Choosing a graphics tablet - what to look for for a beginner and experienced artist. Anime Drawing Software Manga Drawing Tablet

Manga (Japanese comics) is very popular among young people not only in Japan but also in other countries of the world. Many fans of this art even create their own comics by drawing them on paper or a computer. If you are one of them, then you are probably interested in learning how to create manga. This is discussed in detail in the article.

What you need to create manga on a computer

If you want to draw manga on a computer, then for a start it is advisable to purchase yourself, it does not have to be an expensive gadget with a screen. Even the most budget tablet It will be more convenient than a regular mouse.

The next step is to download and install the program in which you are going to create. The standard MS Paint for manga will not work, because it has too few options. Suitable paid programs include Adobe Photoshop Manga Studio tool S.A.I., and among the free ones are FireAlpaca and GIMP.

Explore the features of the program and practice drawing on the tablet. If necessary, find lessons on working with programs that interest you or try to figure it out yourself.

Characters

When creating a manga, it is imperative to come up with a plot and characters. At the same time, it is desirable not only to carefully work out the details of the appearance of each hero, but also to fantasize about his character and motivation. Imagine what his views of the world will be, what he likes and what he doesn't like. To create anime or manga characters, the best thing to do is separate file and write down the favorite and least favorite things of your characters, as well as what role each of them plays in the plot. It can be as simple Text Document, as well as a drawing with notes.

In your comic, create at least two characters: a positive and a negative. This will make the plot more dynamic. Also try to include characters of both genders in your story.

Plot

Not only the characters, but also the plot plays an important role in how to create a manga. Without a well-thought-out plot, it will be very difficult to correctly arrange shots and convey the emotions of the characters. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the backgrounds. If in a book the author describes the location of the characters in words, then you will have the whole environment. When you create a comic or manga in your mind, it is recommended to make a description of all the scenes. After that, you can start drawing.

Remember that the work should consist of a plot, a development of events, a climax and a denouement. There may also be a prologue and an epilogue. The presence of the main plot elements will help to properly develop the story.

Composition

It's important to remember that manga shouldn't start and end with events. On the first frame, it is recommended to draw the environment in order to immediately immerse the reader in the atmosphere of your story. Each spread of your comic should show a completed action. If you want the event to unfold more slowly, use wide horizontal bars, and vertical ones to speed things up.

Place the main events in the corners, and the less significant ones in the middle of the page. It is recommended to place a phrase or action on the last panel that can interest the reader and make him turn the page.

What is the difference between manga and western comics

To understand how to create manga, you need to know how it differs from other comics. Its features are:

The first thing that catches the eye of the reader is the color. Most Western comics are in color, and manga is almost always black and white.
Western comics use much more dialogue and text than manga, where characters are often laconic.
The backgrounds in the comic and manga are also very different. Western artists carefully draw all the details, and manga creators can do without backgrounds or paint flowers, bubbles or flashes to give the panel more emotionality.
In the manga, a lot of attention is paid to the eyes of the characters. They can immediately tell a lot about the character of the hero. Big eyes draw kind and naive characters. The narrower the eyes, the more closed or angry the character is. In Western comics, the eyes are drawn schematically, and the character's character is described in text.
To convey emotions in manga, they can change the proportions of characters, portray them with a huge head and a disproportionately small torso. In this case, the story itself can be drawn in a realistic style. Emotions on the face are drawn exaggerated and conditional. For example, a mouth that opens disproportionately wide in a cry, eyes that are too wide open.
Another major difference between manga and Western comics is the arrangement of the panels. Japanese comics are read from right to left. In addition, sometimes the panels do not have clear borders, and on top of some there may be other panels.

How to draw manga with a computer

The answer to the question of how to create manga on a computer depends on whether you want to pre-draw the drawings by hand or draw everything in a computer program.

If you prefer the first option, then you will need a piece of paper, a pencil and ink. First create your manga (anime) on paper, then scan it in greyscale at a minimum of 300 dpi. Then open the file in your existing graphic editor, change the properties of the layer with your drawing to "multiply" and add new layers to apply tones.

How to create manga entirely on a computer, let's look at the example of Photoshop. For any other graphic editor, the principle of operation will be similar:

Create new file. To do this, select "File" - "New" from the menu or press Ctrl+N.
The first layer in Photoshop is considered a background, so you can immediately add a second one. Do "Layer" - "New" - "Layer" or press Shift+Ctrl+N.
On a new layer, sketch out the future manga page.
You can draw the page on the panel right away, but it's better to outline the drawings with rectangles later so that you don't have to adjust the pictures to fit the frames you've taken beforehand.
Don't forget to leave room for character dialogue. Usually they are at the bottom or top of the frame.
Once you've sketched, on the top bar, set the layer's opacity to 40-45%.
Add another one on top and draw the desired lines. After that, the sketch layer can be deleted or hidden.
On a new layer, add tones and shadows.
If you want to colorize the manga, then create another layer and use the selection and fill tools. The Magic Wand tool will help you select an element if it is drawn with a closed path. Remember to switch to the outline layer to apply the "Magic Wand" and then go back to the color layer and add color to the selected area. If the contours in your drawing are not closed, then they can be painted with a brush.
When you finish drawing the page, just save it in the format you want.

Manga drawing programs

There are a large number of graphic editors with which you can create manga. Let's consider some of them.

Artweaver is a free raster editor. The main interface language is German. In this program, layers are available, a large selection of brushes, there is an eyedropper and a "magic wand". Supports a large number of formats, including PSD.

Adobe Photoshop - multifunctional graphics editor. Basically, it is designed to work with raster images, but it also has a few vector tools. Allows you to fine-tune brushes, has a huge number of different tools and features.

Paint tool SAI is a drawing program that takes up little space and starts quickly. Among its advantages: high speed work, the ability to draw with the mouse, canvas rotation, hotkeys from Photoshop, high quality Images.

Manga Studio - designed to create manga. Interface language - English. The program has a wide range of tools for working with comics. It allows you to apply different effects to the picture and has a large library of templates.

Krita is a raster graphics editor. In this program, you can work with It has a large selection of brushes and blending modes. The canvas in the program can be rotated and mirrored.

When coming up with a plot for a manga, decide who it will be aimed at. Teenage boys prefer a plot with lots of action scenes and "cool" characters, while teenage girls prefer sweet romantic stories.

If you do not have sufficient drawing skills to create your own manga character, you can take ready-made images and adjust them to fit the plot.

Ready-made clouds for dialogues can be borrowed from Microsoft Word. If you do not want to draw clouds for dialogs yourself, just copy the shapes you are interested in from Word to the clipboard and paste it into the program you are working with.

Graphics tablet - peripheral device that allows the artistic soul to find mutual language with a computer. It can have many applications, both in computer graphics, photography and design.

What is a graphics tablet and what is it for?

The graphics tablet is very universal device. Can be used for drawing, design, engineering or post-production in photography. The graphics tablet connects to the computer as a wired device using USB cable or over a wireless network.

Some models look like multimedia tablets: they have a screen on which you can draw. Other tablets have a work surface on which you work, and you will see the result of your actions on the computer screen.

For drawing, you need to use pens equipped with replaceable cartridges, a bit like ordinary pencils or pens.

This device is for those who find it very difficult to draw with a mouse, or if you just want to expand your computer graphics skills. Also suitable for facilitating photo editing. It is convenient to select small objects of irregular shape with a pen. If you often change, for example, the background around objects, a graphics tablet can greatly speed up your work and make it easier.

A graphics tablet in a duet with the appropriate software will successfully replace an art workshop - paper, pencils, paints, felt-tip pens, erasers.

The big relief is that in the case of drawing with graphics tablet You don't have to worry about mixing colors - you can detect the brightness of elements and highlights even at the end - and it will still have the colors it had at the beginning.

Types of graphics tablets

The Wacom brand is a leading manufacturer of graphics tablets. It has two types of devices in its offer:

Traditional graphics tablet

These are models that usually consist of two parts: a working surface and a pen (stylus) that looks like a ballpoint pen.

The work surface is connected to a computer. Surfaces vary in size depending on the application. A lot depends on your preferences and what you want to do with your tablet.

Well, however, if they reflect the size of the monitor, or rather its proportions. Thanks to this, working with the tablet will be much easier.

Traditional tablets are available in pen-only Pen and Pen&Touch with touch functionality.

Graphics tablet with LCD display

This model has a screen on the surface of which you can draw with a stylus. Working on an LCD model is even more like drawing on a sheet of paper. The main difference, however, is that the tablet gives you an almost endless opportunity to make corrections and edit your work.

More advanced graphics tablets come with built-in systems and built-in software. It is more independent and mobile devices that do not require a connection to a computer.

The pen tablet stylus looks just like a pen. Wacom pen tablets use a battery-free pen thanks to its patented magnetic resonance technology.

Some stylus models have an end that looks like a pencil neck on one side, and a programmable button on the other. You can assign various functions, the most preferred, however, is the eraser function for erasing.

Pen Tablet Software

This is a very important question, especially if you are using a traditional graphics tablet. You will need an application on your computer that will respond to pen pressure and "translate" it into bytes so that the result of your actions is visible on the computer screen.

If you're wondering which drawing tablet to choose, consider a model with included starter software. An excellent choice would be one of the Wacom tablets, to which the necessary applications are added. All programs are of significant value - they are professional paid programs, which together with the tablet you get for free. Of course, tablets will also work with other graphics programs.

ArtRage Lite App

The program allows you to draw and write on the computer. Among the tools available, you have at your disposal excellent digital counterparts. different types brushes, paints or markers - exactly the same as those in full version– ArtRage 4.

The program is easy and fast despite its qualifications. Allows you to create beautiful images and graphics.

Thanks to a collaboration with Wacom, which adds the program to its Wacom Draw series of graphics tablets, tutorial videos have also been made available to help beginners understand how the program works, as well as learn the basic rules for creating image compositions.

Clip Studio Paint Pro app

One of best apps, with which you can create manga, comics and illustrations. You can draw freehand with a stylus or create vector art on vector layers.

You also have a wide variety of different designs and patterns to choose from - these are lines, stars, ribbons.

Anime Studio Debut App

Program for creating 2D animation. Just import images from other programs or create your own.

You can also enrich movies with sound. Finished movies can be saved and exported in many popular formats, and even shared on YouTube.

Corel Painter Essentials App

A very interesting version of the Corel Painter program, which, like the original, is used primarily to create paintings. Therefore, it is equipped with a rich set of digital brushes and other tools, as well as interesting textures that look like different kinds paper.

In addition, with this program, you can process a photo or drawing to make it look like it was painted.

Macphun Creative Kit app

Set of 4 photo applications for operating system macOS: Tonality Pro, Intensify Pro, Snapheal Pro and Noiseless Pro.

Take advantage of 500 unusual tools and a whole new way to edit photos. With these applications, you can enhance color saturation, tone an entire photo, erase unwanted objects, or sharpen images and remove noise.

Corel AfterShot Pro app

Advanced graphics program for image editing. Allows for precise processing of photographs and their cataloging.

You can make changes in a very loose, non-linear way, and thanks to the use of layers, it's easy to undo. The program is multiplatform: works with Windows, macOS and Linux.

Corel PaintShop Pro app

Program for processing, cataloging and sharing photos on the Internet.

Advanced processing, accurate removal of selected objects from the frame, as well as fast processing of mass functions in Express Lab - all this is only part of the capabilities of Corel Paintshop. With it, you can create a professional photo album and impressive slideshows.

ZBrush Core Application

Used by professional filmmakers and game designers in conjunction with a 3D digital sculpting and painting software. Creation of digital 3D printing and animation of characters. ZBrushCore works on both Windows and macOS computers.

Popular pen tablet models

By choosing one of the Wacom models listed below, you can enjoy endless creative freedom.

Wacom Intuos Draw

Great drawing tablet for beginners. You can easily find your style with a wide range of tools at your disposal. Software available for download after tablet registration: ArtRage Lite.

Wacom Intuos Comic

Graphic tablet for drawing comics, manga, as well as for painting or design. As the name suggests, extremely intuitive and easy to use.

Thanks to the multi-touch function, you can easily zoom in and out of the image. Software available for download after tablet registration: Clip Studio Paint Pro and Anime Studio Debut.

Wacom Intuos Art

Accurate tablet with multi-touch support. The pen behaves like traditional tools - pencils, brushes, markers. Available in two sizes: S and M. Software available for download after tablet registration: Corel Painter Essentials.

Wacom Intuos Photo

With this tablet, your photos will become extraordinary. You can easily retouch, improve and enrich the composition. The multi-touch function allows you to conveniently zoom in and out of the details of interest. Software available for download after tablet registration:

for operating room macOS systems – Macphun Creative Kit(Tonality Pro, Intensify Pro, Snapheal Pro, Noiseless Pro) and Corel AfterShot Pro
for Windows - Corel PaintShop Pro and Corel AfterShot Pro.

Wacom Intuos 3D

Create in three dimensions. With this tablet, you can sculpt and design 3D objects, which are then printed on a printer or used for animation. Equipped with multi-touch function. Software available for download after tablet registration: ZBrushCore.

Your graphics tablet is already waiting for you. Worth getting, because this device gives you so much more than a piece of paper. What do you choose? What are you going to create with it? Tell us about it in the comments.

Before submitting best graphics tablets 2019, I will talk about the subtleties that need to be considered when considering a particular model. I think many artists and designers understand that this gadget is a working tool. Therefore, choosing a tablet is a very important step before buying.
So, designed for digital drawing for designers, photographers, artists and other figures. The tablet should cope with its main task - to come closer to real drawing. The tablet works on the principle of a mouse, that is, drawing on the tablet, all data is displayed on the computer screen. but there are also models where there is an additional screen on the tablet itself and you can draw directly on it.

Criteria to consider before buying a graphics tablet:

working surface area;
pen (stylus) sensitivity;
wireless connection;
a set of tips and their quality;
availability of drivers;
manufacturer.

And now I propose to understand in more detail.

1. Work surface area

The most popular size is A4, A5. For beginners, the smaller size will be inconvenient. The larger the area, the higher the resolution, as well as the price of the tablet. But it is not always convenient to use large graphics tablets and most often they are used by professionals.

2. Pen sensitivity

Firstly, the pen should fit comfortably in the hand, the shape, size, weight of the pen are important criteria. You need to pay attention to the buttons, to their functionality. The sensitivity of the pen and the thickness of the lines depends on the pressure on the tablet. Feather can be battery powered and connect via Bluetooth.

Pen Tablet Styluses

Of course, the most convenient is wireless styluses. But if it is on batteries, then its weight with batteries should be taken into account.

3. Wireless connection

If this is a wired graphics tablet, then you need to understand that the longer the wire, the more convenient it is to work on such a tablet. The best option is wireless tablets, and also with the function WiFi.

4. A set of tips, their quality

The pen has a tendency to wear off and usually lasts for several months, sometimes longer depending on use. The best tablets are those that have a pen with several sets of nibs.

Stylus tips

And it is even better that the tips are different in functionality, that is, they differ in thickness.

5. Availability of drivers

Many tablets work with installed drivers. Drivers should be included with the graphics tablet. But there are also models that work great without installing drivers. This, of course, makes the job easier.

6. Manufacturer

Of course, the main manufacturer in the manufacture of graphics tablets for drawing is WACOM. For many years it has been pleasing professionals with its quality and convenience. Tablets have also performed well in recent years. Chinese manufacturers, which are much cheaper.

10 best graphics tablets for drawing in 2019

In the list below, we have selected the most popular models that are relevant this year. Let's start with the tops.

#1 HUION GT-156HD V2

This tablet can be attributed to the professional class, which is distinguished by the presence of a built-in display, a high-quality stylus and rich equipment. The pen is so docile that the panel's sensitivity rests when you work. The pen is wireless with Bluetooth function. There are buttons on the panel of the tablet with the ability to set various functions on them. Suitable for both beginners and professionals.

Pros:

Convenient stand;
Support for all OS;
Buttons and touchpad on the tablet;
Convenient stylus.

Minuses: The stylus needs to be charged.

#2 HUION GT-220 V2

Average cost - from 30 thousand rubles

This is a drawing tablet for true professionals, artists and designers. It has amazing color reproduction. The touch screen is almost 22 inches with good FullHD resolution and color reproduction. He has a rich equipment, a lot of additional tips. A very comfortable pen with different pressure and tilt recognition.

Pros:

Sensitive display;
Rich equipment;
Corporate stylus;
Wireless;

Minuses:

Not detected.

#3 HUION inspiroy Q11K

✨ This model is now 30% off!

Tablet with a large working surface. Well suited for beginners and advanced designers due to the large number of functional control buttons. In addition, the stylus recognizes the degree of pressure.

Pros:

Large working area;
Lots of buttons;
Price.

Minuses:

A good computer is required for the job.

#4 XP Pen Star 03

This is a professional tablet. Suitable for both beginners and experts. A handy pen that has a switch button from pen to eraser. The tablet has buttons for setting the functionality. Decent combination of price and quality.

Pros:

Excellent equipment;
A high resolution;
Comfortable pen with switch;
Price;

Minuses:

Not suitable for professionals;
On old Windows versions sometimes requires a driver reload.

#5 XP Pen Star 06

This is the lightest drawing tablet, it weighs only 670 grams. Optimal in price and quality. The kit includes additional tips. The sensitive panel responds well to the stylus. This model has become the choice of many artists and professionals.

Pros:

Works without drivers;
Sensitive;
Price;
Outbred work.

Minuses: no.

#6 XP Pen Deco 02

✨ This model is now discounted 23% !

Another representative of a decent middle peasant. It is made of pleasant plastic, having no backlashes and attritions. As in most models, it supports 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity. Among other things, it has full compatibility with Windows 10, including hotkeys and scrolling.

Pros:

Passive pen that does not require recharging;
USB Type-C support;
Price.

Minuses:

Not detected

#7 Huion WH1409

✨ This model is currently discounted. 50% !

Differs in simplicity and a big working surface. Suitable for beginners. 12 buttons are conveniently located on the tablet. Has built-in memory of 8 GB. The price is about 16,000 rubles, but now this model can be bought with a 50% discount!

Pros:

Very large work surface;
Built-in memory;
High surface sensitivity;
Convenient equipment.

Minuses: no.

#8 Parblo A610

Wireless drawing tablet. Has a large area for work. There are 8 buttons on the panel for operation. It is actively in demand and has a good rating among designers and artists.

Pros:

Design;
Wireless connection;
Function buttons.

Minuses

Small resolution.

#9 VEIKK A50

✨ This model is now 15% discount!

In my opinion one of the best representatives of the budget segment. We already did something. At the moment, the tablet continues to be our working option.

Pros:

Rich equipment;
Large working area;
Convenient control keys and touchpad;
Full compatibility without dancing with a tambourine;
Supports 8192 pressure levels;
Wireless pen.

Minuses:

Not detected.

#10 Gaomon m106k

✨ This model is currently 30% off!

An amateur drawing tablet. Its stylus is battery operated. If we compare the price and quality, then the tablet has a decent sensitivity and good pen performance. Good for beginners.

The market is full of offers of various digitizers with different properties. However, for artists, this diversity only makes it difficult to choose. In this review of graphics tablets, you will learn the features of popular models and new products, the advantages and disadvantages of products from different brands, and what you should pay attention to when buying a drawing tablet.

Main characteristics

As with any other piece of equipment, there are a number of parameters that you should pay attention to before buying a digitizer. The very first step is to decide on the type of tablet, based on your preferences and occupation.

Most models of graphics tablets have one purpose - this is the introduction of a free graphic information in digital form, which is used by artists, photographers, designers, etc. There are still instances with limited options that are more suitable for office work. They can completely replace notepads and allow you to make signatures on electronic documents. There are also monitor tablets that can perform 2 functions at the same time. They are less mobile, but more powerful, which allows you to draw immediately on the screen at a scale of 1:1.

The next step, before choosing a graphics tablet, you need to consider the following:

dimensions and area of the working surface;

Sensitivity to pressure

supported resolution;

speed, tilt angle and accuracy of pen and/or mouse response;

aspect ratio of the gadget and your monitor;

the interface;

Individual skills and needs

maximum pen response distance over the working surface;

availability of the options you need.

The dimensions of the device, its design and sensitivity directly affect your comfort during operation. If you are not comfortable working with a certain model, it can significantly reduce your productivity. High resolution and precision allow you to take the work to a more complex level and carefully work out all the details.

An important aspect is the level of your professionalism, as well as experience with similar gadgets. No digitizer will improve your skills, no matter how expensive it is, and for beginners, many brands produce special series of devices.

Wacom tablets

Wacom Intuos digitizers are among the most popular. This is due to a large selection of options and specializations, but this also affects the cost of models. The range includes devices of different formats, designs and levels of complexity. If you are still a beginner, you can choose a smaller device and from a cheaper and simpler series. Professionals, on the other hand, can focus on their experience and needs, choosing what they need. Wacom offers the following series of electronic instruments:

the Pro and Pro paper line for advanced professionals;

Comic - suitable for drawing comics, manga, etc.;

Photo - for processing photos;

3D - has ZBrushCore software for working with three-dimensional space;

Draw - for beginners and lovers of drawing, sketching and sketching;

Art is a touch device with WiFi connection, makes the workflow faster and more comfortable.

Drawing Gadgets by Genius

Genius is the second most popular digitizer seller in the rankings. What is the difference between their products and why do many choose it in their favor? It's all about low cost, which is associated with a fairly high level of quality. They also have more express keys on the case, which, moreover, is made of good materials. Of the shortcomings, it is worth noting the weighted stylus, which, at first, will be difficult to get used to. That's because Genius styluses run on batteries. Also, among the shortcomings, it is worth highlighting the not very high sensitivity of models to the pen.

The final choice when buying, of course, is yours. Carefully study the characteristics and consider your capabilities, and then you can easily determine for yourself which graphics tablet is good for you.

I decided to stir up interest in the long-selling Bamboo Pen & Touch graphics tablet by releasing its special Bamboo Manga edition. There were no changes in the functionality of the device, just a specialized software to create anime and manga (Japanese comics).

Since Wacom Bamboo Manga is not a professional product of the company, the pen only recognizes the degree of pressure (1024 levels), not taking into account the angle of inclination. However, the novelty supports multi-touch data input, which is used to rotate the image on the screen and change the scale. For operation, the device must either be connected to, or used in any convenient place, having previously purchased a wireless adapter.

The special edition of the tablet is equipped with two programs Manga Studio Debut 4 and Anime Studio Debut 8. The first allows you to draw manga with popular characters or create them from scratch, and the second allows you to record a real anime. Beginners will benefit from the hint mode and various effects that make the scenes more dynamic. The applications have the function of sending work to friends in social networks, as well as the publication of works on specialized sites.

Wacom Bamboo Manga is already on sale for around $150. If you purchase the software and graphics tablet separately, the purchase will cost $50 more.