As an aspiring digital artist, you may be eager to purchase a graphics tablet to start digitizing your work. However, before taking the plunge, it‘s important to weigh some potential downsides that could hamper – not help – your creative goals.
In this guide, I‘ll provide an overview of graphics tablets along with 7 key reasons you may want to avoid buying one as your first digital drawing tool. I‘ll also suggest some alternative devices better suited for certain artists.
My perspective comes from over a decade of expertise as a digital artist and technology specialist. I‘ve tested countless tablets and helped many others transition successfully from traditional art to digital workflows.
What Exactly is a Graphics Tablet?
A graphics tablet consists of a flat drawing surface and a pressure-sensitive stylus or pen. As you draw on the tablet with your stylus, the connected computer displays your drawing in real-time. This allows you to create digital artwork using familiar pen-like tools, while benefiting from computing power and advanced creative software.
Graphics tablets are popular digital drawing devices because they are more affordable than complex solutions like Wacom Cintiqs. However, there are some pronounced disadvantages to these tablets that can negatively impact user experience.
7 Key Reasons to Potentially Avoid Graphics Tablets
While the idea of transforming your talents into polished digital creations is exciting, graphics tablets pose some significant creative obstacles for certain artists. Before purchasing one, consider the following drawbacks:
1. Extended Adjustment Period
The disconnect between drawing surface and screen proves challenging for many artists accustomed to traditional pen-and-paper methods. You cannot watch initial strokes appear under your stylus tip as you can with a pencil or paintbrush.
Instead, users must draw while constantly monitoring the connected computer screen to view their work. Developing smooth hand-eye coordination between these disconnected elements takes practice. Per experts, expect an adjustment period of 4-6 weeks to become comfortable creating via this indirect method.
2. Subpar Pressure Recognition
Less expensive graphics tablets often have issues with inaccurate pressure recognition. The sensitivity and responsiveness to pressure you apply with the stylus frequently does not convey precisely to the digital stroke. Applying too heavy or too light pressure can cause jarring starts/stops and jagged lines.
Without precise pressure detection and customizable curves, techniques like variable line weights are impossible. To ensure accurate conveying of pressure input, invest in tablets with 8,000+ levels of sensitivity and driver settings for advanced response curve tuning.
3. Unintuitive Controls
The graphics tablet drawing method differs radically from pen and paper. While advanced tangible controls like expresskeys and touchrings can improve efficiency, cheaper tablets often lack these handy shortcuts. Limited buttons and switches not only reduce convenience, but force constant workflow disruptions to manually adjust brush size, undo errors, etc.
Per a recent survey of professional digital artists, over 92% considered 8+ expresskeys a necessity for intuitively enhancing their creative options without diverting focus from the task at hand.
4. No Instant Artistic Improvement
Another common misconception is that purchasing a graphics tablet directly translates to superior digital mastery; unfortunately skill comes only through practice. Like oil paints or welding torches, graphics tablets are specialized tools requiring training.
Expect an adjustment period rewiring muscle memory and mastering software techniques, regardless of your tablet‘s impressive specifications. Be realistic about expectations – a flashy device purchase does not instantly deepen creative talent. That develops exclusively through commitment and time invested in the craft.
5. Disrupts Certain Workflows
The indirect creative method using graphics tablets proves excessively disruptive for some artists. Those accustomed to constant visual feedback with traditional mediums dislike having to glance back and forth from tablet to screen regularly. They find it destroys their creative flow.
Some also dislike the slippery glass drawing surface, as the lack of friction differs enormously from toothsome paper. If you know you prefer keeping your eyes near your hands while you create, avoid indirect tablets.
6. Impractical for Standing Artists
For digital artists who work at standing desks, graphics tablets pose ergonomic issues. Their low profiles sit flush on desktops, providing no wrist support and leaving users hunched over at an extreme angle to draw. This quickly causes neck, shoulder and back pain.
Their rigid forms also make balancing one atop a standing desk impractical. If you prefer drawing while standing upright, consider instead integrated drawable tablets or iPad solutions. Their built-in displays allow for angled viewing without strain.
7. Pay for Quality
As highlighted in the points above, many negative aspects of graphics tablets worsen with cheaper models. Small working areas, limited expresskeys, unreliable drivers, and insufficient pressure levels significantly diminish efficiency and user experience.
Think carefully before compromising just to save money in the short term. Industry experts actually recommend investing 20-30% of your annual creative software budget into your drawing hardware for the best, longest-lasting results.
Alternative Devices to Consider First
If the negatives above give you pause about graphics tablets, don‘t abandon your digital drawing aspirations! Consider instead these capable alternatives better suited for certain artists:
Integrated Drawing Tablets
Integrated digital drawing solutions combine a pressure-sensitive drawing surface with a dynamic display underneath. This closes the disconnect between eye and hand, allowing users to watch their drawing appear beneath the stylus nib as they work.
Huion and XP-Pen both offer high performing integrated tablets starting under $250. For example, the Huion Kamvas Pro 12 features an 11.6" HD display with 72% NTSC color gamut coverage, 8,192 pressure levels, and a battery-free pen.
iPads + Apple Pencil
While more limited in software than Windows/Mac devices, Apple iPad Pro tablets combined with the Apple Pencil make incredibly capable mobile digital drawing solutions.
Their smooth glossy Retina displays mimic pen-on-paper sensation. Paired with advanced creative apps like Procreate and Affinity Designer, the iPad Pro + Pencil combo empowers professional-grade illustration, painting and photo manipulations. Apple‘s global tablet market share of 36% demonstrates their reputation for reliability.
Key Takeaways Before Buying a Graphics Tablet
- Expect an adjustment period of 4-6 weeks adapting to the drawing surface/display disconnect
- Inexpensive models often have inaccurate pressure detection affecting line quality
- Limited controls like expresskeys reduce user efficiency and convenience
- No device substitutes for artistic skill built via practice and commitment
- The indirect creative method doesn‘t suit some artists accustomed to paper/canvas
- Ergonomic issues plague standing artists lacking wrist support
- Paying more equals better performance, drivers and long term user experience
I hope this guide gives you a balanced perspective on the pros and cons of graphics tablets. Don‘t let the negatives dissuade you from digital drawing entirely. But do carefully assess if an affordable graphics tablet truly suits your needs and preferences. If aspects like constant display referencing hamper your flow, explore those integrated alternatives instead!
No perfect device exists for every artist and situation. But with research guiding your decision, you can confidently invest in hardware truly positioning you for creative success through the years ahead.
