Laptop for 12 yr old to use a digital art tablet

batman1

My 12 yr old is looking for a digital drawing tablet for Christmas and it looks like it will need a laptop to go with it.

I dont want to spend a fortune on a laptop for the use it will have but would like it to be able to do the whole digital drawing etc . Looking at spending around 400-500 max.

Its many years since I bought my own laptop and as technology has changed so much I was hoping to get some pointers on what might be suitable for him.

there are no laptops in that price range with good digital art set-ups.

and the price of a laptop and a decent plug-in drawing tablet is also going to exceed your budget.

something like the yoga book which has a built-in slate/keyboard which is android or windows tablet but mostly available in Android probably the best option if drawing is the focus. the android version is cheaper and actually probably better one to get as the cpu can't handle windows very well.

have a look at this video from an artist point-of-view . best way to dray is on the slate, not the screen

https://youtu.be/0EiDLi1saug?t=755

get one on ebay

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Lenovo+Yoga+Book&_sacat=0

it's actually rated quite well for drawing accuracy which is what you're looking for. here's a text review

https://www.tabletsforartists.com/lenovo-yoga-book-review/

if your budget is only for the laptop and you're getting the drawing tablet separately this one is good and has a nice full-metal build quality, full hd ips screen (good for showing the drawings) and fast ssd hard-drive (as opposed to a slow spinning hard-drive)

430

https://www.currys.ie/ieen/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-swift-1-sf114-32-14-intel-pentium-laptop-128-gb-ssd-silver-10184906-pdt.html

if you can go to the north it's 350 £ up there which works out €30 cheaper - not a huge saving admittedly

for the tablet the medium size Wacom Intuos is probably the best option (small size too small)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wacom-Intuos-Tablet-Pistachio-Size-x/dp/B079QMW12S/ref=sr_1_10?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1542298597&sr=1-10&keywords=Wacom+Intuos

Alanstrainor

That Lenovo looks like a great option for drawing. Much better than I would have expected at that price point. It is worth keeping in mind that if they want this for more than just drawing they might run into some problems as it is not a laptop, just an android tablet. Android tablets can do a lot of things, but it's worth figuring out what exactly they want to do.

Alanstrainor

Alanstrainor wrote: »

That Lenovo looks like a great option for drawing. Much better than I would have expected at that price point. It is worth keeping in mind that if they want this for more than just drawing they might run into some problems as it is not a laptop, just an android tablet. Android tablets can do a lot of things, but it's worth figuring out what exactly they want to do.

there is a version of the same device running windows but the atom is too under-powered for windows really.

it' does have a built-in keyboard (a bit of a learning curve as no key-presses) so is more capable than a standard tablet without one.

it is running an older version of android (android 6 marshmallow) but that's not a big issue.

H3llR4iser

As an Engineer I'm no artist, but I've dabbled with some drawing tablets in the past.

First thing to consider - you need to be good at drawing to begin with, a drawing tablet won't make Michelangelo out of a lemon; I assume the young one to be well versed and interested in drawing, if he wants a digital tablet.

Second thing, which throws a spanner in the works - the learning curve for a digital drawing tablet is very steep; Some artists never really manage the transition as there's a disconnect between what movements you do with the pen/stylus and what happens, compared to the classic pencil & pen setup. As a 12 years old is involved, there'll be a legitimate doubt about his level of patience and persistence; Which in turn generates a big question about the wisdom of spending a lot of money on this.

Third thing - "saving" or better, "cheaping out" on a PC, especially when a kid is involved, is an idea that's sure to backfire in the future; Right now he may be looking to draw with the tablet, but soon enough he will discover games, them maybe 3D rendering in a couple of years if he's indeed artsy.

For this reason, you may want to consider a desktop PC - you can get something with decent power and new components for your budget, with the added benefit that should your son start saying the computer is too slow in the near future, you can upgrade it without having to throw the whole thing away and buy a new one...

For example, this configuration would be a good starter (prices from German online vendors):
https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/vQd3Bb

You'd need to add about 100-150 Euro if you don't have a screen, mose and keyboard.

Pelvis

Reminds me of the time I was about 8, where I declared I wanted an electronic typewriter for xmas.

H3llR4iser

H3llR4iser wrote: »

As an Engineer I'm no artist, but I've dabbled with some drawing tablets in the past.

First thing to consider - you need to be good at drawing to begin with, a drawing tablet won't make Michelangelo out of a lemon; I assume the young one to be well versed and interested in drawing, if he wants a digital tablet.

Second thing, which throws a spanner in the works - the learning curve for a digital drawing tablet is very steep; Some artists never really manage the transition as there's a disconnect between what movements you do with the pen/stylus and what happens, compared to the classic pencil & pen setup. As a 12 years old is involved, there'll be a legitimate doubt about his level of patience and persistence; Which in turn generates a big question about the wisdom of spending a lot of money on this.

Third thing - "saving" or better, "cheaping out" on a PC, especially when a kid is involved, is an idea that's sure to backfire in the future; Right now he may be looking to draw with the tablet, but soon enough he will discover games, them maybe 3D rendering in a couple of years if he's indeed artsy.

For this reason, you may want to consider a desktop PC - you can get something with decent power and new components for your budget, with the added benefit that should your son start saying the computer is too slow in the near future, you can upgrade it without having to throw the whole thing away and buy a new one...

For example, this configuration would be a good starter (prices from German online vendors):
https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/vQd3Bb

You'd need to add about 100-150 Euro if you don't have a screen, mose and keyboard.

that's true. not all people have space for a desktop tho and a laptop is easier to transport and put away.

another thing about that yoga book is that you can use paper also (normal paper) or the slate. no extra cost aside from replacement ink for pen.

but I would agree - would be prudent to gauge the level of interest in actual drawing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s31as5mJQ9U

batman1

Thanks.

I don't want a desktop due to space etc.

I am considering just getting the 2018 iPad and the Apple pencil and get the apps for drawing etc. That way they still have an iPad if the drawing big ever wears off. It looks ok for drawing and animating based on some videos I seen so far.

The laptop and wacom tablet are probably the best way to go but not as portable, for the car, holidays etc. .
I'll also have a look at the yoga book.

not sure how good the ipad (except maybe the pro) is for drawing.

the yoga book is really good for drawing and still holds up well enough as an android tablet also (antutu benchmark score of about 90000 which is not bad) and the slate doubles up as a keyboard.


and the ipad pencil will cost you extra.

another option but more expensive (or not really see links below) is the surface go. but you'd have to buy the pen additionally there also.

good deals here on ebaby ireland actually on the pen here and the surface go so not far off ipad pricing but offering more flexibility. the cpu in it is reasonably powerful. considering that 32gb ipad without pen is 370 on apple.ie nothing in it really

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Surface-Pen-Brand-New-Sealed-Unopened-Latest-Pro-6-5-4-3-Model-1776/173637491676?hash=item286d99dbdc:g:N8UAAOSwfMlb3YC6:rk:2:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Microsoft-Surface-Go-10-Inch-Pentium-4GB-64GB-2-in-1-Laptop-BRAND-NEW/263996445487?hash=item3d776a132f:g:HLcAAOSwgYdbyPZr:rk:2:pf:0

but here's a great deal for the 8gb model and bigger ssd 128gb with the type cover. (worth it for the ram especially)
great price. use parcel motel / parcel wizard etc to reduce shipping cost. the one to go for

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MICROSOFT-10-Surface-Go-128-GB-Silver-8GB-Type-cover-mobile-mouse/113371610452?hash=item1a65797d54:g:IcUAAOSw1fJb4ajt:rk:5:pf:0

surface go would work as a car tablet also and could buy the keyboard later also.

that pen is the latest version and will work with surface go even tho it doesn't mention it in listing.

surface go is just new this year (August) and highly rated in reviews.

another option for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npBpt9DhkfI