Need some advice please!

[Steve255]

I've been doing sketching for a while now and a bit of cartoony work too. all just "spare time" fun. But now im looking at getting a tablet and need to ask a few questions... Is wacom the only product? also ive seen the prices range from $150 - $3,000 for basic to bundles. what im looking at doing is artwork like this...

Respect to Oddo for this!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/oddotheweird/bikerismdsg_small2.jpg

do i need all of the extras with the tablet like airrushes? or could i stick with a pen to start out?

the art i make with my hand is like this...
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/Steve255/FlameWoman.jpg

but with a mouse it looks like this....
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/Steve255/bikealmostdone.jpg
so as you can see the diference is huge....
also i dont have photoshop. should i get the latest version? or an older one, like 7..? would i need painter too?

please help me!

[emily g]

Hey, here's a thread with lots of info about tablets:http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=73139

You'd just need the pen, I don't think hardly anyone uses the airbrush.

best,
emily

[Frescott]

I found a Wacom tablet invaluable. Took me a while to get used to it, but when I did, it was worth every penny. Mine is probably 10 years old and still works like a charm. If you are looking for a bargain. I'm sure you could pick up an older one for less :) Nice work BTW

[Datameister]

Buying a tablet won't magically make your digital artwork fantastic, but it's a very big first step in the right direction. Part of your problem is the lack of control possible with a mouse, and part of it is inexperience with how the digital medium works. Color choices, brush choices, etc. are all very important.

You don't need the airbrush accessory. I'd imagine it's cool, but it's DEFINITELY not necessary. The only benefit to the entire $100 gizmo is a little fingerwheel that you can configure to control brush size or other attributes. A nice feature, but not worth $100 for most people, especially considering the fact that the airbrush has one less button than the normal pen.

You should buy Photoshop and/or Painter if you want to paint digitally, though free trial versions are definitely a good idea to do first. Photoshop's main advantages are all the image-editing capabilities and straightforward brushes. Painter's main advantages are a much lower price and a more complex, "realistic" brush engine. Both programs offer academic versions, meaning students and teachers pay less for them. I say you should buy only one of the two programs; don't splurge and buy both until you really feel it's necessary.

If you're going to buy a tablet, buy a Wacom. No question about it. Then you'll have to decide between Graphire (cheaper but lower quality) or Intuos (more expensive but higher quality) tablets. I recommend getting a small Intuos3 (I think 4x6 is the current smallest size). My Intuos3 4x5 works very well. I think I got it for $200-ish...

[Steve255]

thanks for all the help guys! i went out and bought a graphire4 6x8... im in the most isolated city in the world (yeah, its a fact =P) so anything bigger or better such as the intuos needed to be ordered. i also went out and bought photoshop cs. so far im loving it! it was weird at first but im getting the hang of it... heres a few sketches i tried for the photoshop digital painting thread...

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/Steve255/flowerattempt2nostem-lightscopy.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p127/Steve255/offrms.jpg

my first two attempts at using my wacom... thanks guys!