Wacom Intuos3 6 x 8-Inch Pen Tablet
Review by David F. Kyte : A Necessary Computer Artist Tool

I come from a traditional art background having done drawing and painting before computers were even considered viable for that sort of thing. I did a large amount of illustration work for the auto companies and you would think this form of art with its tight clean line work would be perfect for computers but it proved to be not so for the longest time.

Sure a computer program could create perfect straight lines and circles but there was a total lack of subtlety in the line work. Example: to denote space it was common to use thicker and thinner line work, to do this with a pencil or rapidograph pen was easy, you ran he pen lightly over the paper using a circle template or french curve and even let the pen skip to make faint thin lines. To make thick bold lines you would use a thin pen and by simple tilting the pen slightly and running over the line twice you could create a line that went from thin to thick and back to thin with very little effort. This is still something computer can't do very well, or it you try it take longer to achieve than any good illustrator can do with a few quick swipes of a pen or brush.

With that in mind the pressure sensitive tablets are a truly amazing advancement for digital art, and the key words here is PRESSURE SENSITIVE. To draw a line or paint stroke that can vary from thick to thin or light or dark by simple pressing harder or softer is a truly wonderful thing. I find it allows me to create art with a more natural organic look and feel unlike the overly tight and regimented digital look.

I do think there is a lot of hype being expounded about tablets. Lets face it the mouse is still the best and easiest to use method of navigating around a computer screen. Sure you can use the pen to navigate but for many it is more tiring for simple fact you have to keep hold of the pen, Tablet makers tend to stress their product as a cure for repetitive stress injuries, that is true to a degree but I think is only because using a pen is different and not necessarily better. Use a pen for 10 hours a day over several years and I think you would get a bad case of writers cramps which is form of repetitive stress injury in itself. I think it is more the idea you can switch from one to another that helps in this area. If you are like me keeping track of the pen is a big deal too, I tend to take it with me and leave it behind, I have found them in the car, the refrigerator and once the cats were using it as a puck in a quick game of carpet hockey, the mouse stays where it is. The mouse that comes with the Wacoms are in fact no better then your standard optical mouse so I which Wacom would make it an optional extra, and yes you can use your existing mouse with this tablet.

Accuracy is another over hyped issue with tablets. I have yet to see any of the large or small tablets I have owned to be any more accurate than a good optical mouse. The way you get accuracy is by zooming in on the subject and that has little to do with the input device and more to do with the resolution of the image and the screen you are working with. Like I said the key advantage the tablet has is it ability to sense how hard you press down on the pen, it is something so natural when using a pencil or brush or crayon but totally lacking in a mouse. To me a tablets levels of pressure sensitivity are far more important than its lines of resolution.

The biggest drawback to the tablets over traditional drawing is the obvious one, the fact you draw in one area and the image appears in another, it goes against the whole idea of hand to eye coordination. As well you can't twist and turn the tablet to get a more natural drawing angle and if you like to use things like circle templates, french curves and rulers you are out of luck there is no way to position them in relation to what you are drawing.

In the end a tablet like this will not make an artist out of a computer user who can not draw in the first place. It is not a magic push button "make some art" device. If your idea of digital art is to take a photo an apply filter X Y and Z, a tablet may not be for you but if your desire is to create digital art with expressive line and brush work and and have the painting skill already you will soon find your Wacom to be more important then the computer itself.

Wacom Intuos3 6 x 8-Inch Pen Tablet
Review by Design is Fun : Great Product, Awesome Tool

Okay, this is obviously a big review but I want to help those who are being skeptical about this product. Why? Because i was one of those people too and I was almost going to not buy a great product not knowing what it would do with the executions of my designs and illustrations. Proceed if you're willing to learn more.

Where can I Start. The reviewers on the bottom pretty much explained many of the thing this tablet can offer. The driver can be updated by going to Wacom.com, so whatever issues people had can be easily fixed, unless no internet connection are available. But anyway, why am I reviewing this product? I am a student under Graphic Design major. I purchased this tablet a week ago and let me tell you: my work has improved significantly thanks to this tablet. Sure, the people who have already reviewed this tablet has given perhaps more than enough details on its features to be convincing, but allow me to share my experience. Painting an illustration, say using Corel's Painter IX, has never been easier and much more accurate as it is with the mouse. Creating layouts in Photoshop and Illustrator became easier, not to mention more comfortable since your hand wouldnt strain as it would with the mouse. Thus, my work has been significantly improved. Although it takes a little getting used to, once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to work faster, more comfortable, and more accurate. At first, i was being VERY skeptical about buying this pricey product and whether it was worth it or not. At the end I realized something very important. Sure the product can be over $300 bucks, but the work you'll be producing with the product is priceless. Think of it that way and I'm sure you'll feel the same afterwards. Okay, so it's a great tablet, now why did i choose the 6 x 8 size besides the cheaper 4 x 8 or the priciest 9 x 12? Well this is my opinion. 4 x 8 is a good choice, however, because of its small size, sometimes I would go off by mistake thinking I can still extand my arm a bit to draw and that is pretty annoying. I didn't see myself in that position. I know because I tried different sizes from different people's property. Now, 9x12 is the biggest. Sometimes the bigger the better, but for my case, this time it wasn't. I felt the tablet was so big I used to get lost everytime I stroked. 9x12 was too big for me, and i found the 6x8 to be the perfect balance between too small and too big. Keep in mind, 6x8 isnt the device's size. Only the part where you use your pen is. Saying that, the size of the equipment is about 14 x 10. Would you want anything on your lap bigger or smaller than that? Up to you.

Final thought: if you care about your work and the execution of your designs and illustrations, consider this product, It may be pricey, but like i said before, the work you'll be producing will be priceless and thus makes your work even better.

Wacom Intuos3 6 x 8-Inch Pen Tablet
Review by Jonathan Walters : The best money you'll spend on an art tool!

My wife recently purchased an Intuos 3 6x8 for me as a gift, and I honestly can't imagine how I ever worked without one of these before.

I've been a comic artist and part-time graphic designer for years in the traditional media realm, and have longed to make the jump to digital media for some time. Anyone who has tried (like I have) to create original art in Photoshop, Painter, Illustrator, etc. all know how difficult it can be working with a mouse due to the lack of precise control. The Wacom tablet gives me the precision control I need to really create what I want to, and additional things like the eraser on the grip pen and the hot keys on the tablet itsself only make it easier to do this. The tablet itself is not near as bulky as I expected, and is actually quite light without seeming cheap or flimsy at all. It is aesthetically pleasing, having a clean, slick look that I don't think many of the other tablet offerings have. Working with it at my desk or in my lap is also easy and quite natural. In terms of size, I think the 6x8 allows for excellent control without being too small to work with or too large and overly expensive. Converting over to using a tablet does take getting used to, but experienced artists will feel at home in no time due to the similarity between a traditional pen & paper (or brush and canvas) and the Wacom tablet & grip pen. I am still getting used to the Intuos myself, but it hasn't been a difficult ordeal in the least and has been more pleasure than pain.

The documentation that physically comes in the box with the tablet is spartan, mainly just installation instructions and discount ads for third-party vendors. In addition to the driver disk, Wacom also includes a disk of demos and products like Corel Painter and Nik Multimedia Filters, which is pretty cool.

The only real drawback of this beautiful product is the price tag. $300 is definitely a lot to spend, especially if you have a limited budget to work with. But with this product, you definitely get what you pay for and I can say that in my case this was some of the best money spent on computer parts/accessories. For a hobbyist, this may be just an expensive toy; but for the professional (or aspiring one), this is an absolute must-have piece of equipment. Once you give in and make the purchase, like me you'll wonder how you ever worked without it and you'll certainly be glad you did.

**Update: I recently got together with two friends, both of which are up and coming digital designers like myself. Both of them tried out my Wacom and were so impressed that they each ordered their own the same day! The only difference being that one ordered the 'widescreen' version of my Intuos. This should speak volumes for a product that upon initial interaction they too would take the plunge and purchase one.***