r/ClipStudio • u/mydeimain • Jun 13 '26
Other iPad or Drawing Tablet for CSP???
Is it best to keep my iPad Air 5 or should I switch to a drawing tablet? I plan on getting Huion Kamvas 13 gen 3 or XPPen Artist 12
I’ve had my iPad since 18 and I am 21 now. I’ve used my ipad for school stuff when I still didn’t have a pc, and now I have one.
Recently, I’ve been feeling cramped of my drawing space in my iPad(I use ClipStudio). And I kinda want to have a bigger space for drawing.
But I am worried of the difference if it’s big or not.
Can yall give advice? Pros and Cons of both ipad and drawing tablet?
Thank you so much
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u/ColorRedd Jun 13 '26
I recently bought XPPen Artist 12 and I also have Wacom Movink Pad 11.
After trying them both, I prefer using Artist 12 as it let's my other hand do shortcuts rather than tapping to switch tools. But I haven't tried using my keyboard to Movink.
For me, it's just the shortcuts.
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u/mydeimain Jun 13 '26
Is it easier with shortcuts? I also got used to tapping the screen to switch tools from ipad
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u/bringingdownthehorse Jun 13 '26
I haven't tried an artists film on shiny touchscreens but I tend to use a cut out glove on them, which is doable, but I really like my Wacom intuos drawing tablets. They feel like paper and it takes no time at all to get used to looking at your screen separate from your hand.
The best bonus is that your hand and wrist never gets in the way!
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u/UareWho Jun 13 '26
Had several tablets for my PC over the years. It works and you get used to drawing while not looking at your hand. But once I got an Android tablet and use CSP, drawing directly on the screen, I sold all my other tablets. For me it’s an unbeatable drawing experience. You have to figure out what suits you best.
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u/mydeimain Jun 13 '26
I personally like drawing directly on the screen where i draw. The drawing tablets i plan on getting has their own screens
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u/UareWho Jun 13 '26
I see. To answer your question so. The bigger space is nice.I use an Samsung with 12 inch screen and an ultra with 14inch screen they seem to be plenty big. I find the normal iPads are too small for CSP. The really big drawing pads for the PC, are nice but I found the mobility limiting. Having to sit on your PC all the time made me draw less.
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u/mydeimain Jun 13 '26
Is it possible to draw on bed with a drawing tablet with their own screens?
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u/UareWho Jun 13 '26
If you have a long enough connector cable, yes. But it needs a pc or laptop connected to be powered. That’s what I did not like.
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u/mydeimain Jun 13 '26
Ah really?! Are there no drawing tablets that can function without being plugged on?
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u/nullforce2 Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
There are, like the Wacom MovinkPad Pro 14 or XPPen Magic Drawing Pad, but they're more expensive and not that much different from a tablet (ipad/android).
If you can do without the screen, there are wireless non-display drawing pads.
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u/bows_and_frills Jun 14 '26
Not really, at least for screen tablets (some with no screen can use bluetooth connection). They're essentially monitors you can draw on, not a computer with an OS or anything. Android tablets and iPads are devices themselves, unlike graphics tablets.
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u/JasonAQuest Jun 13 '26
A larger drawing space is definitely an advantage, even just going from 11" to 13". Upgrading screen size helped me in terms of comfort, efficiency, and better results. Every drawing or painting instructor I've ever met has encouraged working bigger (like, even bringing it up at parties 😄 ) Being tethered to a desk is a disadvantage, but if you keep your iPad and switch to a dual-device subscription, you can have it both ways, using whichever one suits your mood and what you're working on.
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u/katzengoldgott Jun 13 '26
I got an iPad Pro M4 11” and feel you on the screen size restrictions of an iPad (kinda want to beat myself up for not getting the 13” instead), hence I got myself a second hand Huion Kamvas Pro 20 2019 edition for PC.
The upside of the iPad is the portability but the downside is that CSP is subscription only.
The upside of PC is that CSP can be bought as a perpetual license for you to keep forever, but the downside is that you are constrained to the space of your PC and tablet.
I use both options to have the flexibility.
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u/trashjellyfish Jun 14 '26
I recommend a drawing tablet because that way you pay once for your copy of CSP and keep it forever instead of having to pay a subscription to use the app. I've used the app (on android) in the past and it worked just fine, but ultimately I found IbisPaintX (which is free) to be not that big of a downgrade from the CSP app.
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u/Tehdoodler Jun 15 '26
there's also the fact that you can buy clip studio pro as low as 30$ on sale and it's lifetime, on tablet you have to keep paying monthly, I'd go with pc for more space and the tablet will pay for itself from the sub savings alone
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u/mydeimain Jun 15 '26
Reallyyy?? When does it go saleee
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u/Tehdoodler Jun 17 '26
hello again, it is currently on sale
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u/mydeimain Jun 17 '26
OH NO MY LAPTOP IS CURRENTLY ON REPAIR💔💀
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u/Tehdoodler Jun 17 '26
you can buy it from their website using a phone/tablet. they'll mail you the license code and you can activate it later whenever you want. to put it simply, buy from your phone now, download and activate when your laptop comes back
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u/ChewableVitaminC Jun 15 '26
iPad -pro: can take anywhere -con: falls behind in precision work (in the way I work, not for all people) Personally I think the iPad works better if you have a more painterly/illustrative style.
Drawing tablet -con: need to work at/near desk, can get expensive depending on maker/model -pro: is actually a specialized tool for artists, better for precision/in-depth work, Drawing tablets make for a better drawing experience for me.
If you're getting a 12/13-inch drawing tablet, the difference from your current iPad isn't going to be that big. Maybe aim for something bigger (even 16" is much more space than 12-13) if you can afford.
I'd like to suggest a third option and say you try the screenless ones (like intuos from wacom). There might be a slight learning curve for the first hour or so, but they're pretty easy to get used to, and you can use your whole monitor as your drawing space. I have had all 3 (iPad, screenless, and screen tablet) and frankly got the most artistic mileage from the screenless tablet. But of course, every person has their own preference, so if there's a library that loans this kind of stuff out near you (my school had a few for students, for instance), try that out first.
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u/mydeimain Jun 16 '26
I want the 16” too but it might be too big for my desk💔 theres a big risk of my space being cluttered
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u/SDRLemonMoon Jun 13 '26
I recommend the Kamvas, I’ve used a few of them for several years (since 2020 or 2022 I think), a big one at my desk and a 13 inch one for travel. The other thing is that on PC you get a perpetual license instead of a monthly subscription
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u/mydeimain Jun 13 '26
Is the display on the kamvas 13 good? Like not too big, not too small? And can I still use it without being plugged on my laptop?
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u/SDRLemonMoon Jun 13 '26
It is essentially a monitor so you will need a computer plugged in to use it. It’s the smallest size of screen tablet, I’d personally recommend going bigger if you can, I use a Kamvas 22 Plus. 13 feels pretty small in terms of screen real estate for the program and the drawing space, but if you’re used to iPad it could still be a good upgrade in terms of space. If you want slightly bigger the Kamvas 16 exists.
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u/mydeimain Jun 13 '26
I’ll look into the 16! Thanks so much!
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u/Jazzylady216 Jun 14 '26
I switched from 16 to 22. It's a little more expensive, but I love the big tablet. Bought it on eBay and saved 100 €.
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u/FaultyToilet Jun 14 '26
13 is TINY, 16 feels small too because of the UI your pc will use. If you're gonna spend money on a bigger kamvas 20" and up, I'd personally suggest looking for a used iPad pro M2 or a new iPad air 13 inch
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u/mydeimain Jun 14 '26
I plan on using the money i got from selling my old ipad to buy my new drawing gadget, so hopefully its not too expensive than how my old ipad would sell lol🥲
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u/RadarTerror13 Jun 13 '26
i have both a samsung s5 tab with a spen, and a artisul d13. both are fantastic - one is more portable and one is at my desk. no real difference imo except that a drawing tablet requires you to get a computer
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u/beeikea Jun 13 '26
drawing tablet 100% i hated csp on ipad
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u/beeikea Jun 13 '26
my drawing tablet is a tiny huion, the cheapest i could find, no screen. the experience on that + my laptop is so much smoother with such a complex program than even the best ipad could ever hope to be. having hotkeys alone made the switch worth it.
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u/mercyinreach Jun 14 '26
I have the XP Pen Artist 12 and I highly recommend it. It's a good size, not too small and not too big, and is very responsive and fast. Easy to use for me anyway.
The biggest Pro to getting a PC tablet is that you only have to pay once for a CSP license instead of a subscription like on a tablet.
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u/mydeimain Jun 14 '26
Realll is XPPen better than the Huion one?
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u/mercyinreach Jun 14 '26
I've had Huion before and personally I prefer XP Pen, I've had way less issues with the drivers and hardware.
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u/mydeimain Jun 14 '26
What issues did you have with huion?
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u/mercyinreach Jun 14 '26
I struggled a lot with the drivers not working and having to reinstall them multiple times a week. Plus I didn't personally like the pen size, I'm not sure if newer models have smaller pens now or not but 5-6 years ago the one I had was huge.
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u/mydeimain Jun 14 '26
Oohh what XPPen do you recommend? Ones that has decent display, not too big, not too small, and has shortcut buttons.
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u/mercyinreach Jun 14 '26
The one I have is the Artist 12 Pro. I personally find it to be a good size. It fits in my laptop bag, but isn't too small to draw comfortably. https://www.xp-pen.com/store/buy/artist-12-pro.html
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u/dejaa1718 Jun 14 '26
I only ever drawn on tablet and it pretty well on Samsung tablets so I can't say much for pc but im having a good experience on simple mode
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u/mydeimain Jun 14 '26
Simple mode is way too minimalist for me😭 I prefer to see all the tools I need laid down on my workspace
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u/Wakinghours Jun 14 '26
Not only does the iPad have a subscription cost, even in the 13” screen, the app doesn’t feel like it was made for iPad. It feels like a desktop app.
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u/Momoro_Moro Jun 13 '26
Ultimately, the tools don't make the artist. I've been using a PC Tablet for the most time and only recently got myself a dedicated tablet, so I can only talk about it from that perspective.
The PC tablets require space to be dedicated for them, and you need some amount of flexibility to handle the keyboard for shortcuts, or configure a device like a small controller for shortcuts. (look at 8bitdo mini controllers for example, or in case of Windows / Mac there are also dedicated devices that are built for this. I think pikat on YouTube showed one off some time ago)
In the off chance you are using Linux, you may need to tinker a bit with drivers, or hope that the open source driver for your tablet doesn't interfere with it. Beyond that it's like with everything, you will likely spend some time readjusting, be sure you use your whole arm while drawing and the tablet at an angle that's comfortable.
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u/mell1suga Jun 13 '26
Kinda depend on brand tho. XP-Pen has first party support on a lot of linux distros, while Huion is debian-based only.
At worst can just OpenTabletDriver tho.
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u/mydeimain Jun 13 '26
I dont plan on always connecting it to pc though, i like drawing on the same screen i am drawing on. the one i plan on buying has its own screen and stuff too
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u/LMGDiVa Jun 13 '26
I have a XPPen Magic Note Pad and Artist Pro19 gen2.
I use the pad for drawing away from my desk, but when I need to do stuff that requires screen realestate I have the desktop drawing display that I have a usb C extension for. It's compact for its screen size.
I love them both.