I had to pick between a $500 tablet or a $2000 Cintiq for my art. I went cheap.

This was 8 months ago, right after I got my first freelance gig. The money was tight, so I bought a basic screenless tablet for under $500. Honestly, it forced me to learn hand-eye coordination from scratch, which was brutal for the first 3 weeks. But now my line work is WAY more confident because I'm not just tracing on a screen. I see so many new artists feeling like they NEED the expensive gear to start. Has anyone else found that starting with simpler tools actually improved their fundamentals?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse_burns84d ago

I used to think you needed a Cintiq, but my cheap tablet taught me way more about drawing.

the_dylan4d ago

Honestly, that hand-eye coordination thing is the real deal. It makes you actually learn the shapes instead of just following a line. My cheap tablet still does the job just fine.