing and writing. The battery-powered 13.5 by 9 tablet features a large, semi-transparent screen that lets your child trace their favorite image or draw freehand.

Amazon.com: Huion Inspiroy H1060p Graphics Drawing Tablet With 8192 Pressure Sensitivity Battery Free Stylus And 12 Customized Hot Keys, 10 X 6.25 Inches Digital Art Tablet For Mac, Windows Pc And Android

The Play and Trace also comes with templates to teach the basics of writing and drawing. It comes with a stylus, but kids can use pencils, markers, and even fingernails can be used on the surface without damaging the tablet. And, at 13.6 ounces, it’s light enough that even young kids can carry it around and use it on their own. That’s important because who knows where that stylus will wind up once your kid gets a hold of it.

When you hear the word “tablet, ” chances are that the iPad is the first thing that comes to mind. While it isn’t made specifically for drawing, pairing one with a stylus, especially the Apple Pencil 2, turns it into a fairly sophisticated and versatile tool for making digital art. The 10.9-inch iPad Air 5 is our favorite tablet. It has an edge-to-edge liquid retina display that is practically edgeless and makes images look true to life. Its Apple M1 chip is powerful enough to make drawing and other tasks, such as shooting and editing videos, and transferring files, quick and easy. And at 1lb, it is also far easier to carry around than most drawing tablets.

The biggest disadvantage of the iPad, specifically as a drawing tablet, is that it doesn’t come with a stylus. That keeps the cost of the iPad down and gives you the option to pick one up on the cheap, but budding artists will want to drop the extra $129.99 on the Apple Pencil 2, which creates sharp lines, offers a variety of smart features, and even attaches magnetically to the side.

Reviewed: The 15 Best Drawing Tablets For 2022

Why it made the cut: It’s expensive, but the Surface Pro 8 can effectively replace a laptop while providing excellent drawing capabilities.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is made for multitasking. The 13-inch touchscreen tablet has a plethora of features, ranging from Dolby Vision to automatic color and brightness sensors to the Iris X graphics, which provide more than enough tools and power to seamlessly switch between sketching and taking notes without skipping a beat. With powerful specs and Windows 11 as its operating system, this is the only device on this list that could truly function as a laptop replacement.

Like the iPad, the Surface technically isn’t a dedicated drawing tablet, so it doesn’t come with a stylus. Microsoft has an incredible new pen to go with it, though, in the Surface Slim Pen 2. The $129.99 Surface pen senses