Creating Digital Images with Computer Drawing Tablets

For many years preparing drawings was a job that was done with pen and paper. However, in the digital age this has been superseded to a large extent with images now being produced on computers. This is a common way of preparing artwork and technical drawings these days.

A drawing tablet can be a common accessory in the home and more especially the office. They comprise a flat surface which has an input area which is connected to the computer. A device is used to draw on this input area and this can be a pen, stylus or an accessory similar to a mouse called a puck. A design drawn on the input surface will translate to an image shown on the computer screen.

Using a drawing tablet can have a similar feel to using pen and paper and this can be an advantage. Using a stylus on a tablet is really no different to using a pencil on paper although the image is created digitally. A digital image is much easier to play around with and manipulate once it is created as opposed to an image on paper.

If you use computer drawing tablets it can provide you with a few different ways of working. It makes it simple to create digital images on the computer screen. Once created, the tablet allows you to easily alter images to suit your needs and you can save multiple copies of your work. Using a pen with a tablet enables you to write on screen as opposed to using a keyboard. It can also be used to control the cursor on your screen meaning it is a viable alternative to devices such as a wired mouse or cordless trackball mouse.

There are various types of drawing tablets on the market. An optical tablet typically has a camera in the tip of the stylus which transmits the image to the computer screen. An acoustic tablet on the other hand uses sound to pick up the location of the pen on the tablet and transmit this to the computer screen. Other types of tablet include active tablets and passive tablets.

A drawing tablet can be an affordable accessory to own and typically can cost around $50 to purchase at the lower end of the market. More expensive models can run into the hundreds of dollars and some of the well known manufacturers include Genius and Wacum. These companies produce a range of different drawing tablets for both home and commercial use.

Depending on what the drawing tablet is to be used for you will need to consider the size. Smaller drawing tablets are generally 4 x 5 inches in size and these can be ideal for simple work and also do not require too much movement of the arm. Technical illustrators who work with tablets may prefer a larger size which provides a little more room to be expressive. A typical larger size is 9 x 12 inches. These sizes are for the input surface only and the device itself will be larger. This is something to consider in terms of the space required to accommodate a tablet.

Working with digital images can provide more options than working with pen and paper. This means the drawing tablets are a popular way of working in the graphics and art world these days.