Everyone said to use a drawing tablet with a screen, I went with a non-screen one anyway

Last year when I got into digital art, every forum and YouTube video told me I had to buy a screen tablet like a Wacom Cintiq or an iPad. They said non-screen tablets were too hard to learn on. I went against that advice and bought a basic $80 Huion without a screen. It took about 3 weeks to get used to looking up at my monitor while drawing on the tablet. Now after 8 months, I honestly think it made me a better artist because I had to train my hand-eye coordination from day one. Has anyone else gone against the popular pick and had it work out better for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

tara6421mo ago

@tyler854 your running shoe analogy is perfect, same vibe as when people told me I had to get a fancy mic to start a podcast. I got a $30 one from Amazon and it sounded fine after I learned where to sit in the room. Actually reminds me of my cousin who learned guitar on a $50 acoustic with rusty strings and now she's way better than any of her friends who started on expensive electrics. Sometimes the struggle forces you to adapt faster. The screen vs no screen thing is just another version of that gear gatekeeping stuff.

margareto261mo ago

Hold on though, is this really that deep? I see this whole "gear gatekeeping" thing thrown around a lot and sometimes it's just people sharing what worked for them. Your Huion is fine, working on a non-screen tablet is fine, but acting like it made you a "better artist" than someone who started on a Cintiq feels like you're just flipping the gatekeeping around. The guy on the expensive gear might be struggling with fundamentals too, we don't know.

tyler8541mo ago

Yo honestly that's such a good point. It's like how everyone tells you to buy the expensive running shoes when you first start jogging but really any pair will do if you just get out there. Or like with cooking, people act like you need a $200 knife set but my buddy made amazing meals with a single $10 chef's knife for years. I think a lot of times people just repeat what they heard without actually trying the cheaper option themselves. You forced yourself to build the actual skill instead of relying on the crutch of a screen. That's how it is with most hobbies honestly, the gear hype is real but it's the practice that matters way more.