Getting Started in Digital Art

If you're moving from pencil and paper to a drawing tablet, iPad or Windows tablet it can be a little intimidating. Digital art is fun and once you get an idea of the hardware and software that is out there you'll have a much better idea what is best for you. Below are the links to reviews of the drawing tools I talk about in this video.

Drawing Tablets

Huion 420

If you want the cheapest Huion available this is it.

table-price: $21.99 See it on Amazon

Wacom Intuos

If you're wondering where to start with digital drawing this is a good choice. There are cheaper options out there but with this tablet you get the Wacom brand name quality and support and drivers.

table-price: $69 + See it on Amazon

Huion HS610

The coolest feature on this tablet is that it works on Android as well as Windows and Mac. The one caveat is that it only uses a portion of the drawing area of the tablet and the shortcut keys don't work on Android. It still works surprisingly well.

table-price: $79.99 See it on Amazon

XP-Pen Deco Pro

If you want the cheapest Huion available this is it.

table-price: $21.99 See it on Amazon

See All Tablets

Pen Displays

the xp-pen artist 12

1. XP-Pen Artist 13.3 and 12 Pro

Both of these are quite good for the price. The addition of a laminated screen is a nice addition and really reduces parallax. The latest version of the pen XP is using is also really good and jitter free.

Price for the 12: $249.99 - $299.99 See the 13.3 on Amazon

See the 12 on Amazon

2. Huion Kamvas Pro 13

A great laminated screen at a great price and the pen has tilt support. Huion recently fixed the wavy lines I talk about in my review and it's much much better now. The only catch is that you can only update the firmware on Windows so if you're a Mac user I would still recommend looking at the other options.

Price: $340.00 See it on Amazon
Gaomon PD1560

TIE 1. Huion Kamvas Pro 16

Now with a laminated screen this is one one of the best 16" tablets out there. If you are trying to decide between this and the XP-Pen, it's a tie, they are both very very good.

Price: $400.34 See it on Amazon

See All Pen Displays

All In Ones

iPad (7th generation)

The two most recent iPad (that only cost $329) are the best bang for the buck you're going to find in the art world. The Apple pencil is arguable the best stylus out there and it now works on the lowest end iPad. Performance for games isn't great but art applications are great.

table-price: $329.99 + See it on Amazon

Surface Pro

The Surface Pro has been one of my favorite devices to draw on. It's mobility is great, you can carry it around like a book or file folder but it's a full blown laptop with the keyboard cover. It's not the perfect drawing device but it's darn close.

table-price: $750 + See it on Amazon

See All Window Tablets

See All iPads

Software

Krita

Krita has really grown on me and it's free. It's one of the most robust free drawing apps availible on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Price: Free Learn More

Autodesk Sketchbook

Sketchbook isn't my favorite program to draw in but I like that it's cross platform. If I draw something on Android I can open it up on my Mac or iPad. The interface is also easy to understand and pick up.

Price: Free Learn More

Medibang Paint

Medibang reminds me of Clip studio with less stuff. Considering it's free it's an impressively robust drawing and painting app.

Price: Free Learn More

See All Software

Drawing Tablet Guides

Trying to figure out what's out there? What's good, what's bad? Check out the categories below

The Best Pen Tablets


The Best Screen Based Tablets


The Best Windows Tablets/Laptops


The Best iPads


Drawing Software

Affiliate links

The links on this page to Amazon are affiliate links. That means I get a small cut of the sale made on Amazon if you click a link before buying a product. This is how you folks have supported my reviews and videos over the years. Thank you!

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