Artists who are drifting toward digital work may have heard the siren call of the graphics tablet. A tablet, for those unfamiliar, is a hardware device that looks like a drawing pad. Using a stylus, you draw on the pad to move your cursor instead of a mouse. With the right software-- such as Adobe Photoshop or Corel Painter-- you can mimic the process of sketching or panting.

The first advantage of using a tablet over a mouse for these endeavors is clear: control. Manipulating a pen is easier than manipulating lines and colors with a mouse. The other advantage is that many tablets come with pressure sensitivity, mimicking real media by registering how firmly or lightly you press your pen against the tablet. This is critical in digital coloring and inking, where you can adjust your settings to allow darker shades or thicker lines to appear when you press harder.

If you enjoy digital painting and already do a great amount of it with a mouse, then you could most certainly benefit from a tablet. If you prefer real media and see tablets as sterilizing the joy you get from your pencils, paints, and pastels, then you may want to avoid the hardware. It is, otherwise, an extremely convenient tool for artists who find digital work appealing.

When starting out, the most difficult choice you face is which tablet to choose first. Without experience, you may not be sure what you need, how it feels to use one, and have no basis to make the right choice for you. Thus we will focus on smaller, less expensive tablets with versatility. They will serve you well in learning to use a tablet and may even last several years before you decide to get a new one, at which point you will have a better idea of what works best for you personally.

My first tablet was the Wacom Intuos3 4 x 6 and I strongly recommend it. It's a durable product-- I never had it break on me during all my years using it. It's also easy to use with basic features that are important in a tablet, such as the pressure sensitivity. It is also extremely easy to install and use, and to change the settings of the buttons for without hassle. It is as intuitive to change the settings with as it is to use, and coming from a device that's used like a pencil, that's saying something.

Because of Wacom's introduction of the Intuos4, the Intuos3 series is running slightly cheaper. Tough the Intuos4 series has higher pen sensitivity and response, a wider word area, and more buttons on its layout, these tools are not critical for a beginner. The Intuos3 series, even something as small as 4 x 6 inch, is a perfect starting place. You may find you need more contact room. If you expect you do, the Intuos3 also comes in 6 x 8 and as high as 12 x 19 versions.

I do not suggest getting a larger tablet to start with, however. One, larger tablets are more expensive, and two, it is harder to find room for them. Your desk may not be large enough to situate a larger tablet in the way that's most comfortable for you. One you get comfortable with a small tablet, it will be much easier to know how to set up your space for a larger one and you will be more willing to do it. A tablet doesn't mean a whole lot to you if you get lazy about making space and never pick the thing up.

It is important to understand that a tablet is a tool as much as any other one an artist could pick up. Tablets still take practice and are only as good as the artist him or herself. Tablets are not a magical path to being a better artist, nor should you feel that a tablet is somehow "cheating" you. It is a tool, and its usefulness and value depends on you and how much you practice.

Tablets will take practice to learn. Unlike traditional media, tablets lack friction, and when you draw you look at the screen rather than down at your tablet's canvas. It can seem unwieldy at first when using a tablet, but don't let this discourage you. If you use your tablet every day for two weeks, I guarantee you that you will begin to feel at home with it-- however, I doubt it will event take that long before you're comfortable.

Now that I have my own tablet, I can't even imagine what I did without it. There's a lot that can be done in digital art with a mouse, but the tablet makes it convenient and, more importantly, more fun.