Graphic art tablet

[Threeboys1]

Ds has asked for a graphic art tablet for Christmas, mainly to draw on. Can anyone offer suggestions as to good ones? Budget would be max £200.

Dd had one of these. It was good, but we eventually ended up getting her an iPad where you can draw straight onto the screen with a pen.

She uses it all day every day. We were reluctant at first, because of the cost. But it’s been well worth it.

She told me tablets were not really used much anymore

Well I'm a professional illustrator and I still use a drawing tablet with my Mac. I've just ordered a Wacom Intuos but they're pricey (a medium one is about £350).
However for a starter I highly recommend a Bamboo tablet (there's a few different kinds). They're made by Wacom and I have used one for years and produced artwork that is out there on your bookshelves on it!

I think the idea that drawing tablets aren't used anymore has come from the popularity of the Cintiq where you draw directly onto the screen. There are tablets like these but they are really pricey. Something to maybe build to?

Loads of people still use tablets! Ones with screens (where the iPad and pen is just a an expensive but portable option with other benefits) are now of course capable enough that they're an option rather than just the non-screen versions.

There's a massive difference in price though, a very capable tablet like the Huion H610P is 60 quid, half the price of the apple pencil - of course you need a computer aswell, but then iPads are more expensive than computers.

As to which tablet, it depends a bit on what your other requirements on size and if you want wireless or not.

Teens!!! They’ll bloody tell you anything.!

And l believed her!😭😖

Thanks everyone.
I'll check out the ones you've suggested.

This is the one we bought DSS (13 at the time) for his birthday. He had done a lot of research into drawing tablets and this is the one he suggested. he particularly likes it because you can draw directly on the screen, unlike one where you draw on the tablet but can only see it on the comouter screen.

It also happens to be exactly your budget!
www.amazon.co.uk/Artist12-Graphics-Drawing-Battery-free-1920x1080-Artist-12/dp/B07GPX9T58/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&psc=1&keywords=drawing+tablet&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyNTlJM1RIRUhBQlFHJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTY4ODA4MjBWTlJXUklCSlBaRyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDk5OTg4RjBIVUIwMEZFNlVCJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1605003579&sr=8-1-spons

my 2p
Also consider that if he doesn't already have software compatible with the drawing pad he won't get much benefit - you really need drawing software that handles layers. ( & If you go the tablet route then you'll also need a pencil or equivalent. )

Last year DD wanted a tablet and ended up (GP supported thankfully) with a HUION Kamvas Pro 13 - www.amazon.co.uk/Display-Drawing-Function-Battery-free-Pressure/dp/B07FC7W4Z4?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Tablet was/is superb and after several months of cycling through multiple drawing programs she has settled on Clip Studio(£), with some specific use of IbisPaint(free). All supported by KineMaster and VideoStar because her current main focus is producing short gacha animations for a uTube channel.

Autodesk Sketchbook is actually free and an excellent program to try and help determine whether you need other capabilities.
Clip Studio Paint Pro @ £40 is superb for everything except animations - madam ran up against the limits in this after a couple of months, we had to go for the EX version in lockdown - ££££ :(

In that year her use of the tablet has changed from 100% to ~10% and she has reverted to using the same programs on an iPad.
Subjectively it feels like the tablet let her gain skills with the drawing programs such that it became possible to use them effectively on the tablet.

Good drawing programs are very complex - even use of core techniques like pinch zoom in/out, canvas rotation and brush/colour selection take quite a bit of practice and along with layers are vital to getting a good result out of the tools - once you've learnt those techniques then you can use the programs easily on pad or tablet.

There are oodles of tutorials, in great depth, for the various tools on the web. Photoshop & the adobe tools used to be the ''best' - IMHO they're far too expensive relative to the contenders and these days are arguably less capable in the things you want to do - because they are overwhelming and split capabilities across tools.

In an ideal world we'd have hired the tablet for a year and updated her iPad for one with more memory - I don't think that is an option - if it was I'd go for that. As it is her iPad update will have to wait.

If you want to see what is involved/possible with some of the tools have a look at "speedpaint" videos on utube.

Dd has a Huion. It's stood up well to about 3 years of constant use. She uses it instead of a mouse as well as all her drawing.