Suggestions for graphics tablet and program please?

[TheOrdealer]

So I've been borrowing a bamboo graphics tablet from my college in order to produce anime/manga-esk style art at home for some time now on a totally legit <.< >.> <.< CS6 version of photoshop, however I obviously can't keep this one forever, alsoitmightbebrokenwhoopsie, but now I feel confident enough to put some money into this but I'm not sure what go for as to ensure I'm buying something good that suits what I'm doing so I'd appreciate is anyone could suggest any for me^-^ (I'm on a mac by the way if that affects what ones may be compatible)

In addition it'd be great if anyone could suggest any programs that would be more suited to this than photoshop:3

[NarpyTheCrimeDog]

A simple Wacom will suit your needs.

As for software - if you're new to drawing in general (haven't been actively learning and studying for over two years), stick with something like Sai or that software it comes with as you want to work on your art skills, not playing with brushes you don't understand.

The problem I see with new artists using Photoshop is that they think brushes do the work for you and need to realize they need to rely on their own merits - the concept of brushes ruins that.

[CadetteAlright]

The cheapest Wacom I've found is the Wacom Intuos, which was 70 ish dollars when I bought it a couple of weeks ago.
But look, if you get a Wacom, you need to know that most Wacom tablets now have pen nibs that wear down and need to be replaced. That can be kind of expensive, but you can go buy rolls of plastic wire used on weed whackers that fit the size of pen nibs and cut them cut to size and use instead.

For art programs, I like Sai a lot, but that's super expensive, instead there is a free art program very similar to Sai called FireAlpaca. It's safe, free, and constantly updating to include new features. I've found they're very helpful as well. They have a tumblr that can answer any questions you might have.

[HitokiriChibi]

There are a lot of alternatives to Wacom now a days, and they have been getting some pretty solid reviews even with their considerably cheaper price tag.

For example Huion tablets.
Review: http://frenden.com/post/60704895108/huion-h610-k58-and-w58-tablet-review-round-up

You can also look them up on Amazon to see how people are rating them: http://www.amazon.com/Huion-H610-Graphics-Drawing-Tablet/dp/B00GIGGS6A

Program wise - Personally I've stepped away from Photoshop to use Mischief - it's a vector drawing program but it doesn't use paths. You draw like you normally would. The interface is very simple so it's great to just get in there and draw straight away. The inking is amazing too, because it's vectored and really smooth and you can export to any size or resolution you want.

Normally it's $65 but it's 50% off right now. It also has a 15 day trial that resets whenever they release a newer version.

Site: http://www.madewithmischief.com/

Like Narpy says though, it's not really the program that makes your work, it's the skills you bring into it. The program is just one other tool and everyone has different ways of using them to get different effects. You just have to try things out to see which one best suits your work style.

[TheOrdealer]

NarpyTheCrimeDog

A simple Wacom will suit your needs.

As for software - if you're new to drawing in general (haven't been actively learning and studying for over two years), stick with something like Sai or that software it comes with as you want to work on your art skills, not playing with brushes you don't understand.

The problem I see with new artists using Photoshop is that they think brushes do the work for you and need to realise they need to rely on their own merits - the concept of brushes ruins that.

I'll look into them, thanks
I've been doing it casually for a long time but more seriously as of a year, so I'm somewhat seasoned at it
I'm aware that something so simple as a brush doesn't necessarily produce good work if the person using it lacks any drawing capability but it certainly helps polish up an image-and I guess is required for things like good clouds with any realism for example

[TheOrdealer]

CadetteAlright

The cheapest Wacom I've found is the Wacom Intuos, which was 70 ish dollars when I bought it a couple of weeks ago.
But look, if you get a Wacom, you need to know that most Wacom tablets now have pen nibs that wear down and need to be replaced. That can be kind of expensive, but you can go buy rolls of plastic wire used on weed whackers that fit the size of pen nibs and cut them cut to size and use instead.

For art programs, I like Sai a lot, but that's super expensive, instead there is a free art program very similar to Sai called FireAlpaca. It's safe, free, and constantly updating to include new features. I've found they're very helpful as well. They have a tumblr that can answer any questions you might have.

That sounds like a pain to maintain o.o And thats an interesting way to go about it, I'll bare that in mind if I go for one x3 And I'll give that a go when I get my hands on a functioning tablet again then, thank you for your input:3

[TheOrdealer]

HitokiriChibi

There are a lot of alternatives to Wacom now a days, and they have been getting some pretty solid reviews even with their considerably cheaper price tag.

For example Huion tablets.
Review: http://frenden.com/post/60704895108/huion-h610-k58-and-w58-tablet-review-round-up

You can also look them up on Amazon to see how people are rating them: http://www.amazon.com/Huion-H610-Graphics-Drawing-Tablet/dp/B00GIGGS6A

Program wise - Personally I've stepped away from Photoshop to use Mischief - it's a vector drawing program but it doesn't use paths. You draw like you normally would. The interface is very simple so it's great to just get in there and draw straight away. The inking is amazing too, because it's vectored and really smooth and you can export to any size or resolution you want.

Normally it's $65 but it's 50% off right now. It also has a 15 day trial that resets whenever they release a newer version.

Site: http://www.madewithmischief.com/

Like Narpy says though, it's not really the program that makes your work, it's the skills you bring into it. The program is just one other tool and everyone has different ways of using them to get different effects. You just have to try things out to see which one best suits your work style.

It would appear that you've presented to me the parodical tablet, me leiik 4laugh I'll certainly take both this and the software into account Thank you:3
I'm quite aware, hence the way I began, I probed whether I could ascertain and develop skill within it, and now that I feel somewhat confident with it I may as well continue progressing, and to do that I should delve into software thats more specific along with the adequate tool to use on it plusthetabletIwasusingbrokesoIdon'thaveachoice
^-^

[xStardust_Lunax]

xxxxxxx Everyone goes to the moon. I want to land amongst the stars~

{Wacom has always been good for me, my tablet is still strong after...10-ish years.

Program wise I use a mix of Illustrator and Photoshop. Though before you buy any programs, check and see if the tablet you're buying comes with any software. When I bought mine forever ago, it came with PS Elements; a not as fancy version of PS. You still have an arsenal of stuff to use, and it more than fulfills the needs of the average user.

SAI has also been pretty good for me, though I haven't used it much since I usually have to use industry-standard stuff for school.

Also check out Manga EX (I think that's what it's called) it's about 40 bucks and caters to the needs of comic/manga art. So if that's mainly what you'll be doing, then you might want to check it out.

OH! And I almost forgot that Adobe Cloud now has this monthly subscription thing where for a monthly fee, you have access to all of their programs. They have a student price around 20-30 dollars so you could try everything out for a few months before you drop a few hundred on their software. Also note, that all new versions of the Creative Suite will now only be available through the Adobe Cloud. Why can't they just give their stuff away for free like Autodesk? :p}

. :: .

[NarpyTheCrimeDog]

Deprived Divinity

NarpyTheCrimeDog

A simple Wacom will suit your needs.

As for software - if you're new to drawing in general (haven't been actively learning and studying for over two years), stick with something like Sai or that software it comes with as you want to work on your art skills, not playing with brushes you don't understand.

The problem I see with new artists using Photoshop is that they think brushes do the work for you and need to realise they need to rely on their own merits - the concept of brushes ruins that.

I'll look into them, thanks
I've been doing it casually for a long time but more seriously as of a year, so I'm somewhat seasoned at it
I'm aware that something so simple as a brush doesn't necessarily produce good work if the person using it lacks any drawing capability but it certainly helps polish up an image-and I guess is required for things like good clouds with any realism for example

It just makes the work faster. You still need to know how to paint clouds.