today's video is sponsored by XPPen stick around to see how you could win an XPPen tablet of your
very own so you're picking a tablet for yourself and you've never done it before there's a lot to
think about when you're picking a tablet in actually actually wait wait wait before I
get started that's better easier on the editing there's a lot to think about when you're picking
a tablet and it can be kind of overwhelming to look at everything that a tablet has to offer
especially if it's your first time tech also changes like every five minutes so like I'd
rather not give you a list of tablets and have it be obsolete within the next month so in this
video I'll be taking you through some things to think about when you're choosing a tablet
for yourself for the very first time if you don't know where to start looking for tablets we have
a blog on the subject where we give actual tablet suggestions link in the description
first things first what's your price range what's your budget what are you willing to pay your first
tablet should be cheaper it should be the cheapest tablet that you ever get because when you're first
trying out digital art you don't know if you're gonna like it or not some people despite the huge
amount of people who work digitally nowadays some people find that they don't actually like working
digitally maybe you won't like working digitally who knows so if you get a super super expensive
travel to start and then you find out that you don't like working digitally then what you've
just shelled out like hundreds of thousands of dollars for a tablet that you're never going
to use again you could resell it but you'll never resell it for the same amount that you got it for
so it's usually better to start off with something cheaper buy something used use tablets tend to be
still in perfect working order it's just that the artist that's selling it just has no need
for it anymore so it's usually better to buy used because you can get it cheaper and it also
give you a good idea of what you like to work with my very first tablet was the tablet that
was given to me by my father I have no idea what the company was all I know is that that
tablet was older than me the driver no longer existed and there was no pen pressure on it
and I had to use it on a laptop that like barely functioned so your very first tablet doesn't have
to be anything crazy right because that tablet taught me that I love working digitally I've
never looked back very very first tablet try not to break the bank with it it's usually better if
you get something cheaper but figure out your price range figure out what you're willing to
pay second off is what size would be best for you it isn't necessarily about the size of like
the tablet that you want to work on but also what size you think will fit well with your workspace
not every tablet is created the exact same some tablets are bigger some tablets are smaller and
if you get like a really huge tablet and then you find that it doesn't fit your workspace
what are you gonna do are you ready larger does not always mean better some people find that
they have more control when they work on a really tiny tablet I have a friend who likes working on
his really tiny tablet I personally like slightly larger tablets but it's to each their own but you
need to make sure that you know the difference between a tablet size and a workable area when
you have a workable area that is the actual portion that you can draw on tablet size is
not the exact same as your workable area if you buy a tablet that has a 13 inch workable area but
is actually 16 inches large that means there's an extra three inches that is not workable you can't
draw on that you can't do anything with that if you are measuring for your workspace make
sure that you're looking for the tablet size if you are measuring for how big that you want the
actual drawing area to be that you need to look for your workable area and if you find after you
buy your first tablet and you realize like you bought like a really small one and you're like
okay I think I want something larger but nothing larger will fit on your workspace it may be time
unfortunately to upgrade your entire workspace like me I need to upgrade my workspace third
thing to think about is whether you're going to be traveling with it or not some tablets are too
heavy to travel away there have too many cords or laptop or PC dependent sometimes you just
can't travel with your tablet I have a cintiq my Cintiq is not travelable this is why I also have
a Microsoft Surface which I bring with me just in case if I want to draw on the go so I don't
have my cintiq but I do have a secondary tablet that I use for travel you can also have Bluetooth
tablets Bluetooth tablets um can connect to PCS or phones via Bluetooth sometimes that
can actually come be kind of dodgy though it can be a little bit meh people prefer wired tablets
over Bluetooth tablets most of the time because those connections can be kind of finicky but it's
to each their own number four does it have a screen do you need a screen it's good to try
its screenless tablet first especially if you're just getting into digital art some professional
artists actually find that they prefer working without a screen or on a tiny tablet it's all
up to you it's all up to what you prefer you may find that you prefer working without a screen as
well and I'm also a huge advocate for learning to work without a screen first my very first tablet
had no screen my second tablet had no screen if you find you have to work with something without
a screen and you've never worked without a screen before what are you gonna do it's usually better
if you build up that hand-eye coordination before you move to something that has a screen on it so
I will always be a huge advocate for that if you'd like to work on an iPad or a similar kind of like
a surface-like device remember that proper tablet pens tend to be separate and then they tend to
cost a lot usually artists like to buy like grips or other accessories to make the apple pencil feel
a little bit nicer and speaking of screens XPPen will be giving away a second gen artist 12 tablet
a compact screen tablet for beginners and seasoned artists alike compatible with Apple PC and even
IOS and Android devices the artist 12 boasts a sleek 13 inch across with 11 inch workable
area and a 1920x1080 resolution if you'd like to win an artist 12 of your own be sure to subscribe
to XPPen's Channel and our Channel and leave a comment down below with what you'd draw first
with the tablet if you got it thank you again to XPPen for the sponsorship now back to the
video number five does it have buttons does it have buttons some people like buttons on their
tablets or Express Keys they're either buttons or Express Keys depends on the tablet company
Express fees tend to be programmable right you can program them to be whatever you want them
to be right I have on my tablet um I've got one two three I've got nine nine Express keys on my
tablet and there can be anywhere from like four to like 30 on a tablet I've seen a tablet with like
30 on it I'm like why would you ever that's just a keyboard that's just a keyboard why would you need
30 extra Express keys on your tablet um buttons can tend to make a tablet more expensive if you
have buttons on your tablet it tends to make them a little bit more pricey by comparison to if they
didn't have them but like I'd say that it's worth the price personally without buttons you'll most
likely you need to operate with a keyboard if it's a tablet that plugs into your computer but some
people find that they prefer that workflow I've been working with that workflow a lot recently
just for like because I have like my tablet right here and then I have my keyboard right
here so I work with both of those but it depends on how you like to work number six consider the
feel of the pen isn't heftier well you need to purchase a grip is there an eraser back are there
extra pen nibs my tablet pen um she's actually dying I need it I need a new tablet my tablet
pen is nice and hefty it's very very thick and heavy there's a really nice rubbery grip right
here on the tablet pen there's a back eraser there's a nib where are my extra tablets and
then there's also like it came with a case in this case there's like extra pen nibs so it depends on
what you want for your pen right A lot of people prefer a grip or an apple pencil there's no grip
because I also have a surface I've also got a surface pen the surface pen by comparison
to like the Wacom you can see the difference the surface pen is actually heavier than the
wacon pen is but the surface pen I actually want to purchase a grip for it some pens also require
batteries not all pens are just activated by working with the tablet my Surface pen needs
a battery it needs a triple A my Cintiq pen however is battery-less it does not need any
batteries so if you're working on an iPad or a surface you may need to purchase a brand name
pen compared to a generic one because if you have a brand name pen it'll work best with your tablet
by comparison to just getting some random generic pen most computer-based tablets will come with a
pen automatically if you're buying used sometimes they might not include a pen but if you're buying
a used tablet most likely it will come with the pen already there but if you're buying a new
for sure there will be a pen included most of the time it will not need a battery but stuff for like
you know iPads or surfaces you will need to buy a separate pen most likely and number seven if all
else fails user reviews yes never use them as your holy grail but user experience is always good if
you your second opinions you look at like the user reviews for the tablet itself using reviews for
the company that you're looking at it's usually better off if you're doing some research first
on that before you decide to purchase a tablet digital art can be kind of difficult to get into
if you're trying it for the first time so don't quit if you don't get it like immediately keep on
practicing and you may find that it'll become your favorite medium do you have a favorite beginner
tablet or device or you have any other questions be sure to leave them as a comment down below
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