Do You Need a Drawing Tablet For Illustrator?

In this day and age, most people know that using a tablet for creating digital drawings allows for more creativity and faster results. If you are new to this type of technology you may be wondering if you need to use a drawing tablet for Adobe Illustrator or if you can continue to work traditionally with the mouse.

It is not necessary to use a drawing tablet when creating designs in Adobe Illustrator; however, using a drawing tablet greatly improves the quality and speed at which designs are produced. Once the proper techniques are learned, most designers say they will never go back to using a mouse again.

To learn more about using a drawing tablet for Adobe Illustrator and other helpful information continue reading.

You Don’t Need a Drawing Tablet For Illustrator

As briefly mentioned above, it is not necessary to use a digital drawing tablet to create technical designs or beautiful works of art in the Illustrator program, but it sure does make things a lot easier and more refined looking in the end.

Anything done with a drawing tablet can be done with the mouse in Illustrator, however, there is a significant difference in the amount of time it takes to get the job done.

Adobe’s Illustrator has been around since 1987 which means that technology has changed a lot since then, but what hasn’t changed is Illustrators’ ability to help designers create professional eye-catching work. Now with drawing tablets becoming more popular, completed work looks even better.

Since the drawing tablet has become part of our normal lives it is becoming increasingly clear that using a tablet versus a traditional mouse is the better way, continue reading for reasons why.

Reasons Why to Use a Drawing Tablet

There is nothing wrong with using your mouse to create drawings and designs in Adobe Illustrator. People have been doing it successfully since the late 1980s.

A designer can use a mouse to create anything in Illustrator but the drawing tablet has seriously improved the way we design and the quality of our work.

Having said that, if you really want to improve the quality of the work you produce and reduce the time spent on projects, adding a drawing tablet to the mix will significantly improve your designs and productivity.

Digital Drawing Tablets Serve Multi-Purposes

Another bonus to using a drawing tablet for your designs in Illustrator is that most tablets are compatible with a broad range of programs so you can use it for other purposes other than creating awesome designs.

Technical Drawing Made Easier and More Efficient

When time and accuracy are of the essence using a digital drawing is the way to go. You can ditch the sketch pad and go straight to the tablet to get your ideas and plans roughly drawn and then go back to do your final additions and edits later.

Drawing tablets can mimic the feel of paper so you don’t feel like you are making such a large transition from paper to digital designing. This is especially great for those who work in architecture, interior design, or other forms of technical design.

More Room to Write and Draw

Another benefit to using a digital drawing tablet is that you have a larger surface to write or draw on so you don’t feel limited and cramped in your space. It allows you to move more naturally as you draw.

The standard screen size for most drawing tablets is a little over thirteen inches but some brands offer larger tablets that can be as large as twenty-four inches for even more drawing room.

Using a Stylus Is More Natural than Bulky Old Mouse

One of the biggest arguments for why you should use a drawing tablet rather than a traditional mouse is the simple fact that it is more like using an actual pen or pencil.

Benefits of using a stylus pen are:

  • That they reduce the oily fingerprints that get all over the screen or surface of the tablet
  • Most stylus pens are weather resistant and have a good battery life
  • Offer more precise drawings with faster editing time

Using a drawing tablet allows you to move more naturally and create flowing designs that can be edited on the spot if necessary. Drawing tablets offer pressure sensitivity settings to help you achieve the thickness of lines you desire simply by increasing or reducing the amount of pressure you apply with the stylus.

Best Thing Since Sliced Bread For Artists and Animators

If you are an artist you don’t want to feel constricted by the parameters a particular device has set. That is one reason why so many people love using drawing tablets.

A drawing tablet gives you the ability to create as naturally and in some cases better than if you were using traditional methods such as pencil, paint brushes, or a mouse. 

For those who work in animation, a digital drawing tablet is a great tool as it can allow the designer to create storyboards, background designs, character drawings, and more with much less effort than in the past.

More Budget Friendly than Buying a New Touchscreen Device

Keeping our technical devices up to date can get expensive, so if buying an entire digital tablet such as an iPad is not in your budget, a drawing tablet is the best way to go.

They are less expensive, generally have good battery life, and can be conveniently connected to any computer or smart device.

So if you aren’t ready to ditch your traditional PC, investing in a drawing tablet is a good choice. Plus they can be used on multiple devices.

Drawing Tablet Trumps Using Traditional Mouse In Illustrator

After reading this article you should know that great work can be produced with a mouse in Illustrator, but using a drawing tablet will ramp up your production and improve the quality of the work that you submit. After some practice, you too will see how much a drawing tablet can improve the quality of your work and save a lot of time.