Generally people choose the things they buy according to their taste and according to what they use that particular thing for. And every single person has their own set of values, that can differ very much from one person to another. One thing may be very important for me (for example an abstract painting) and useless to another. It all depends on that person's preferences and why not job. I teach English, so you can see textbooks all over my house. You recognize a lwayer by the huge law books and so on. Artists are no exception. They are surrounded by things they like and things they find useful. Artists are people living in today's society, so they evolved together with it. As technology improved tremendously, they adopted the latest findings of technology and now are using them in their art. An artist doe not necessarily paint any more, but uses the application "Paint" on his computer. Graphic artists use all kinds of computer software and all kinds of devices to help them express their creative vision. They replaced the pen and pencil with the computer mouse. However, they want this mouse to catch every single move they make and to take the artistic vision and draw it on the computer screen. Well, they can do all these things only if they use a really sensitive mouse that can trace their lightest moves. They also prefer ergonomic computer mice because usually artists have very sensitive hands and they risk to hurt them if they use a regular computer mouse for too long.

They tried different devices provided by different manufacturers and finally found the perfect tool for a graphic artist. It is called the graphics tablet.

Wacom is the most important and the most famous manufacturer of graphics tablets, deserving its fame completely. It produces these tablets together with the operating pencil or stylus as it is called and sometimes a computer mouse next to them, because there are some people who prefer using both devices: one exclusively for drwaing and one for the other specific functions of a mouse. If you don't want to swap them all the time, you can use the stylus as a computer mouse without a single problem. So this graphics tablet is definetely the first choice when it comes to graphic artists who work on the computer. In fact the stylus of the graphics tablet acts like a pointing device that you use to actually "draw" on the tablet. The use of this stylus allows artists to make wide hand movements and recognizes every single move, transposing it on the computer screen. In fact this is a virtual form of art, as the stylus does not leave any visible marks on the tablet. The movement of the tablet is captured and registered, so as to make up an artistic work. This stylus is a very sensitive device, together with the tablet and that is why it is prefered to all the other devices you can use on a computer.

This graphic tablet connects to the computer through a USB port and does not need additional software in order to work. However it is better to install a graphics software on it, as it will certainly help you if you have more features available on it. This tablet is sensitive to pressure , so if you gently touch it with the tip of the stylus, it will indicate the coordinates of that point on the computer screen. If you touch it with a continuous movement, it will show the whole movement as a continuous line on the screen. The pen or stylus may require batteries. Take this into consideration, as it makes the pen a little heavier and this reflects in the smoothness of your moves. It will also mean to change the batteries from time to time, another trouble for you. This pen can be loose or attached to the tablet in order not to lose it. You may programme it to have different additional functions that may help you in your work. For example you can use the other end as an eraser, after you programme the button at that end to activate the "eraser" function . The tablet supports both Windows and Mac OX, so you can use it on any computer. The only disadvantage might be the price, which is almost prohibitive. But again all things of high quality are pretty expensive and it takes the best tools to produce good quality art, right?



Except the graphics tablets, artists also prefer those computer mice that are very sensitive and at the same time ergonomic. They need the best accuracy a computer mouse can offer, as every tiny move is very important for their art and must be recorded and transmitted on the screen, so on the artwork. Such a computer mouse is Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse. It is a laser mouse, so sensitivity and accuracy are certain to be obtained. The mouse is wireless, so it can be moved freely all over the desk. The ergonomic shape and the embedded support for the thumb are an extra plus for this choice. It is wireless, so it works with batteries, but they can be recharged, so I donb't see any problem here.



The optical USB trackball manufactured by Kensington seems like another appropriate choice. It is well-known that trackball are weigh more accurate than other optical mice, so they are perfect for graphic artists. The fact that this trackball mouse can't be moved could be a disadvantage, as artists like making wide movements of the hand and arm. The ergonomic design is appealing and comfortable for long hours of computer use.



Logitech G9 is one last possible choice for graphic artists looking for a computer mouse to fulfill all their requests. Usually this kind of mouse is prefered by gamers, but gamers and artists have the same things in mind when it comes to choosing a computer mouse: it must be very sensitive and accurate and it must react really quickly to the movement of the hand. The fact that this mouse is precise and you can customize its buttons any way you want makes it really desired.

I only presented a few possible choices. But if you are a graphic artist my sincere advice is to try them all for two or three days and see which one is the best for you.