I recently bought myself a tablet and to be honest I didn’t think it would make a big difference before I bought it, after setting it up and trying it out I realized that I had been missing out and my work was very limited with a mouse. Now I have many more options and I am able to create things I couldn’t before, below are a few reasons why I think every designer should stop using a mouse and start using a tablet to design.
Sensitivity and Pressure
Everyone has tried drawing with a mouse at one point and realized it didn’t look good, its obvious that with a tablet drawing is going to be much easier but what a lot of people don’t know about is the levels of sensitivity, tilt, eraser, and the amazing work that couldn’t be done without those features. Sensitivity means that just like a real pencil you make strokes lighter or heavier depending on how hard you press down and the eraser works the same way. With the tilt sensitivity you can control opacity, color intensity, hardness, and flow.
Tracing
You can bring your sketches to life by scanning them and tracing over the image, I found this very useful when designing logos because you can trace your sketches without any flaws and with more precision than when using a mouse and you don’t have to throw out an idea because its not possible to do with the mouse. Now the possibilities are even greater in my designs.
Easy to get used to
At first using a tablet might be a little frustrating. For practice you can try navigating around your computer with it, sketch, trace over pictures or drawings in photoshop or illustrator. There are some incredible tutorials below to help practice and get started you will get used to it in no time and once you do you won’t look back.
Ergonomic
As designers we spend a lot of time in front of a computer screen and using a tablet instead of a mouse can be more comfortable and is better for your health. Using a mouse consists of a lot of twisting of the forearm at unnatural angles and repetitive use of the same muscles which can lead to aching body parts and increase the risk of RSI. A tablet allows you to keep your hand in a relaxed and natural position and uses several different muscles evenly.
Programmable Buttons
The buttons on the pen can be programmed to whatever keystroke you want, so while drawing in photoshop, illustrator, or whatever program you use you can easily undo a mistake, switch to another layer, zoom in and out, and much more depending on what keys you set the buttons to. There are only two buttons on the pen so you have to pick the two functions that you use the most.
Below are some useful links to tutorials, instructions, and resources for tablets.
- Draw in Photoshop Using A Tablet
- Ditch Your Mouse: Why You Should Be Using a Tablet
- Using Pen Tablets in Photoshop
- Wacom Drawing Tablet Tutorial
- How To Digitally Paint In Photoshop With A Drawing Tablet
- Tips for Drawing with Brushes in Illustrator CS2
- Adobe Illustrator Cartoon Tutorial with a Wacom Tablet
- 40+ Tutorials for Working with Wacom Tablets
- How to Draw a Classic Hand using a Graphics Tablet
- The ergonomic way to use your computer
Some Amazing And Inspiring Illustrations
Leave a comment and let us know what you think about designing with a tablet.
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I’m sold! What kind do you have with the Photoshop display in the tablet there in the header?
No I have the bamboo, its one of the cheaper ones. The one in the header is too expensive for me right now.
thanks for the post, really good review. I have been thinking of a tablet. Will defo buy one now I think, headr so many good things. Thanks again.
Why I completely disagree with this statement:
(1) Tablets aren’t as beneficial in all applications. In video, for example, they’re more a hinderance. I’d never even think about gaming with a tablet.
(2) Programmable buttons are found on mice as well. Beyond that, custom-keyboard shortcuts (used by many designers) nullifies much of this as a pro.
(3) Artists who sketch a lot still suffer many of the same issues as computer users. There is almost no, if any, real ergonomic benefit to using a tablet. Especially since the majority of ergonomic issues most designers face are actually related to posture, seating position, display placement, et al.
(4) Tablets only work better for people who’s artwork incorporates a heavy amount of illustrated work. There is no benefit with minimalist work that is mostly text and images with geometric forms.
(5) Mice are more sensitive than tablets, not the other way around. Tablets have pressure but mice have a much higher DPI than tablets. Gaming-grade mice are in the multiple-thousands of DPI while still being significantly cheaper.
(6) Anyone can use a mouse with very little effort. It takes years of practice to become truly skilled in drawing, a skill tablet use relies on heavily.
(7) Tablets are only as big as the one you buy. Mice are as big as the biggest flat surface you can find.
(8) Mice are portable in a way tablets are not.
(9) Mice are cheaper. Not just in initial cost, either. Should you lose the pen (or the mouse many tablets come with) the price to replace it is often as much or more than a cheap mouse.
—
Of course, it’s all down to personal taste and people should use what they’re most comfortable with. If a print designer who did a lot of illustrative work came to me and asked me what I recommended it would probably be a tablet. However, I would recommend the opposite if they did a lot of design for the web, gamed, worked with video or 3D or weren’t a skilled sketch artist.
Tablets certainly have their uses but they are very specific and limited.
If you want to have a long career using the computer for design, a tablet is indispensible! I have used one for the past 15 years. Before that I used a trackball, which also holds your hand in the correct “handshake” position while you work. The reason I switched away from the mouse is that the twisting WRECKED my wrist to the point where I had to wear a wrist brace and thought I’d have to learn how to use my feet for designing! Do yourself and your arm a favor and get a tablet. The cheapest one is totally fine! Happy designing!
I have to totally disagree with most of what Doug S says. I use a tablet more than a mouse. For everything from intricate music software interfaces, graphics programs, editing video and general surfing.
They are far more intuitive than most mice, are far better for power users in terms of ergonomics and wrist placement, and given that you can set the tablets (wacom ones are the best) up to cover part of or the entire screen area (newer wacom models are widescreen friendly) there is on issue as to having limits to space you can cover.
Most tablets you can adjust the sensitivity of the pen quite extensively. Some general mice you cant, and unless you have a decent, more expensive mouse, then the pen can be more sensitive.
Tablets are portable in many of the more common sizes, coming with covers and removable cords for easy transport and fit into laptop bags.
They often come with a mouse as an added option – i still prefer to use a tablet with a regular better quality mouse as an optional addition, not as a replacement.
The programmable keys can save the hassle of having to use your hands to find the keyboard to make keyboard shortcuts – dont forget that when using the tablet you generally have space for either the keyboard OR the tablet in front of you at one time. Not necessarily both directly in front, so these keys are great. Who wants to waste time having to use keyboard all the time when you can set up entire actions or do simple functions much faster by touching the buttons? New intuos4 tablets allow rotation, setting up for left or right handed use, quick navigation.
You dont have to be a skilled artist to get great use out of tablets. They are often ideal for people with certain types of arthritis and other chronic hand/wrist issues. As with anything you have to get the hang of something new, but it doesnt take years of using a tablet to get the hang of it!? Seriously took me 5 mins once I’d set it up. It may take years to learn to draw like a master, but definitely not to use a tablet.
Whilst you wouldn’t use it for gaming, they were never designed to be used for gaming. So in that case use your gaming peripherals for gaming and can use the tablet for whatever else – doesnt have to replace the mouse or other items.
I’m not working as a master illustrator, nor am i trying to build up to that, but i build a lot of websites, even simple geometric & text ones and find my wrist gets less sore using my tablet. I also have more precision, and can work much faster with my intuos than with a simple mouse.
Sure there are ergonomic issues with seating, screen displays, posture but they are not the main ones by any means!? There are many important RSI & hand/wrist related injuries, twisted finger muscles and chronic issues et al from excessive/improper mousing & keyboard use. And a ton of work place claims that come through seeking reimbursement for treatment to fix such injury. So it is not something that is unimportant. It is a serious ongoing condition in many places.
Whilst tablets are not everyone’s cup of tea, i swear by them and dont know how any designer who prides themselves on working with precision & timeliness especially could ever work without one.
If you are interested in trying to make your life easier, then try one. See if you like it. I use a slightly bigger one, and intuos as i have more graphical needs/uses professionally. More options. But the cheaper ones are adequate and depending on your need will save you wasted money if not a pro or have simple uses (not illustrator). I recommend one larger than 6×4inches. Bit more space is handier.
Totally agree with you, I should totally be using a tablet right now, it’s just they cost so much.
Nice intro to tablets, but I have to largely agree with “Doug S.”. I have a tablet which I occasionally use in Photoshop when building web-graphics, but I am not an artist or sketcher and find the mouse more useful for most tasks.
That said; I am definitely going to have a go at some of the tutorials / resources for tablets to see if I can get more out of it with my limited skills.
Perfect timing for this article! Just got a Bamboo Fun for my birthday and it has been a complete joy to work with and new asset for my freelance graphic design. Thanks for all the great links, they will definately come in handy.
@Alias: I have tried tablets. Back in my design course in high school we had 9″x12″ Wacom tablets. I tried using it for two weeks and while I get ‘comfortable’ using it it wasn’t enough to come close to how quickly I can work with a mouse and keyboard.
One thing I should note is when I’m citing information, it’s not my personal opinion, it’s documentable fact. The example of sensitivity, for example is one I can verify easily. The highest sensitivity Intuos is 5080dpi with a response rate of 197pps. The Razer Mamba (gaming grade mouse) is 5600dpi at 1000pps.
Also, many of the things you purport as positives are actually negatives. With a mouse I can us a keyboard easily. With a tablet you are often restricted to one or the other, as you say.
As for your ergonomic statements, you might want to further research them.
Well, it’s true but not for everything, for example, if you are coding HTML/CSS or for gaming is not useful. An another thing to take in account is that you should buy the tablet according to activity you most do. For example, if you are an illustrator just buy the bigger, but if you are a web designer think about a medium size.
Happy christmas and 2010 for everybody.
In 2003 I started using a tablet. After two weeks, I unplugged my mouse. After a year, I lost my mouse — and didn’t miss it.
Today I use my trusty Wacom Graphire for everything from Photoshop work to organizing files. Rearranging podcasts in iTunes? Tablet. Surfing the web? Tablet. Highlighting text? Tablet. Scrolling and rearranging windows? Tablet and trackpad. Writing HTML/CSS/PHP? Tablet & keyboard. Clicking “submit comment” at the bottom of this form? An easy tap on my tablet.
As a freelancer, not all of my work happens in an office with a desk. I prefer my tablet over my mouse because it doesn’t need a hard surface. I have never lost a pen or broken a nib, although last year I dropped my tab. It still works, despite a few scratches.
Sometimes I revert to my trackpad if I need to, say, move a Photoshop selection one pixel to the side. Sometimes people look at me funny. But when they see me work as fast (or faster than) them, they want to try it themselves.
It is great to use a tablet. You got better felling to create Pictures. One year ago i sold the Wacom ux 12. Fantastic!! All what i want to create in Photoshop or Illustrator i take the tablet.
Beautiful tips
Hi there,
nice post, but PLEASE quit the white on black !!!!
I’m impressed
I found this place on Ask looking for something completely unrelated, and now I’m going to need to go back and read through all the old material! So much for spare time this morning, but this was a truly amazing find!
There’s nothing natural about holding a pen for 8 hours a day. It’s very easy to see why people would so easily believe this myth but the only reason for that is that we’ve been using writing instruments longer than mice. That doesn’t make it natural. Writers cramp has also been around a lot longer than RSI. But it is an ergonomic advantage to start using a graphics tablet, as your hand/arm will start using other muscles and stressing different nerves, so it will give your arm a bit of a break. Switching between a graphics tablet and a mouse (or various mice) is a more ideal solution.
great articel, thanks
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