Wacom Tablets – Worth the effort?

About three years ago I first started hearing about Wacom tablets. For those of you who don't know, these are pads that plug into a computer and allow a user to use a pen-like device to act as a mouse. They're mainly used for graphic design, but if you've ever watched special features for a sci-fi movie, I guarantee that you'll see at least one of them in the hands of a 3D renderer as well. They range in size from the ultra-portable models that can easily fit into your laptop bag to giant ones that take up most of a desk.

After much whining and begging, I was given one of the smaller versions as a gift for Christmas two years ago. I was tickled pink; a manly pink to be sure. However as most people know, wanting and having are two totally different things. I spent an hour with it before getting enormously frustrated and then I shoved it into a bag and tried to forget about it. Definitely a mature reaction.

Over time I realized that if hundreds of thousands of professional artists are using these things, then most likely there was something wrong with me, and not necessarily the pad. In this case, the thing that was wrong with me was patience.

Although I was never classically trained as an artist, I've been drawing since I was in grade school and I consider myself to be a able to draw fairly well. It took me years and years of practice to get to where I was now, and I was pretty proud that if I had an idea in my head I could (generally) get it out onto paper.  But this Wacom tablet... wow. It was like I had to start all over again. Nothing that I had in my head came out right. My sketch lines on paper didn't translate well to a digital medium, I couldn't get my lines straight enough, or make something detailed enough. No matter what technique I knew of in the analog world, it didn't work in the digital one.

That's when it hit me. This was no different than an artist having to learn a new medium. Take a painter's brushes away, give him charcoals for the first time and tell him to get a-crackin', and there's going to be some whining. So I stuck with it, realizing that I'd have to draw lots of circles and squares before I could even attempt drawing figures. It was humbling, but in the end it was incredibly rewarding.

This year, after much begging and pleading, I received a beautiful 8x11 Intuous Tablet for my birthday and I've been in love ever since. Having the larger space meant that my hand didn't have to remain quite as steady and I had more maneuvering room for detail.

If you've ever considered jumping into the world of Wacom, I heartily encourage you to do so. Hopefully my blunders and mature attitude (insert sarcasm here) will help you get over the learning hump.