# Need help for my daughter



## dgordon (Nov 15, 2017)

To start, i apologize if I am ot following any proper forum protocol. I am also not an artist. My daughter is very much into drawing anime though and I need some help getting some ideas for Christmas.

After drawing on paper for years and painting on canvas, last year she decided she wanted to go digital. I got her a laptop with 8GB RAM, don't remember processor speed (but it works fine), and a 15.6" display. I also got her a basic Wacom drawing pad to use until she figured out what she wanted. She has downloaded several programs and has used them enough to narrow down to a few she likes for different things. The pad has recently gone out and now she is asking for a touchscreen laptop for Christmas this year. The biggest problem of course is the budget and I'm also not sure that a touchscreen laptop will work too well for her. She also doesn't want to reduce the screen size (making tablets a costly choice).

Would a touchscreen monitor work as well as a touchscreen laptop? Do touchscreen laptops or monitors recognize fine enough points to get the job done (or is this not even relevant because the programs can do it)? Would something like the Inuos Pro work? Is 4GB RAM and a dual core processor enough on a laptop?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Budget is somewhat negotiable because she has a birthday coming up in Jan and her old laptop could become a hand me down for someone else in the family.


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## dickhutchings (Oct 6, 2015)

Welcome to the forum dgordon. You seem to be asking all the right questions, I can't answer them but I wish you luck in your search.


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## dgordon (Nov 15, 2017)

Thank you.


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## knacki (Dec 7, 2017)

Hi,
I just joined the forum to answer you, as this question moved me for several years.
I am afraid too late, but anyway:

Background:
I am a professional digital artist for multimedia shows.
Moving pictures are my business, but digital painting my passion.

To make it short, the cheapest and best painting computer I have is an 9,7" ipad pro with apple pencil bought used on ebay.
It's the small 32 GB storage version.
It was about 500€ including apple pencil, 6 month old.
Close before christmas quite a challenge maybe impossible.
I really like the apple pencil - I have several Wacom tablets (up to 2048 pressure steps) and an old Wacom Cintiq to compare. The Apple pencil feels really good.
I found a sleeve from Fintie, which is cheap (15€) leigt weight and has a slot for the pen. Everything is together and the weight is around 650gr all incl.
Software you really need is:
-procreate (10€)
-infinite painter (9€)
-Affinity Photo (something around 25€)

With that package she can do anything regarding digital pixel painting.
Procreate is a painting workhorse, solid stabel, lots of features, high resolutions.
Infinite painter is more organic, feels more "traditional"
Affinity for all afterwork, as Affinity is very close to desktop Photoshop. One can even paint in there and do all kinds of digital magic, like photobashing etc.
I really do love my ipad, as I can take it anywhere.
Painting while watching TV, painting while traveling,simply anywhere. 
As it is light weight, one even doesn't need a table to place it on - you can hold it in your hands for hours.
Even though 9,7" seems to be small, there are a lot of advantages. The disadvanteges are zoomed away easy, as haptic is wonderful.

That would be my advice to have something cheap & handy.

A friends daughter has one of those Cintiq companions and loves it.
They are used also affordable but min. double of what I paid.
I personally love free verve painter app. 
But this requires a very strong graphic card. The develloper of the prog owns a Cintig companion as well, but can't run verve on it...but that is a very special case.
There are only very few touch laptops offering enough power for verve, like newest Microsoft Surface Book with GTX1060 for an unbelievable amount of money.
But for all other applications they are fine.

Something to consider as well:
The professional and semi professional software for Windows is more expensive.(but on the other hand there are more totally free program)
Autodesk Sketchbook, Adobe all are offering rental models. 
I own Art Rage, Autodesk sketchbook (stopped abo though) Mischief, Paintstorm Studio (on both devices, but it is unstable), Rebelle, free Krita (which is excellent for digital concept painting & animation )
Even though I am a paying Adobe CC member, I prefer the ipad most times, as it is always with me 

If she is thinking about a future in the industry, an Adobe photograph abo including Photoshop & Lightroom for 15€ a month can be a good idea, as Photoshop is standard.

I can't tell you about the Lenovo Yoga and other laptops including pen.
I am using a gamer laptop as I need rendering power and a gamer desktop.

Hold on, I read about EVE V yesterday.
An alternative to microsoft surface. (not surface book!)
https://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Eve-V-m3-i5-i7-Convertible.263770.0.html
Sounds good but I never touched one. Still pricey.

Conclusion - is it for digital painting only, go for an ipad pro used with pencil. After christmas as prices are lower 
One can do a bunch of things with an ipad, but the world is not ipad based and a Desktop somewhere for backup etc. is a good thing as well.
So if you want your girl learn for future, using office products etc. a PC or mac with a wacom could be the better choice.

Sorry, there is never a YES or NO or take this or that 
Whatever - good luck if you are still serching.


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## Valladares (Apr 7, 2016)

Check Wacom Citique Models, dont go for the apple stuff there no storage built in those things.... that is something a budding digital artist will require.


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## knacki (Dec 7, 2017)

A 1TB wireless harddrive compatible with apple is ~100€.
Or she can use old Laptop for mass storage.

Anyway, storage management on apple devices, specially if you don't have any other mac computers, can be less fun but working.


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