Whats a good drawing pen/stylus for use with a tablet? Any recommendations? Ta
Multifav was referring to a peripheral that she connects to her computer, a graphics tablet. But if you are using a regular capacitive touch tablet (ipad, kindle fire, android tablet, etc.) then it really depends on what system you have.
Some tablets have an active digitizer built in, and can use an active stylus. These can often sense pressure to make effects with the lines, (make the line wider or narrower as you press down, or make the color shift by pressure). They are precise.
Samsung for instance makes the Samsung Note line, a version of the Galaxy tab A with an S-pen, Galaxy Tab S4, etc. Samsung from what people say integrates their pen technology well, and can be used for art and throughout the programs. Android art programs are affordable, but slightly behind IOS and Windows for features. That is improving quickly.
Other companies such as Lenovo, HP, etc make active stylus tablets in both windows and Android.
For windows tablets the Surface line is one of the more top end active pen systems. Lenovo and others also make options. Windows software is some of the best for digital art as professionals have used it for decades.
For IOS the apple pencil is better than the other stylus options, because Apple gives it access to all the system. Most artists say that the Apple pen is a really good experience.
Wacom, one of the top pen technology companies, also makes a computer monitor that you can draw directly on, the Cintiq, in different sizes and configurations. This is top of the line and many artists use them, but it is very expensive. They also make their own portable tablet with Wacom technology.
If you have a device such as a regular Android tablet, or an older Ipad that does not have active pen technology, then your options fall into three categories:
1. A regular soft, wide stylus that you can get for a few bucks at many outlets. They are ok, but hard to be precise.
2. A disc type stylus. This allows you to have a more precise point, but the point ends in a disc that glides along the surface of the tablet. This can work in that you can make more precise lines, but sometimes they fail to register the touch of the pen, and some can cause scratches. These can be bought for around 12 bucks or so on Amazon.
3. "Active Stylus" for all brands. Now these are called active styli, similar to the ones that have the tech built into the screen, but they are not the same. These can usually be had from 20-50 dollars. They have a finer, harder point, but they use an electrical signal to make the mark on the capacitive touch screen. These can work well, but they have a few limitations. The screen is not built for the pen, so it may sometimes fail to register the stroke. But it usually more reliable than the soft styli or even the disc styli. However, they tend to have issues with diagonal lines. The smaller tip is accomplished by using an electronic charge to simulate a larger area, like a finger. And the pulse tries to put this at the center. But on diagonal lines you can get some jitter. It has trouble interpreting the electrical signal. It doesn't happen every time, and smoothing settings can help.
Another problem with active stylus options of this sort, and all active styli that draw right on the screen, is paralax. Because there is thickness to the glass of the screen there may be a slight amount of variance between where you see the pen contacting and where the system recognizes it . This may cause the pen to be generally accurate, but offset a millimeter or so in one direction.
With the soft, disc, and active stylus that do not have the active screen technology they all can have issues with palm rejection. Palm rejection is when the system knows to register your pen as a mark, but not your hand. This is handy to have because when you are drawing you can rest your hand on the surface without your hand making a mark. There are a few generic active pens that say they provide palm rejection, but it is usually hit and miss, and may depend on specific software or programs. IN other words, plan on either using a drawing glove with it which cancels out the touch, or plan on not touching the screen.
Drawing gloves are usually cheap, but I have only seen them online, not in stores. And if you really just want to draw and don't care how you look you can cut a hole for your thumb in an old sock and use that. It generally works.
Finally there are pen tablets of the sort Multifavs referenced. These are devices that you plug into a computer (I got one to work on an android tablet as well, but it has to have USB GO drivers, and is not guaranteed to work). They sit on the desk and do not work as a monitor. They are a rectangular surface that you draw on. They are very accurate, and can use pressure sensitivity. The nicer ones can use tilt sensitivity which opens up other options for lines. The only draw back to this is that it takes some time to get accustomed to looking at the monitor, but drawing on the desk. You don't get to see the pen tip drawing on the monitor, it is disassociated. But you get used to it quickly. And of course there is no paralax.
Graphics tablets are also available for Mac computers, and Macs have a long history in the art community, so support is good.
There are some hybrid devices by Wacom, and one other company I have seen. These work like a Wacom tablet but you draw on paper. The device takes the pen lines on paper and digitizes it. While these are fairly accurate the tech doesn't seem fully developed yet. Some like them, but most find them frustrating unless your goal is note taking.
