Everything these days is constantly being modernized. Drawing comics isn’t any different. Even a decade ago, people preferred to draw using pencil and paper. With time, the preference has changed to drawing on tablets.
Drawing tablets offer a lot of utility that a pencil and paper can’t provide. Aside from that, you can share your art instantaneously on social media. It’s a must for any artist to get a drawing tablet for drawing comics.
What are the things to look for when buying a drawing tablet for comics? Features such as pen pressure sensitivity, resolution, active drawing area, response time, and brightness matter greatly. But as there are thousands of tablets out there claiming to be the best, which one should you pick?
Don’t worry! We’ve searched for the best tablets for drawing comics.
Read on and decide for yourself.
Our Recommendations
- Huion INSPIROY Q11K V2 – Best Overall
- HUION Inspiroy H430P – Best For Artists Who Are Always On-The-Go
- Wacom Intuos – Best In Affordability
- Wacom Intuos Pro Digital Tablet – Best In Pen-Sensitivity
- GAOMON PD1560 – Best In Color Accuracy
- Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 16″ – Best Computing Power
- XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro – Best Battery-Free Pen
- Wacom Cintiq 22 – Best Display
- Huion Inspiroy H1161 – Best For Beginners
- Parblo Coast10 Tablet – Best Screen Response Time
Huion INSPIROY Q11K V2
Huion is an established brand when it comes to the drawing tablet space. The Huion INSPIROY Q11K V2 is an upgrade to the already powerful V1 version. It’s also quite affordable which makes it an attractive buy for comic artists who want to buy their first drawing tablet without breaking the bank
The Q11K V2 follows EMR technology. The active area is pretty with too as you can draw within 11 x 6.875 inches. Thanks to a high report rate of 266 RPS, the screen records touch instantaneously. The weight of 880g isn’t that much too and thanks to this it’s very much portable.
The performance of this tablet is perhaps one of the best we’ve seen to date. With a 5080 LPI optic resolution, your drawings are bound to be crisp and accurate. The reading height of 10 mm is minimal too. It also comes with 8 express keys that you can customize freely.
The pen is standard too. With 8192 levels of pen pressure sensitivity, the touch-ups are bound to be accurate. The Q11K V2 also comes with standard and fast USB type C, USB Wireless connection interfaces. And unlike its predecessor, the pen is battery-free!
However, much like its predecessor, the express buttons are a bit less responsive.
Overall, the Huion Q11K V2 is perhaps the best drawing tablet for comics. It’s also one of our favorite picks!
Pros
- Has an ergonomic design coupled with curvy edges, a smooth surface, and rounded corners ensuring maximum user comfort
- A decent active area of 11 x 6.875 inches
- Thanks to a high report rate of 266 RPS, the screen records touch instantaneously.
- Enjoy 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity from the pen that has been updated for advanced performance and precision
- 8 freely customizable express keys.
- Battery-free pen.
- Fast USB Type C, USB Wireless connection interfaces
- Very affordable
Cons
- The quick access buttons aren’t as responsive as one would like
HUION Inspiroy H430P
The Huion H430P is the perfect tool for those who want to draw on-the-go. It can work well with Chromebook, macOS 10.11 or later, as well as OS Android tablets. Besides drawing comics, this tablet can also play OSU! Game.
Digitally signing documents is also easy. MS-Office programs such as PowerPoint, Word, OneNote are also easily accessible. Take note that its pen is battery-free and offers more than 4,000 levels of pressure sensitivity.
Whether you are using CorelDraw, Corel Painter, Adobe Illustrator, or Photoshop, the H430P is the tablet for your drawing needs, and more.
Pros
- Perfect for newbies
- Portable and lightweight
Cons
- Slow response time
- Buggy
Wacom Intuos
If you’re looking for something a bit cheaper but with lots of utilities then there isn’t a better option than the Wacom Intuos. Regarded as one of the best affordable tablets for drawing, there isn’t a reason why you wouldn’t like this tablet!
Let’s start by stating the active area of this tablet. Though it’s not quite as big as some other tablets, it’s the best for its price. You’ll get a 6 x 3.7″ screen for drawing. It has a compact and comfortable design. We like how you can leave your hand on the side for a long comfortable work session.
The Wacom Intuos has a USB Type-A connection interface but no Wi-Fi capabilities. So you’ll need a computer with Windows, macOS/OS X to run this tablet. Though the lack of Wi-Fi is a bit of a letdown, you won’t notice it that much.
The tablet also comes with 4 express buttons. There are 2 buttons on the pen too. The pressure sensitivity level of the pen is 4096. And for a mid-range tablet, this is perfect (The highest sensitivity level is 8192).
Overall, the Wacom Intuos is a solid comic drawing tablet for those who are looking forward to getting things done on a tight budget. But if you have a few extra bucks then we suggest you take a look at the other tablets we discussed on this list.
Pros
- A decent 6 x 3.7″ active area.
- Compact and comfortable design.
- Fast USB Type-A connection interface
- 4 custom express buttons.
- The pen is very responsive thanks to 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity.
- Affordable
Cons
- No Wi-Fi interface.
- Lacking multi-touch.
Wacom Intuos Pro Digital Tablet
The Wacom Intuos tablet is a darling for most creatives ranging from graphic designers, illustrators to comic artists. One thing that makes it irresistible is the fact that it is available in small, medium, and large sizes, letting you choose what works best for your projects.
The Wacom Intuos Pro comes in three sizes (small, medium, and large). You can also pick from two versions (Paper and Regular). The design is sleek too as you can find that there’s an included stand with the tablet.
The pen on the other hand is perfect for drawing comics. It has a huge pen sensitivity level of 8192 levels. It also comes with built-in tilt support so it won’t tilt out sideways. And the cherry on the top is that this pen is battery-free! So stop worrying about plugging it in all the time.
The active area of 8.82 x 5.83″ is perfect for drawing comics so there’s no objection about that. It’s also compatible with all of the latest Mac and Windows versions. It also supports multi-touch and has a fast USB connection interface.
However, there are reports of the nib decaying after a while. But we are assuming that only happens if you rough use it.
Overall, the Wacom Intuos Pro is still one of the bestsellers for drawing comics. And you shouldn’t have any problems with this tablet.
Pros
- Comes in three different sizes-small, medium and large – and you get to choose whether you want it in the regular, paper edition of the pro edition style
- Updated pen technology that boasts of pressure sensitivity of 8192 levels for the needed precision, has inbuilt tilt support, and is battery-free which means you can start working on your comics immediately you get it out of the box
- It comes with an included pen stand with a sleek design for storage
- USB port available
- It has a larger active area compared to most tablets
- Compatible with Windows 7 and later versions as well as Mac OS 10.10 and beyond
- Customizable express keys for easy access for your commands
- Well-priced given the features that are packed in this tablet
Cons
- Users have complained about the nib of the pen getting easily worn out due to the pen’s surface
- Issues with the driver
GAOMON PD1560
One of the crowd favorites is the GAOMON PD1560. It’s a mid-range drawing tablet that has pretty standard features.
The Gaomon PD1560 brings what you’d expect from a mid-high range drawing tablet. Its biggest selling point is its color accuracy and high definition. It has an IPS display. It also has a viewing angle of 178°.
The screen resolution is a standard 1920 x 1080 with a 16:9 aspect ratio. You’ll be getting a pretty big working area of 15.6 inches. It has a standard pen pressure sensitivity level of 8192. The 72% color gamut is great. And the 250cd/m2 is more than enough for a sunny day.
The Gaomon PD1560 also features 10 shortcut keys that can be customized to suit the users’ needs. The pen is provided with the drawing tablet charges in about 2.5 hours and lasts up to 350 hours.
But one of the things we didn’t like was that the parallax increases a bit towards the edge. There also isn’t any touch or gesture control. You also can’t carry it in a backpack unless you remove the stand.
Overall, the GAOMON PD1560 is a great mid-range drawing display. Yes, it has its issues, but they are negligible. We recommend it.
Pros
- The IPS display provides great color accuracy and high definition.
- The screen has a standard 1920 x 1080 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, and 178° viewing angle.
- It boasts a standard pen pressure sensitivity level of 8192.
- It has 72% color gamut and 250cd/m2 brightness.
- There are 10 customizable shortcut keys.
- The pen lasts up to 350 hours on a full charge.
Cons
- Towards the edge, the parallax tends to increase a bit.
- Lacks touch and gesture control.
- Tough to fit in a backpack.
Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 16″
The power provided by the Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 16″ seems justified by its hefty price. Users can expect fast processing of data, advanced computing power, and efficient data transfer.
Draw your comics on the Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 16″ and expect to see them in amazing clarity.
Why? Because of the 3840 x 2160 screen. Besides drawing, CAD applications can also be used thanks to its NVIDIA Quadro P1000 graphic card.
Pros
- Decent screen resolution
- Side buttons are excellent
- Stylus works well
Cons
- Connectivity issues
- Slow customer support
XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro
What would happen if you took some of the best features of both Wacom One and Gaomon PD1560? Well, it would be called the XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro! It’s also my personal favorite!
The XP-Pen 12 is an 11.6-inch drawing tablet. But it has an active area of 10 x 5.7 inches. The display is a full HD with a 16:9 aspect ratio. There isn’t any shortage of color on the XP-Pen artist 12 pros as you’ll be witnessing a staggering 16.5 million colors in a viewing angle of 178 degrees.
Remember how we said that we liked the battery-free pen design of the Wacom One pen? The XP-Pen Artists 12 Pro also has the same mechanism. No more worries about constantly charging your pen! It also has tilt support of up to 60 degrees and a pen pressure level of 8192.
As for the display performance, it has a super-fast response time of 14ms. It has a color gamut coverage of 72% on NTSC. There are also 8 shortcut keys and one red dial which you can set as to how you want to use them.
The only real issue we faced with this drawing tablet is that it lags slightly while using a few selected apps. Other than that it’s a perfect tablet for drawing comics.
The XP-Pen Artist is perhaps the best overall drawing tablet. You can draw comics on it with ease.
Pros
- A spacious 10 x 5.7 inches working area.
- The full HD display has a staggering 16.5 million colors and a 178-degree viewing angle.
- Battery-free pen.
- The tablet has an 8192 level of pressure sensitivity.
- Standard color gamut coverage of 72%.
- Superfast screen response time of 14 ms.
Cons
- It can lag while using a few apps.
Wacom Cintiq 22
If money isn’t a problem and you want the best of everything, then we suggest you go for the Wacom Cintiq 22. Though it’s a bit pricey, you’ll like everything you get with it.
The Wacom Cintiq 22 has a 21.5 inch Full HD display. You’ll get a working area of 19.5 x 11.5 inches. That’s pretty big! The screen also has 16.7 million colors and a 179-degree viewing angle. The aspect ratio is a standard 16:9.
The Wacom Cintiq pen doesn’t have a battery. So you won’t have to worry about charging it all the time. The pen has a tilt range of 40 degrees. You’ll also be getting a 2048 pressure level on both the pen tip and eraser.
The performance on the other hand could have been better. The response time is pretty fast with 14 ms. The color gamut was tested to have 72% coverage on Adobe RGB. However, it lacks shortcut keys. The screen resolution is a bit low for the size.
Overall, it’s a solid high budget drawing tablet. We only recommend it if you want everything bigger. If not there are better options on this list.
Pros
- The lively 21.5 inches Full HD display has 16.7 million colors and a 179-degree viewing angle.
- A huge working area of 19.5 x 11.5 inches.
- The pen can tilt as low as 40 degrees.
- There’s a 2048 pressure level on both the pen tip and eraser.
- 14 ms response time.
- Color gamut coverage is 72% on adobe RGB.
Cons
- No shortcut keys.
- The screen resolution is a bit low for the size.
- Difficult to carry around
Huion Inspiroy H1161
What if you’re just a beginner starting your journey as a comic artist? Perhaps you wouldn’t want an expensive drawing tablet. That’s why we have the Huion Inspiroy H1161 for you.
The Huion Inspiroy H1161 is a very basic drawing tablet. It doesn’t have a lot of flashy features. The display has a working area of 11 x 6.88inch in PC mode and 109.1 x 174.6 mm in mobile mode. Additionally, the stylus has a 266 PPS report rate and 5080 LPI Pen resolution.
The pen is battery-free. So there’s no hassle of keeping it fully charged. The stylus can be tilted a maximum of 60 degrees. It also has a pressure level of 8192.
Finally, there are 26 programmable keys. 10 of them press keys and 16 are soft keys. But as we said, there are a lot of key features missing. There aren’t any mentions of color gamut score or response time.
Overall, it’s a good tablet for beginners. So unless you’re a beginner, we don’t recommend this tablet to you.
Pros
- The display has a working area of 11 x 6.88inch in PC mode and 109.1 x 174.6 mm in mobile mode.
- The stylus has a 266 PPS report rate and 5080 LPI Pen resolution.
- Battery-free stylus.
- The stylus can tilt up to 60 degrees and has a pressure level of 8192.
- 26 programmable keys.
- The pen runs on Electromagnetic Resonance technology.
Cons
- It’s missing a lot of key features.
- Not suitable for professionals.
Parblo Coast10 Tablet
The Parblo Coast10 tablet is another great investment for any comic artist that is looking for a drawing tablet for their projects. Besides the ergonomic design, it also comes bundled with great features for your day to day project needs.
Though one of the lesser-known brands, the Parblo Coast 10 doesn’t compromise in quality and performance. It comes with a decent active area of 8.54in x 5.34in. It also weighs just 0.63kg allowing it to be portable. The panel is a TFT LCD with a size of 10.1 inches.
In our testing, the tablet didn’t disappoint us even a bit. It has a pretty big resolution of 1280 x 800 dpi. It also had a pretty diverse color range of 16.7M Colors. It also doesn’t overheat as the temperature stays between 30-40 Degree celsius.
Now, who doesn’t want a fast responding screen? We do! That’s what the Parblo coast 10 offers with its 16ms response time. The pen included with the tablet is battery-free and has a 2048 Level pressure sensitivity. It has a fast USB data interface and a 200RPS report rate.
Though this tablet has driver issues now and then, I wouldn’t worry about it too much.
Overall, the Parblo Coast 10 is one of the most performing and budget-friendly drawing tablets you can find at the moment. So hurry up and pick it!
Pros
- It comes with a decent active area of 8.54in x 5.34in.
- It weighs just 0.63kg and is portable.
- The 1280 x 800 dpi resolution is perfect for drawing comics.
- A diverse color range of 16.7M Colors
- Since the pen is battery-free, you don’t have to worry about charging issues which means you can begin using it straight from the box
- It doesn’t overheat as the temperature stays between 30-40 Degree celsius.
- A fast 16ms response time.
- A good 2048 Level pressure sensitivity allows the pen to pick up all of your touches.
Cons
- Reported driver issues
- With rapid strokes, the pen can lag
Final Thoughts
Thanks to the advancement in technology, more and more brands are coming up with tablets that are perfect for creatives and which can help them get their work done with so much ease.
That said, there are certain factors that you need to consider when choosing a tablet for your comic drawing needs. Such factors include active area, screen resolution, pen pressure sensitivity levels, wired or wireless among others.
Overall, we believe that the XP-Pen Artist 12 pro is the best one.
Make sure that you do in-depth research on the tablet you want to buy so that you don’t end up with a tablet that doesn’t suit your needs.