Buy now!
Clearer, cleaner drawing
Use the Wacom Drawing Glove and enjoy a natural drawing experience. Say goodbye to unnecessary smudges, fingerprints and minimize friction from hand to screen or pen tablet. And with everything clearly visible on screen, nothing comes between you and your creation. Now, you’re free to draw comfortably for hours.
Fits like a glove, works like a dream
Wacom Drawing Glove’s unique fingerless design and seamless edge allows for a natural working experience. Focus on your drawing and access touch functionality on screen as well as the keyboard. Designed to work perfectly whether you’re left or right-handed. Sound good? You’ll find it feels good too.
Better for drawing, better for the environment
Designed with eco-friendly recycled materials, the Wacom Drawing Glove allows you to draw with the freedom of knowing you are helping the world we live in. Recycled Polyester and Spandex offer breathability, stretch and durability for a comfortable fit. Feel comfortable drawing anything, and know that you’re contributing to a better environment.
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Before we jump in, why should you trust us with your gift giving? We’re Wacom – we’ve been making digital pens and tablets for nearly 40 years now. You’ll find Wacom products beneath the pens of artists at the major studios, car brands and apparel companies. We’re also powering the technology teachers are using in the classroom – giving teachers and students the ability to draw, solve math equations and mark up documents digitally without the frustration of a mouse. Bonus: these gifts are totally unconventional! You don’t need to worry about the let down of watching someone open a bundle of socks or underwear. A Wacom tablet will be a crowd-pleasing-knock-their-boring-old-socks-off surprise.
Best gift for students and new artists who are showing promise and passion
Wacom One
Image by Shireen Faridniya.
Draw right on the screen of the Wacom One. Our entry-level pen display offers the same reliability and compatibility as our more professional products. Students can use the Wacom One with select Chromebooks, Android devices, PC or Mac and create diagrams, written notes or use it for their art classes. This one is also great for anyone drawing fan art, manga, or people ready to get creative with their social media content, especially their photography or web comics.
Runners up: One by Wacom or Intuos pen tablets. Both the One by Wacom and the Intuos are compatible with Chromebook and both are great for gift givers who want to support a growing artistic passion.
Best gift for freelancers, new college grads, and anyone who still gets a thrill every time they get paid for their art
Wacom Cintiq
The Wacom Cintiq is built for artists who are starting on their professional path, whether that path leads them to illustration, photography, video editing, 2D/3D design or animation. It’s durable so it will last through all of those early job jumps, and it’s ergonomically designed for those late night drawing sessions. Wacom partners with the professional creative software companies so your favorite artist will be using the same drawing tools as their heroes. The Wacom Cintiq is a workhorse – it’s a daily driver, reliable, professional, and necessary for any artists who’s building their career.
Runners up: Intuos Pro, Wacom One. The Intuos Pro is a pen tablet that offers many of the same pro-level features as our Cintiqs, including ExpressKeys and more than 8,000 levels of pressure. Wacom One is our small display designed for anyone who wants to start trying their hand at digital art.
Best gift for the artist who has it all or any artist who wants to buy a gift for themselves
Cintiq Pro 16
Hot off the presses, our new Cintiq Pro 16 brings back everyone’s favorite feature: ExpressKeys. And it offers some new features, including easy connection (all you need to do is connect the USB-C cable to your computer), VESA mount compatibility and improved touch control. The Cintiq Pro 16 is perfect for photography, illustration, or video production.
Runners up: Intuos Pro, Wacom One, Cintiq. If you’re looking for a smaller Wacom product for mobility, try either the Intuos Pro or the Wacom One. If you’re after more screen real estate, go with the Cintiq 22.
]]>The classroom continues its evolution from in person, to fully remote, to the hybrid approach of the future. Now, as many schools return to in person classrooms, the conversation turns to how to best leverage the benefits of online, hybrid experiences and technology in the classroom. Wacom, the global leader in digital ink, has gathered top education experts to share ideas and tips on using technology to generate creativity, deeper comprehension, student engagement, and meaningful collaboration.
Register now
Technology loomed large in most every version of the classroom this past year, for better or for worse. As more teachers and students return to the classroom, finding the right technology mix and tools will be critical to engaging every learner. But what does this mix look like?
With the thINK21 education virtual conference, Wacom has gathered educators from K12, Higher Education of a wide range of subjects with a focus on STEAM to share advice, ideas and tips on building the next version of their classroom, the incorporation of digital curriculum and using technology to empower teachers and students alike to innovate and excel.
Three days of thINK21
Each day will focus on a specific segment of the education landscape. The conference starts on March 18 with curriculum focused on teaching the creative arts. Award-winning Netflix director, Jorge Gutierrez will inspire the audience with his journey from student to showrunner. Classes include preparing students for a career in the creative arts, and ideas from FableVision on how to teach animation.
March 25 is focused on Higher Education and begins with author and speaker, Flower Darby identifying small, but impactful adjustments to boost student engagement and learning. Additional sessions include how to draw your notes, and how to create the right tech setup for a the remote, hybrid and traditional learning environment.
April 1 features programming for K12 teachers, and kicks off with Dr. Tom Ryan, Chief Information and Strategy Office for Santa Fe Public Schools and his colleagues sharing the story about the district’s STEM programs and how these programs have grown and are now impacting the district’s entire community. Additional sessions include tips for simple but impactful instructional video production and making lessons more creative.
thINK21 offers live and pre-recorded videos, and every session will be available on the website. All sessions are free, and Wacom will provide a certificate for teachers who attend.
Take a sneak peek at thINK21…
And, because I work at Wacom, I get to try our products before they come out, and sometimes my colleagues allow me to make a terrible drawing on them. I’ve made terrible drawings on all of our products ranging from the Cintiq Pro 32s to the sweet Wacom One. But my heart goes back to the Intuos and Intuos Pro. Now that I’m working from home, my Intuos Pro SM is my go-to Wacom product in my home office. I have an Intuos that I also love and sometimes I just plug that one in because I love it too. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite because I love them both equally. Here’s why:
You can tell this is not a picture of me or my desk — there is no La Croix can (or several) on this desk, and I can’t make drawings.
Why I love my Intuos
The Intuos line has long had a special place in my heart – it always works, it lasts forever, it’s a great price and it’s got all of Wacom’s awesome tech. The Intuos is a work horse – I’ve thrown mine in various bags, drawers and dropped it more than I should admit. When I talk to our artists, inevitably they say the same thing: I still have my first Intuos! And it still works! We get pictures of people cradling their first Intuos, kissing their first Intuos, and we have a few ‘first Intuos’ tablets that have been signed by famous artists in the office. These tablets are huggable, it’s true. So if you like a something you want to hug, then this is your tablet.
Also not a picture of me or my desk — there’s not a single random crime novel set in London where the inspectors drink terrible coffee and go to pubs and generally insult each other at work all day long anywhere on this desk. On my current desk: three novels that fit this description.
Why I love my Intuos Pro SM
This is the Wacom tablet you get when you’re feeling fancy and sometimes I’m feeling fancy. What does fancy mean when you’re talking about a drawing tablet? I will tell you, gentle reader. It means a selection of nibs you can choose from, extra ExpressKeys and my favorite thing of all: the Pro Pen 2. Oh Pro Pen 2, how much do I love you. It’s ergonomically designed so it just feels good in your hand. When I’m using my huggable Intuos, I’ll drop my pen on any old table or on the floor. With my Pro Pen 2, I gently place it its holder like a delicate flower. Let me be clear: you can clatter both pens around and they’ll both be fine, but the Pro Pen 2 is fancy and it just wants to be treated fancy too.
I use either tablet as a replacement to my mouse. I use it when I whiteboard in Teams, or when I’m marking up assets or even Word docs – here’s to a digital version of a red pen! And I also find it deeply satisfying to use the Wacom pen when I’m taking screen captures. And mostly I just like it because it feels special to me. It feels like something that’s mine and something that feels good and reassuring in my hand after a string of camera-on Zoom calls. I dunno…we all need things that bring us joy right now. One of those things is my Wacom pen tablet.
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Photo by Casey Cosley
If you don’t know Pratik, he’s had a long and accomplished career as a high-end fashion & beauty retoucher with his firm Solstice Retouch. These days, he’s busy making some of the most cutting-edge tools to help everyday photographers and retouchers work more creatively and save precious hours of navigating professional-level workflows in Photoshop.
Limitless Color Possibilities
Infinite Color Panel is a plugin for Photoshop that allows stunning color grades to be executed literally with the click of a button. ICP not only solves the need that non-professional Photoshop artists have to quickly explore countless color-grading possibilities in a fraction of the time they take to produce by hand, but it also provides the opportunity for everyday Photoshop artists to learn and tinker with adjustment layers. ICP isn’t just an artistic tool, but also a way to learn more about Photoshop.
Easy and stylish
To get started with ICP in Photoshop, there is pretty much zero learning curve. The software comes with an installer that you simply double click on (with Photoshop closed) and you’re ready to go. You’ll find ICP in your Window>Extensions menu.
The first thing you’ll notice is that it just looks nice. ICP is slim and well-organized compared to a lot of Photoshop plugins. I appreciate the attention to aesthetics and I just like having ICP open.
Photoshop adjustment layers magically appear
The first thing ICP asks you to do is simply smash that CREATE button. If this was the single solitary thing you did each time you used it, you’d be getting your money’s worth. Every time you click on CREATE, ICP starts building adjustment layers in your Photoshop document, and within a couple of seconds, you have a legit, ships-to-client, color grade.
If you’re not pumped on the first shot, all you need to do is – you guessed it – click on CREATE again and ICP will build you a brand new color grade. Hence the “Infinite” part.
Photo by Mike Von
Infinite Color rinses its own dishes
What I appreciated seeing ICP do the second time I clicked on CREATE was good housekeeping. It doesn’t just stack new adjustment layers on top or ask you to manually trash them, it removes them for you. How polite! It seems to do a good job keeping track of the layers it created, I haven’t seen it mess up or miss anything.
Scientifically proven to improve creativity
Yep, I’m a scientist too. Well, not accredited or certified by anyone but myself, but I do read a lot of books! In Daniel Kahneman’s 2011 book Thinking, Fast and Slow, it’s been shown that the human mind is most creative in a state of “cognitive ease”. Technical tasks engage a different part of the brain than creative ones, and induce the opposite – “cognitive stress”. It’s been shown that achieving creative flow is nearly impossible when in a state of cognitive stress.
The fact that I can achieve unobstructed creativity while retaining the (rather technical) layer stack that ICP builds is a pretty elegant solution for reducing cognitive stress in Photoshop. Once I achieve a look that I like, I can jump back in and start tweaking layers. For the less seasoned artist, simply clicking layers on and off to see what they’re doing can be a great way to accelerate learning about adjustment layers.
Photo by Raphael Nast
Active decisions in ICP
The variety of color grades that come back by clicking CREATE is really satisfying. After finding a good one, we’ve got some more control over the look.
Light, Medium, and Intense are just how they sound – volume controls for how intense you want the grade to look.
Harmonize is one of my favorite features of ICP. Through some kind of magic, Harmonize will look at the dominant colors of the photo in the lights, midtones, and shadows and create (what appears to be) a split-complementary color harmony in the photo. Very cool. I’ve used it on images where I didn’t run anything but Harmonize and it improved them. Adding a unifying color palette to the 3 tonal areas of a photo can really take it one step further.
Photo by Soroush Golpoor
For extra control, there is a SHUFFLE button next to each component. These allow you to just roll the dice on an individual layer, rather than replace the entire grade. Clicking the name next to them just turns that layer on or off.
The Layers
ICP’s base layer stack is made up of 5 layers in Photoshop. And if you just want to make beautiful grades using ICP and never touch an adjustment layer in your life, read no further. I’m not going in-depth into adjustment layers themselves, but here’s what they look like:
From my testing, I’d recommend a workflow that goes in this order:
- Find a good grade you like from ICP
- Turn on and off each layer to see what they do
- Opacity refine: choose if one needs to be stronger or weaker, adjust opacity
- For the layers that are 100% opacity, try duplicating them to increase the look (Ctrl/Cmd J)
- Area refine: by painting in with Black/White on the masks, choose where to mask out layers
- Adjustment refine: Now that you’ve adjusted the overall look, finish up with fine-tuning the adjustment layers themselves.
It’s the little things that count: One Undo
The last thing I’d give a nod to is the simplicity of having just one undo to step back to the previous grade. Ctrl/Cmd Z steps back an entire instance of hitting CREATE, rather than just the steps of the layers ICP creates.
Photo by Chris Norton
The Infinite Community
Pratik has created a simple, elegant, and very practically useful tool in Infinite Color Panel. When creative ideas aren’t just jumping right out of thin air at us, an inspiration generator like ICP is the artist’s best friend. Keep in mind that when you buy ICP you’re also joining a community of real working artists in Pratik’s Facebook group where you can post your own explorations and see what others are making as well.
https://www.infinitecolorpanel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/photoshopwithpratik
https://www.instagram.com/infinitecolorpanel/
About Sef McCullough
I’m a Commercial Retoucher, Writer, and Educator. I’ve worked with a lot of sports, tech, retail, and automotive brands. Part of my mission is helping everyday artists and photographers get better access to high-end retouching tools and techniques.
Follow/learn/talk with Sef:
https://www.frequencyseparation.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/everydayphotoshop
https://www.instagram.com/sefmccullough/
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We asked NYC Fashion and Portrait Photographer (and dear Wacom friend, style icon, and person who always makes us smile), Dani Diamond, to share his tips for new photographers. As always, he shared thoughtful, smart and practical ideas. Read on for more from Dani Diamond and follow Dani on Instagram while you’re at it. Dani uses a Mobile Studio Pro 13 and an Intuos Pro.
When I first tried to use Photoshop, every time I opened it to edit an image, I found myself overwhelmed and closed the program down. While there was a fundamental understanding for what makes an edit great, I could not figure out how to put the knowledge to use to deliver a great photo. Over time, there were three things I learned that helped me become more proficient in using the platform. I thought I would share them, because surely, I am not alone.
Tip 1: Avoid the Clutter
It is important to have a clear mental headspace and a physically decluttered workspace. While a clear headspace is self-explanatory, some clarification for a physical workspace is warranted. The actual desk must be clear, but more importantly, an unloaded Photoshop desktop window is key. This happens by getting rid of all the unnecessary windows. As you can see in the screenshot below, Photoshop, by default, has many windows that, as a photo editor, will never be used. To close the unwanted windows follow these instructions:
- Right click on the tab of the unwanted window and close it.
- Go to the window tab in the main toolbar and select the windows that will be used.
- Organize those windows to one side of the screen by dragging and letting them lock in place.
As you can see in the second screenshot below, my Photoshop desktop is much cleaner than the default setting of the program.
Tip 2: Efficiency. It is important to find a workflow that works, and then consistently repeat it. Developing a workflow can be as simple as finding one that another photographer uses, or creating your own by putting different steps together you learned from YouTube videos and tutorials. A workflow consists of a clear order of steps used each and every time you sit to retouch an image. Once that workflow is established and used a few times, the process will become second nature and editing becomes less overwhelming and more calming. Personally, my workflow consists of: skin cleaning, frequency separation, dodging and burning, and lastly, I take care of overall image toning. I built an action for my workflow, and have been doing the same exact process for 8 years now. You can see it on the screenshot below; the action is circled in red.
Tip 3: Keyboard Shortcuts. Oftentimes, when people hear I use shortcuts to change things like brush sizes and opacity, they laugh and argue that using the toolbar is easier. However, I invested a small amount of time in creating shortcuts, and now, I never have to bother with a mouse or tablet for tool selection and adjustments. After creating shortcuts, one hand will sit on the keyboard while the other hand holds the tablet pen. Eventually, you will find yourself flying through an edit. Again, this is about removing all the unnecessary steps and thought-processes related to editing to make the editing process a smooth and somewhat mindless process.
While there are other tips and suggestions I could make, these three are the easiest of the bunch, and also have the most impact in image editing. There is no question that Photoshop, at first, can be intimidating and stressful. Like any other complex platform, there is a learning curve. However, taking the time to learn it well can change the way a person approaches image editing in astounding ways. You can use this article as a starting point. Google and YouTube can afford a plethora of information to become more proficient in Photoshop use.
]]>I likely went back to corporate marketing shortly after the milk/laptop incident. Now my son and I are back to existing in the same house for hours and days on end. Except now a few things have changed. The main thing that has changed (mercifully) is my son is too old to watch to Happy Feet repeatedly. He’s now 14.
Just a few days before our state’s governor issued a stay at home order, I grabbed a Wacom One for my son with the intention that he’d use it for art, and for his favorite subject: math. I am terrible at math and to see my beautiful boy excel at such an arcane, Byzantine subject is a real head scratcher. Also I just assume he’s right on all of his problems because what the hell do I know? Answer: literally nothing. Just a few days ago, my husband told me how to figure out percentages on a calculator so I no longer have to go to Google and type ‘what is X the percentage of Y’? (OMG: I am writing this on the company blog. Hello Nobu! Don’t worry! I don’t need math skills for my job! I have Google!)
I give myself a sold B to B- for my parenting abilities. For example, I never have cut a single crust off a sandwich and the boy has been doing his own laundry since he was 8. Also I never played on the play equipment with him. I just sort of sat on the sidelines and said good job occasionally, but only in a half-hearted way so that he’d still be motivated to slide down the slide better. But now he seems like a happy kid and he’s pretty funny too. Stephen King once said: humor is almost always anger with its make up on. So maybe he’s not that happy. What does Stephen King even know???!
Like I said, I’m an okay parent, but I made one really great parenting decision and that was getting the Wacom One for his distance learning. When I brought it home, my son immediately cleaned his room. I mean, I feel like I could stop this blog post here and I’d have a good bunch of you running to Wacom estore to purchase one. Go ahead!! You don’t need to read the rest!
After he plugged the Wacom One into his laptop, he got to drawing right away with Autodesk Sketchbook. This is a great app for anyone who hasn’t earned their chops in Photoshop. Hint: even I can help customers use Autodesk Sketchbook on a busy trade show floor! Come to me with a question about Photoshop and here’s me:
He’s been drawing for hours each day on the Wacom One. The other day I challenged him to make a still life of the fruit I had panic-purchased a few days prior.
Yes, I bought that many jalapenos. Add panic shopping to the list of things I’m not great at. And he willingly made a still life, but because he’s more into illustration than whatever lame thing I think about (fine art!), he added some characters to his still life too.
And, what’s more, he’s also using the Wacom One for his math too.
I don’t even know what this is a picture of. Is that called a triangle? But what I do know is that I don’t have a printer in my house and yet, my son is able to work on his math digitally. I did ask him if that was actual math when I took the picture. He assured me it wasn’t fake math. I mean, what do I know? I picked up the trash around his desk before I took this picture, so it would seem like my 14 year old son has a tidy clean room. He clearly hasn’t seem me model honesty lately. This probably is fake math.
All of this is to say that I do truly feel like a genius for grabbing a Wacom One before my son, once again, became my constant companion. It’s so much better than a printer and he actually likes using it. And…he can make fake math on it too.
If your teen is also into math, or drawing then you should certainly get a Wacom One for this time of quarantine. But only if they are old enough to realize that spilling milk on technology is super lame.
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Good news: you don’t need a printer to annotate and mark up a doc. You can grab a Wacom tablet, like the Intuos, or a Wacom One, if you prefer to write on screen and get your red (or blue or green) digital pencil working.
How to annotate digitally
In Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint, head over to the Draw tab and simply pick your pen. Then start marking up the doc. Both programs also allow you to use Windows Ink to create math equations using a pen instead of a mouse or keyboard and in Word, you can embed a drawing canvas right into your Word doc. Save your doc, and you ink is saved too.
Annotating and editing in Microsoft Word with a Wacom
Use the Draw tab to annotate and edit in Microsoft Power Point with Wacom
Use Ink to Math to write math equations in Word or PowerPoint with a Wacom
Which Wacom products are best for annotation?
Annotating with Wacom One
For those who want to write on screen, the Wacom One is the best pick. It’s designed to feel good – the screen isn’t cold or sticky or smudgy like other tablets – and the pen is ergonomically design thanks to 30 years of researching the way artists hold their pencils and paints. And it’s also a great choice for students who have a lot of math homework, or who want to continue to develop their art.
Intuos small with Bluetooth
For those who want the same ergonomic benefits and more customizable buttons, the Wacom Intuos is a great choice. This one comes with three free pieces of drawing software and is light and small so you can throw it in a drawer when the home office needs to transition back to the dining room table.
Wacom products are available at Amazon, Best Buy and the Wacom Estore.
]]>In this article, Stefan Malter, the author of the successful German blog “OneNote for Teachers”, will show you the benefits of using OneNote in combination with Wacom One and how you can teach even more comfortably from home.
From Stefan Malter:
Scenario 1: Sketches, formulas, panel pictures – Draw and write in OneNote
When you prepare your teaching materials on the computer, you will quickly run into the limitations that come with the use of a mouse and keyboard. Mathematical formulas, explanatory sketches, and descriptive blackboard pictures are easier to draw with a pen.
For many years I have been using OneNote and a graphic tablet connected to my computer for digital drawings. The new Wacom One has its own screen so you can draw directly on your documents. The included pen slides over the display – almost like paper.
You can connect the graphics tablet to your desktop PC, laptop, Mac or even a smartphone. Because Wacom One is portable, it is also well suited for use in the home office. In the basic setting, you see exactly what you see on the computer monitor, for example, the open OneNote notebook.
It is very easy to use and you will quickly get used to working with it. You control the mouse arrow with the pen. Just put the pen tip wherever you need to be on the display. You can then simply tap and select symbols and buttons. The pen also has a customizable button on the side that can replace the right mouse button function.
You can find all drawing functions under the “Draw” tab – both in the OneNote app for Windows 10 and in the desktop version. You can choose from different pens and colors in the menu above. When the free Wacom driver is installed, you can start drawing and writing directly on the OneNote page.
Here are some examples of how you can use Wacom One as a teacher with OneNote:
Annotations and highlights in texts, articles and PDF documents
Brainstorm and whiteboard digitally
Write mathematical formulas
I will also show you here in the blog how you can further expand the drawing functions in OneNote, convert handwriting into text and maybe even create your own sketch notes.
Scenario 2: Using handwritten notes to give feedback to students
Many schools are now benefiting from Office 365, which is free of charge for educational institutions. Within the platform, teachers and especially students can use the OneNote course notebooks. The advantage: You can conveniently distribute your worksheets created in OneNote to your students. The students then work individually on the tasks in their own OneNote notebook on a PC or tablet at home.
If you organize your online classes like this, a pen tablet or Wacom One can be a great benefit. Just like with a pen on paper, you can individually correct the students’ tasks and leave personal comments to them on their worksheets.
Of course, you can use a red pencil for corrections in OneNote – like the old days! 😉 However, experience shows that schoolchildren like the colorful rainbow pencil much better.
Scenario 3: Using OneNote as a whiteboard in online lessons
Let’s increase the level of difficulty! Maybe at some point, you dare to conduct your online classes live, for example by video conference with your students. The popular Microsoft Teams platform enables collaboration for everyone. It is easy to use and is also part of Office 365. You can also integrate OneNote in teams and thus make the content of your notebooks available to your students.
During an online meeting, you can now share your current screen in addition to your webcam image, so you can show your students live what you are doing. This way you can explain to them step-by-step what you are drawing on the graphic tablet.
I recommend that you switch to a full-page view or full-screen view in OneNote. You can find them in both versions of OneNote at the top right as a double arrow. Clicking on it will hide all the menus so that you have even more space to draw on the graphics tablet.
Another advantage: The created sketches and blackboard pictures are saved directly in OneNote and are permanently available to all students.
Scenario 4: Using Wacom One as a second screen
The Wacom One is treated like a second connected monitor under Windows 10. This not only allows you to duplicate your computer screen, but you can also use it as a second desktop with its own program windows.
For example, you can show a document on the main screen, read a web article or watch a learning video – and at the same time take notes on the graphics tablet in OneNote.
The cable of the Wacom One is long enough so that you can place the device comfortably on your lap.
To expand your desktop to a second screen, you have to adjust your display settings. You can find it at the bottom right in the notification menu of Windows 10. Alternatively, you can also press the key combination “Windows + P” and thus switch between the different modes.
As soon as you select “Expand”, the second desktop appears on the graphics tablet. Now you can move apps and program windows here and use them in parallel. It may be useful to adjust the display to your needs, using Windows 10 settings. For example, you can determine the position of the two screens and the size of the icons and symbols to be displayed.
What else is possible …
- If you don’t want to draw anything for a moment, you can still leave the Wacom One connected to your computer and use it as a mouse replacement. I have been using pen tablets privately and professionally for many years instead of a computer mouse. With the stylus, the complete operation of Windows 10 works more naturally, intuitively and, above all, more smoothly. You can control all other apps and software with it, for example, the Internet browser or office programs. Simply switch on the “monitor” (see above) just the PC screen. Even if the tablet display is not switched on, the pen control works for the main screen.
- The Wacom pen does not need a battery, which is very practical. In addition to this, other companies also offer pens that can be used on Wacom One. This includes a model from Lamy that looks and feels exactly like their well-known fountain pens. This makes writing and drawing on the Wacom One feel even more like school… 😉
For many more useful tips on OneNote, please check out Stefan Malter’s blog “OneNote for Teachers” (available in German only).
We’re here to help
In the past few weeks, we have received many questions around working, learning, teaching and creating from home. Contact us if you have more questions.
For more information on Wacom One, please check out the Wacom e-store. When you consider buying a new pen tablet or display, do keep an eye on our current discounts and promotions as well as the refurbished products.
]]>Sure … many meetings could just be emails. But there’s one type of meeting that requires face-to-face interaction: the brainstorm. Whether it’s in the office together or working from home, brainstorming still needs to happen. It’s a break from the tedium of PowerPoint presentations and it’s an opportunity to give our creativity a place to expand.
So what do you need to brainstorm virtually? Most video conferencing apps, including Zoom and Microsoft Teams, have a white boarding feature. But you need something to draw with. Now here’s where most people get stuck: no one wants to draw with a mouse or a track pad. That’s where Wacom comes in — Wacom pen tablets and displays are perfect tools to virtually whiteboard.
Which Wacom tablet is best for digital white boarding?
If you want to draw on screen while you whiteboard digitally, and annotate documents while you’re at it, Wacom One is the perfect tool. The pen never needs charging, and it’s designed to be comfortable to write on: no sticky, cold screens that you normally experience.
For those who want to experiment with digital whiteboarding, but aren’t ready to draw on screen, try a Wacom Intuos. Like the Wacom One, the pen never needs charging. It’s also light and small, so it’s easy to throw it in a backpack if you’re ready to move the home office from the dining room to the kitchen.
How do you whiteboard digitally?
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams requires users to add a plug in to the platform. Here at Wacom, we’re using the InVision plug in. You need to sign up for InVision to add the plug in to your various chats, groups or meetings, but once you do all of the people within the chat can white board together at once. You can do some sketch noting, or visual thinking while others expand on your ideas.
Zoom
Zoom includes a whiteboard feature right out of the box, but it’s a bit tricky to find. Here are instructions on how to access it.
1) When you are in a meeting, click on the share icon in the controls. It’s right in the middle in-between “Manage Participants” and “Chat.”
2) A dialog box will open up. Select the option that says “whiteboard.”
Now you can brainstorm on your very own whiteboard. Don’t worry about losing a great idea – there’s an option in the bottom right corner that allows you to open a new whiteboard.
You could use a track pad or mouse in either of these applications, but chances are your ideas are less likely to flow as smoothly and the end results may not be ready for prime time with colleagues or clients. Instead, try drawing with a Wacom tablet. The Wacom Intuos is a great price and it comes with a three free pieces of creative software, including Clip Studio Paint. The Wacom One is perfect for anyone who wants to draw on screen. And, when you’ve clocked out for the day, you can hand either off to a student who needs to do their math or find a creative outlet with digital art.
]]>In the past few weeks, we have received many questions about working, learning, teaching and creating from home. We collected answers from experts, including the creative freelancers, who are experienced in working from home and happy to share some practical advice.
Remote Learning with Wacom
Our teams have equipped many schools and universities with technology to make their classrooms and lecture halls digital. Together with partners they have developed solutions for remote teaching and collaboration in virtual classrooms. And in some of the regions hit hardest by Covid-19, students and parents are discovering how the easy and intuitive to use Wacom pen tablets and displays can help with the transition into home schooling and remote learning.
To find out more, check out our education program and a blog post recommending the best tech for remote learning.
5 Tips for working and learning from home
No matter if you are working, learning or teaching from home, there are a couple of valuable tips that might help you adjust to the new situation.
Create a designated space for working and learning
Turn the kitchen into a classroom or the corner of your bedroom into an office. Make it a habit to “commute” to work in the morning and “drop off” your kids at school. Getting dressed appropriately can also help feel more professional. If you need ideas on your working from home tech, we rounded up the best Wacom for working from home.
Make a schedule
Set fixed school hours. Keep regular office hours and separate working hours from time off. Schedule coffee and lunch breaks and stick to them. Avoid too much spill over.
Organize yourself
Make to-do lists, set yourself deadlines and keep track of your progress. This will help you stay focused and motivated. Set rules together with the people you work with and the ones around you. Well, one can at least try.
Stronger together
We might be sitting at home alone, but we are in this together. To help communication, schedule regular meetings with your team and clients. Socialize and chat with colleagues during breaks just like you would do at the office or at school. Ask them, if you need something. Chat with your friends and school buddies. Change to video calls to see each other.
Keep moving and exploring
If you are not under lock down, make sure you leave the house regularly. Go for a walk, get some fresh air or exercise. If that is not possible, remember to stretch and change posture regularly.
For a fresh point of view, allow yourself time to discover new ideas or learn something new. Keep exploring. Many creative events are changing to online formats. Museums offer virtual tours through their collection. They are a great source of inspiration.
Check out a video with made with one of our expert #WFH influencers.
Need some distraction?
Focus is important. But give yourself a break once a while. It’s hard enough already. So, remember we are in this together. And if it feels like the walls are caving in, we might have something for you. Check out the following initiatives for distraction, inspiration and a little bit of fun.
Feeling blue about this situation? Have a look at this inspiring and encouraging campaign initiated by the Wacom team in Italy, the first European country that went into lock down. We have great art and practical advice from our ambassadors waiting for you. Go here to find out more.
Ever wondered how other people work from home? Follow the hashtag #wacomworkspace and @Wacom on Instagram and get a glimpse of the workspaces of creatives from around the world. It’s fun, inspiring and a great distraction. Wacom on Instagram
THU TV
Our friends at Trojan Horse was a Unicorn have opened their video archives to share inspiring talks from some of the most amazing artists with you. Check out what you need to do to get free access here.
Stay safe and stay creative!
We’re here to help
We will update this blog post as soon as new information becomes available.
If you are interested in a specific Wacom product, please check out the Wacom e-store for more information. When you consider buying a new pen tablet or display, do keep an eye on our current discounts and promotions as well the refurbished products. It’s worth it.
And if you want to talk to one of our experts about how Wacom products can be part of a solution that meets your school’s or business’s needs, contact us.
]]>The scenario for e-learning and remote teaching laid out below shows
- How teachers can prepare online classes and teach them from home,
- Which platforms teachers and students can use to connect and engage online
- What software and hardware is needed for home schooling and
- What role Wacom plays in equipping schools and universities.
Creating a virtual classroom
Here is an overview of the hardware and software that teachers and students need to be able to learn and teach from home, as well as the necessary platforms to bring their classes online.
Which platforms can be used for online classes?
Skype, Microsoft Teams, Teams and Google Hangouts are great platforms to connect teachers and students. They offer group chats, screen sharing and video conferencing for an interactive class. Both are free of charge for private users and run on most operating systems (incl. Windows, MacOS, Android) and web browsers.
If Skype and Microsoft Teams are not available, teachers can record prompts, briefings and explanations as short videos with a smartphone. These can be sent out via email or messenger services like WhatsApp or shared on YouTube within a closed group.
Tip: Good sound and video quality make a big difference when teaching from home. A webcam helps to address students as it makes communication more natural and much easier.
What software is available for teachers?
Apart from specialized software and platforms for remote teaching, teachers can also make use of things at hand. MS Office programs including Word, PowerPoint and OneNote and Acrobat Reader or any other program for annotating PDF files all can be used to prepare lessons and create teaching materials for the virtual classroom. Another option is OpenBoard (www.openboard.ch), a free and easy to use, browser based digital whiteboard software.
Tip: The live drawing functionalities in these programs in combination with a Wacom display are a good way to bring the blackboard into the digital classroom. Because a quick sketch or a handwritten annotation help to explain and direct focus.
What hardware do teachers need?
A PC or Mac and an internet connection already cover the basic needs to create a virtual classroom. For more interactive online classes or subjects that rely heavily on graphs or formulas, sketches and visualizations, like math and sciences, a pen tablet or display can be a very helpful addition to the set up.
Wacom pen displays are easy and intuitive to use and connect to any computer (Mac, PC, Android). It’s like working with classic teaching media such as blackboards, whiteboards or overhead projectors. Because of the natural hand-eye coordination new users can adapt quickly to it.
Tip: The Wacom One or Wacom Cintiq 16 are competitively priced pen displays. If multi-touch or a higher resolution is needed, the Cintiq Pro 16, Cintiq Pro 24 are perfect. An alternative is the Wacom Intuos pen tablet. However, adjusting handwriting and coordination might take a little longer than with a display.
What do students need?
Students will only need a laptop, computer with build in speakers and microphone as well as access to the internet to join the virtual class. The respective apps for Skype or Microsoft Teams are easy to install. Sometimes even a simple web browser will be enough to follow the online lessons.
Tip: Young creatives who like to draw, make comics, or edit photos and videos will like the possibilities a pen display like the Wacom One can offer.
Learning and teaching from home
The following is a brief description of what a lesson in a virtual classroom could look like using Microsoft Teams or Skype, OpenBoard, Microsoft Office, a PDF Annotator and a pen tablet or display like the Wacom One.
The teacher sets up a meeting in Teams or Skype and sends the invitation to the students that should participate. The teacher starts the online meeting, addresses the students via video, creating space for a brief personal exchange.
By switching to desktop sharing the teacher starts the class, presenting prepared materials to explain content and tasks. To make class more interactive teachers can make use of the pen functionalities in the following software applications. They work best when a Wacom pen tablet or pen display is connected.
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint)
- Pointing and Highlighting
- Handwriting and annotating
- Creating graphs and writing formulas
- Sketching and drawing
- Ideation and visual thinking
- Check the PowerPoint presentation mode
- Highlighting
- Commenting
- Annotating
- Writing, sketching, annotating
- Recording of sessions
- Infinite whiteboard surface
- Offers full digital whiteboard functions
- Open for other file formats
Wacom for Education
Our teams have equipped many schools and universities with technology to make their classrooms and lecture halls digital. Together with partners, they have developed solutions for remote teaching and collaboration in virtual classrooms.
If you are interested in a specific Wacom product, please check out the Wacom e-store for more information. When you consider buying a new pen tablet or display, do keep an eye on our current discounts and promotions as well the refurbished products.
And if you want to talk to one of our experts about how Wacom products can be part of a solution that meets the needs of your school, click here to contact us.
]]>After 10 years as a professional artist, we knew she would have a lot to say about working from home. She kindly put together this video with her tips for working from home. And like a true pro, she offers tips for those who love to follow the rules…and a more realistic look at life when you’re working from home.
Tech she uses:
You can catch her streaming on Twitch and see her work on Instagram.
Find the perfect Wacom tablet for your “working from home” style and space
Small Desk or Table
Dedicated Work Space
Office or Studio
Wacom Intuos Pro Small
Proven, compact pen
tablet for drawing and photo editing. Perfect for small work surfaces.
Includes 2 months of Photoshop and Lightroom
Photoshop and Lightroom
Wacom Cintiq 16
Feature-packed pen display for next level illustrations. 16” screen fits any work space.
Includes up to 6 months of
Wacom Intuos Pro Medium
All the features you need for drawing, sketching and photo editing. Great tablet for more spacious surfaces.
Includes 2 months of Photoshop and Lightroom
Photoshop and Lightroom
Wacom Cintiq 22
Large 21.5” HD display perfect for creating detailed illustrations, paintings and animations.
Includes up to 6 months of
This one offers the same features as the rest of the Intuos Pro line – customizeable buttons, Touch Ring, and the Pro Pen 2 – but it’s tiny. Exact measurements: 269 x 170 x 8 mm / 10.6 x 6.7 x 0.3 in.
Who this is for: Anyone used to working on a larger Intuos Pro in the office, including photo retouchers, 3D artists and those who want the 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity of the Wacom professional products.
Photo by Shireen Faridniya.
This is the latest release from Wacom. It’s a 13” screen that you draw right on. And it’s only $400. You can plug it into an Android phone, but it’ll also work with your laptop whether it’s a Mac or a PC. This one has a battery-free pen (like all Wacom products) and a 1920 X 1080 pixel display.
Who this is for: Students, those who need to mark up a lot of docs, and anyone who wants to draw from anywhere in their home.
Mobile is in the name…literally. This one is a stand-alone computer with the processing power to run multiple demanding applications simultaneously. It has Wacom Pro Pen 2’s advanced pen performance, a 4K resolution display, and up to 85% Adobe RGB coverage (CIE1931) and high-performance graphics options. The screen delivers uniform brightness and identical color depth all over so that every pixel of your artwork is consistent. Productivity features include customizeable ExpressKeys™, Radial Menus and multi-touch.
Who this is for: Professional artists who want to streamline their tech. It’s a one-stop solution for the fanciest creators.
If you’ve got the space, go for the Cintiq Pro 24. See every tiny detail of your 3D design, video or animation. 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 px) is packed into a 24” LCD display with superb color accuracy (99% of Adobe® RGB coverage, CIE1931). When paired with a Wacom Ergo Stand or a Wacom Flex Arm, the Cintiq Pro 24 allows artists to tilt and angle their display to suit their working style and their ergonomic needs. And here’s the best part: Teradici, the creator of industry-leading PCoIP® technology and Cloud Access Software that allows people to visualize and interact with media workflows from anywhere, offers both Windows and Linux client support for the Wacom Cintiq Pro 24.
Who this is for: Professional artists who are used to the big space and color accuracy of the Cintiq Pro 24 in the office.
]]>The team stayed chipper throughout, though the rest of the Wacom team were cautioned away by a drawing on one of the large sticky notes with a skull and crossbones. We also lingered by the occasional buffet lunches that were served outside the large conference room but all of us were respectful of the team and no one (NO ONE!) snuck a plate of Chipotle.
Here are the awesome things you can find in the Wacom eStore:
At the Wacom eStore, you can purchase the full range of Wacom products, including our accessories, such as replacement pens and nibs.
In celebration of the opening of our new eStore we’ll be doing great Spring promotions starting Leap Year weekend (check your social for really sweet deals) and all through March just in time for spring.
Deals start February 28th and will include:
- Price promotions on Pen Displays
- Bundle discounts on accessories and creative software
- Refurbished product discounts
- Also, check your favorite social media channels and deal sites for even more promotions
The most recent center opened in Portland, Ore. at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). It just so happens that we can practically see OMSI from Wacom’s Americas HQ so the Wacom crew headed over to participate in the opening ceremony.
The technology at the Teen Tech Center at OMSI ranges from a textile section, complete with knitting needles and yarn, to techier tools such as laptops, Intuos tablets and the Cintiq Pro 24. The Wacom crew was sorely tempted to try our karaoke skills at the recording booth, but, if we’re just being honest, none of us is ready to belt out ballads in front of our colleagues.
Our own Jose Torres was honored to spend a few minutes greeting the crowd and sharing Wacom’s brand vision: for a creative world. Wacom offers all employees volunteer hours to spend helping the community and Jose committed his time to volunteering at the Teen Tech Center.
Wacom products can be found in all of the Best Buy Teen Tech Centers. To learn more or find a center near you, visit their website.
To learn more about Wacom products featured within Best Buy Teen Tech Centers, check out the Wacom Intuos and the Wacom Cintiq Pro 24.
]]>This year, we launched the Wacom One at CES in Las Vegas and if there’s ever a place where you can celebrate something (or nothing, frankly) it’s in Sin City. We had plenty to celebrate with the launch of Wacom One. Here’s a short list:
Wacom One: Draw On Screen for $400
First up in the what-to-celebrate list: the product itself. Thanks to its price of $400, Wacom One allows even more artists to start their work on the screen. It also works with an Android phone, which means you can take your phone and your Wacom One to the café and draw digitally, easy peasy.
Draw with Your Favorite Brand of Pen + Free Software
One thing Wacom does, that other brands don’t: we actually put our tablets and pens in the hands of artists before they’re released. We got a chance to hand over the Wacom One with the STAEDTLER Noris stylus to artists for weeks ahead of launch. No surprise: they loved using this stylus. Wacom One works with not just STAEDTLER, but also Lamy, Samsung and several more. Not only are we celebrating our hardware friends, but also our software friends. Not to brag, but we’re besties with the top art software makers around, like Adobe and Clip Studio Paint. We got our buds together and we’re offering the following with fab software Wacom One:
Clip Studio Paint: software for drawing and painting
Bamboo Paper: your digital paper notebook from Wacom
Adobe Premiere Rush: software for shooting, editing and sharing online videos
COMING SOON: Adobe Fresco, drawing software offering a large collection of vector and raster brushes
Wacom Staff: Ready for the Spotlight
We gave editors from around the world a test drive on Wacom One at ShowStoppers. Once again, they were in love with the STAEDLER Noris. They also tried out Wacom One on an Android device and they were so surprised by its smooth performance that we had to say, yes, this is the one connected to the phone more than a few times. Our own Don Varga, who is a professionally trained artist, gave some press interviews. He’s not only our VP of Marketing, but he draws an orthogonal chair like no one else. In fact, Don’s chairs are all over our white boards in the office. All the angles!!
Here are a few great stories that came out of CES:
GQ – CES 2020: All the Futuristic Tech That You Can Buy Right Now
CNN – Wacom’s latest inexpensive tablet comes with Android compatibility
SlashGear – SlashGear’s Best of CES 2020: The 13 products you should know
ZDNET – Best of CES 2020: Cool tech you can buy this year
Apple Insider – CES 2020: Best of hardware, peripherals, and Mac accessories
Drawing on Partnerships
For more than 35 years, Wacom has been building relationships with most everyone in the electronics space globally. Whether that’s computer manufacturers, software manufacturers, retailers, universities, movie studios or game developers (to name a few), Wacom is in daily communication with our friends. It’s rare that we get to see our pals face to face. For the launch of Wacom One, we gathered our friends around to celebrate and meet each other at a Las Vegas Knights hockey game. It was the first time many of our global friends had seen a hockey game in person. If you’ve been to a hockey game, then you know it’s impossible not to get sucked into the excitement. All of the music, lights and hockey action perfectly reflected the excitement and gratitude we felt for all of our friends who support Wacom and the new Wacom One.
If you’re ready to feel the partnership excitement, grab a Wacom One. It’s a one-of-a-kind tablet and one that’s come to life thanks to our more than 35 years of friendship around the world.
]]>Never.
No, seriously, I have never drawn on any kind of tablet before.
I am slightly embarrassed about this as a professional designer and illustrator. To say I was nervous to finally try one might be an understatement. Like an old man trying to understand Snapchat, I was afraid I would be confused and just walk away shaking my head. The new Cintiq 16 is portable and very responsive when drawing on it, so I was hopeful to see if I could pick it up and incorporate this process into my daily routine. In particular, I wanted to use the Cintiq 16 to sketch concepts directly on the computer.
When I began sketching this piece, I came across a quote from Charlie “Bird” Parker, one of America’s most influential jazz artists (and originally from Kansas City, my hometown). Parker often spoke about not paying attention to all the critics, encouraging musicians to try and focus on their craft and just play. Charlie Parker seemed most at peace when he was just getting lost in the joy of making something. So much of what Charlie Parker spoke about is true in design as well. You would never lift a finger if you let all the boo birds get to you, you just gotta roll up your sleeves and play. Like jazz, design rewards those willing to play. I have always found that I do my best work when I am finding joy in what I do. Most of the time the work we are most proud of is a result of feeling free and being open to play without consequences.
With this first illustration using the Cintiq 16, I sketched first in Adobe Photoshop using some of Kyle Webster’s 2b pencil brushes. I was able to work quickly, exploring composition and scale. The advantages to drawing on the Cintiq opposed to paper is I don’t have to scan a bunch of stuff into the computer and I can easily redraw lines, undo and work in layers.
Following my concept sketch I began building basic shapes in Adobe Illustrator. Once I felt good about the colors, composition and lettering, I imported the illustration back into Photoshop to begin incorporating textures and shadows using the Cintiq 16. Again I used some of Kyle Webster’s brushes, customizing them to fit what I was looking for. I created masks using my vector shapes and painted shadows and various details directly on the Cintiq 16. Something that left me really pleased was how responsive the Cintiq 16 was. It understands pressure, allowing me to press softly when I wanted to shade something, and as I pressed harder, the line became denser and heavier.
I had a lot of fun incorporating the new Cintiq 16 into this piece. I had no reason to be scared and will surely be using it on future projects. As Charlie Parker said, “Don’t be afraid, just play…”
Tad Carpenter is a designer, illustrator, author and educator based in Kansas City, Missouri. Carpenter co-runs the design and branding studio, Carpenter Collective with his wife, Jessica Carpenter where they focus on bringing powerful messages to life through branding, packaging, illustration and design. They have worked with clients ranging from Target, Coca-Cola, Macy’s, Old Navy, Conan O’Brien, Adobe and MTV among many others. Carpenter has worked with numerous bands on posters and tour campaigns for over 10 years, including John Mayer, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Paul McCartney and Dave Matthews Band to name a few. Carpenter has written and illustrated over twenty children’s books in our marketplace today intended for adults and children of all ages.
]]>Fun fact: our customer care team is made up of real people who are happy to talk to you. They know about your Wacom tablet, and most of the software that you’re using. Yes, they’re very smart people. Call them and see.
Or if you don’t like talking on the phone, check out their guides here.
How do I register my tablet?
This is an easy one. To register your Wacom tablet, click here. Once on the page, create a new Wacom account or log in with your existing Wacom ID account. You can create a Wacom account by logging in with Facebook, Twitter, Google or signing up with your email address.
How do I get started with my tablet?
The first step (after you open up the package!) is to set up a work area for your new tablet or display. You’ll then want to download your driver. Installing the driver is necessary for your Wacom product to work properly. You can download and install them for your operating system.
Our friends at PHLEARN made a great getting started video, which might help.
How do I uninstall and re-install the Wacom driver?
There might be an instance where you will want to uninstall then reinstall a new driver on your Mac OS. For a step-by-step process, go here, but in a nutshell, disconnect your product, find the driver in Finder under Applications in the Wacom Tablet folder. Open the Wacom Tablet Utility, then click Uninstall. Once you have removed the driver, restart your computer. Download and install the latest driver here, open the downloaded DMG file, run the installer and follow the steps in the installation wizard.
My tablet is no longer working or showing up over Bluetooth. Why?
The most common reason for this is that your Bluetooth settings may have been become corrupt. To fix this, you can manually reset the temporary memory on your Wacom. Look directly to the right of the power button for a small pin hole that contains a reset button. Insert your pen nib (using the end you don’t draw with) straight into the hole and press firmly feeling the reset button depress. Hold for 10-15 seconds until the power light on the tablet turns off, then release. Once released the tablet will turn back on, and the memory on the tablet is now reset to default. Your nib for the win!
Where do I find my manual?
To find all of Wacom product manuals, go here.
If you have additional questions, visit our Help Center, which includes a comprehensive resource of materials such as instructional videos, FAQs, support documents, and Live Chat that offer information on how to use your Wacom product, how to install your product and how to get the best out of your product.
Want more getting started ideas? Check out our post on setting up Photoshop hot keys.
]]>
Thanks to peer pressure, eight years ago, I purchased a Wacom Intuos Pro tablet. A handful of photographers and retouchers I admired were using tablets to edit photos and I was intrigued enough to hit the buy button on Amazon. The tablet arrived two days later, but within 24 hours of use, it was packed up on its way back to Amazon.
So, what happened? I tried to love it, but editing was faster when I used a mouse. I barely gave it a chance.
For a year or so, I had lingering doubts about whether I’d made the right decision to return it, so I decided to give it another try and buy it once again. This time I asked my wife to hide my mouse which forced me to use the tablet exclusively. It took me a week or so to get the hang of it.
I’ve been using it daily ever since.
There’s no question I now work more efficiently and accurately with the Wacom Intuos Pro tablet. Here’s why.
It’s more than a drawing tablet. Way more.
A big misconception I had before using the tablet to retouch photos was that I needed to draw in order to use the tablet. This is certainly not the case. I’m no drawing artist by any means, and I use my tablet for many non-sketching tasks and can do them quicker. Here are some of the many advantages:
- Fast retouching. Simple cleanup of the skin, dodging and burning, frequency separation and other steps related to editing photos. Using a pen rather than a trackpad or mouse to retouch is faster and more accurate.
- Better workflow. Once you get the hang of using a pen and tablet (which shouldn’t take more than a week or two), you will see a huge improvement in your workflow.
- More accuracy. When making selections with the patch tool and selection tools you’ll be far more accurate. It’s nearly impossible to use the selection tool with a trackpad without pulling your hair out.
- Less effort. When a brush tool is used for dodge and burning, frequency separation, or masking, you’ll find it’s a lot quicker to effortlessly swipe the pen in a drawing motion versus moving the mouse back and forth or sliding down on the trackpad while simultaneously trying to move your finger.
You may not know you need a tablet, but…
The truth is, it’s hard to explain just how useful a tablet is. It’s one of those things where once a person implements it into their workspace, they get that “Aha! This is what I was missing” feeling. The more efficient and easier your workflow, the quicker and better your results will be.
I do workshops throughout the year in cities across the world. As I write this, I’m currently on my way back from India where I taught photographers about my process. At workshops roughly 25% of photographers used tablets. As I walked around the room to answer questions, and I used an attendee’s setup that didn’t include a tablet, I felt hobbled without a pen.
You can’t put a price on productivity
When I make my recommendations for the Wacom Intuos Pro medium tablet, people say “it’s costly.” True. So is missing deadlines because your workflow is too slow, or not creating the finest work you can because you don’t have the right tools. People buy tablets and don’t give them a chance, so they end up getting sold basically brand new at a fraction of the price. If you’re looking to buy a new tablet, Wacom offers a financing program for their U.S. customers, that lets you pay in small monthly increments. If you are in the market for a tablet and not sure which, I suggest the Wacom Intuos Pro. It’s identical in size to a MacBook, so it fits nicely into all laptop top bags.
One last thought on my tablet evolution. I can edit without a nice desk, good chair, keyboard or my sound system (trust me, I do a lot of that in airports under the gun of red-hot deadlines).
You know what? I can’t edit without a drawing tablet.
If you enjoyed this article you may be interested in Dani’s “5 Steps to a 15 Minute per Edit Workflow”.
About Dani Diamond
Dani Diamond is an East Coast photographer whose breathtaking portraits and signature style have taken over all forms of social media, from Facebook to Fstoppers.
Dani’s gear of choice is his Nikon D850 and his favorite lens the 85 1.4g. He uses the 85 to allow him to be close to his subject but also allow for nice compression and blur. The “blur” is what got Dani interested in portraits in the first place, his curiosity pushed him to find out how he could create that, too. The rest is all in the details, and as Dani delved into the world of photography, he made a new path.
The process of creating such gripping photos comes with something every artist needs. A workstation. Dani’s workstation is like no other, equipped with a Wacom Intuos Pro tablet, Palette Gear, and a surround sound to so Dani can work in harmony while retouching. He has created a Facebook group for music retouching (Epic Remixes For Retouching), where other photographers and editors share their work jams and share retouching secrets.
Dani believes that you don’t need to be talented to be successful, but you need to be ambitious. He hopes to continue his career in fashion and portraits for the rest of his life.
You can find Dani’s work, behind the scenes and before/afters on Instagram.
]]>Now living in New York City, and originally from Perth, Australia (“the most isolated capital city on the planet,” he jokes), Jason Chatfield draws from many influences, like Mad Magazine and venerable comic strips from home. In fact, his work has appeared in Mad, The New Yorker Magazine, and he’s taken the reigns for drawing and producing Ginger Meggs, Australia’s most popular and longest-running comic strip, created in the early 1920s, making him Australia’s most widely syndicated cartoonist.
When he’s not creating or sketching, on the road meeting other cartoonists at trade shows, Jason hops on the stage and performs stand-up comedy at various clubs across NYC.
In his spare time (hah), Jason is also the vice president of the National Cartoonist Society, the world’s biggest cartooning organization, founded in the 1940s.
What makes Jason tick, where does he find the time and energy, and how important is sketching and drawing for the creative process? For these three episodes of Wacom Artist Profiles, we visited him in NYC and asked him. No big secret: Jason is a talented, funny guy.
Episode one: Living as a cartoonist in New York
If living in New York City as a cartoonist sounds like a dream, it probably is or at least close to the dream. Jason says being in NYC is conducive to being creative. He gets his inspiration from walking around neighborhoods, the people, the architecture, and sketching in his notepad. “New York is full of incredible characters, on the subway or on the street, and I’ll draw them or make notes,” he says.
Episode two: Stand-up comedy and cartooning
When you’re a cartoonist, you draw your piece, submit it, then it appears in the world. There’s no feedback. Jason takes that to the next level by doing stand-up comedy. Like his favorite cartoonists, he also looks to inspiration from famous comedians like George Carlin and Dave Attell. “If your joke isn’t funny, you’ll immediately know it,” he says. Still, he finds inspiration in doing stand-up. “It’s another conduit for making people laugh.”
Episode three: Creating Comic Strip Ginger Meggs
In his native Australia, the most popular syndicated cartoon is Ginger Meggs. Started in the 1920s, the cartoon, centered around a little redheaded girl, is the equivalent of a Dennis the Menace and is as well-loved. He inherited the writing and drawing mantle from the previous artist, James Kemsley, also a friend and mentor. “Before he died, he asked me if I would take it over which was a very bittersweet way to inherit a massive honor from a cartoonist I admire,” says Jason.
So, how does Jason tie all of this in when creating? His workflow depends entirely on the job. He might use Bamboo Folio when sketching ideas for the comic strip or for his newsletter. If he’s working on a big job with more detail, he’ll use the Wacom Cintiq Pro with a felt-tip nib to make it feel like pencil on paper. If he’s coloring an intricate job, he sometimes takes the Wacom MobileStudio Pro to one of New York City’s numerous cafes or parks.
“I’m constantly experimenting with new technology, materials and brushes in Photoshop, and actual physical tools, like inks and papers. As a freelance illustrator and cartoonist, you want to be able to adapt, be able to take on a job and do it correctly to the best of your ability,” he adds.
If you want to keep up with Jason’s escapades, from stand-up comedy to traveling to tradeshows, follow him on social media:
]]>If you’re a painter (or aspiring painter) with a vision in your mind and a paintbrush for a heart (call 911, if this is literally the case) but something keeps getting between you and the canvas, technology is here to help. Combining a Wacom tablet or display with Painter software allows painters of all stripes to create when the inspiration strikes.
But how does one capture the muse digitally? We asked the team at Painter to round up their best tutorials so you can get your digital paintbrush primed to capture the windswept landscapes of your dreams.
Read on for their favorite tutorials.
Getting to Know Painter 2019
This series of tutorials by Painter Master Elite Cher Pendarvis will introduce you to the Painter interface and tools, and teach you the basics of working with color and layers. Learn how to get started with photo art and freehand sketching, and fine-tune your painting with effects. Already an experienced Painter user? Explore the new features and enhancements in Painter 2019 with our What’s New tutorial series.
How to Set Up your Painter Canvas
Learn about the various options when setting up your Painter canvas: dimensions, color background, paper type, and recommended resolution for print or web.
Reviewing the Painter Toolbox
Do you know what’s in your toolbox? Painter Master Elite Cher Pendarvis reviews each of the tools in the Painter toolbox and what they can be used for.
Getting to Know Painter Brushes
Get a look at Painter’s Brush Selector library, its categories and variants, and learn how to configure Brush Tracking to optimize for your stylus.
Working with Color in Painter
Painter Master Elite Cher Pendarvis introduces you to the various color tools for selecting, adjusting, sampling, cloning and mixing color in Painter.
Understanding Painter Layers
Painter Master Elite Cher Pendarvis discusses the Layers panel and how layers can be used to organize your paintings and experiment with different effects.
Property Bar and Shortcuts
Learn how to adjust the settings of each tool using the Property Bar, and get some helpful keyboard shortcuts to speed up your painting workflow.
Painting your First Photo
Learn how to paint your first photo with the tools in the Photo Art palette for cloning, auto-painting and restoring some of the photographic details.
Freehand Sketching from a Reference Image
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to set up a reference image for freehand sketching, and how to use the various tools in the Reference Image panel.
Fine-tuning your Painting with Effects
Painter Master Elite Cher Pendarvis shows you how to apply lighting and surface texture to your canvas to add that extra flair to your painting.
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