Wacom Intuos Draw vs Wacom Intuos Art: Which one is best?

Graphic tablets are a basic need for lots of artists in our modern times.

Even if you’re not a professional digital artist, it can be an extremely useful tool for:

• creating prints for merchandise,
• doodling,
• studying and practicing,
• coloring your scanned traditional art and many other purposes

So, owning a graphics tablet isn’t really a luxury, it’s more of a necessity.

But deciding which graphic tablet to purchase, especially if you don’t know what to look for, can be quite a tricky task. We’re here to break it down for you and hopefully help with choosing a perfect option.

Related Articles:
– 12 Best Affordable Drawing Tablets
– 14 Best Drawing Tablets for Artists

When we look at these products in general, Wacom Intuos Draw is more suitable for beginners, who experiment a lot and look for their own style. It’s a perfect device for educational purposes and digital drawing.

On the other hand, Wacom Intuos Art can cater to the needs of more experienced artists as well, since it can also be used for designing because of its multi-touch feature that allows you to pinch-zoom, flip and manipulate your images easily. And use not only the pen, but also your own hand in the creative process.

So, despite both of them basically being entry-level graphics tablets, they can be used not only by beginners who need a lot of studying and experimenting. They can also be good for more experienced artists, designers and illustrators, whose needs are simple and whose styles don’t require exquisite features.

Direct Comparison (small versions)

Name

Wacom Intuos Draw (Old Version)

Wacom Intuos Art Small Pen and Touch (Old Version), Black

Preview

Weight

about 290g

about 290g

Active Area Size

about 6.0 x 3.7 inch

about 6.0 x 3.7 inch

Pressure Levels

2048

2048

Resolution

2540 LPI

2540 LPI

ExpressKeys

4 (customizable)

4 (customizable)

Multi Touch

Pen

Battery-free, pressure sensitive

Battery-free, pressure sensitive

Wireless

Maybe (sold separately)

Maybe (sold separately)

Bundles Software

ArtRage Lite

Corel Painter Essentials

Price

$120.00

Price not available

Reviews

-

-

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Name

Wacom Intuos Draw (Old Version)

Preview

Weight

about 290g

Active Area Size

about 6.0 x 3.7 inch

Pressure Levels

2048

Resolution

2540 LPI

ExpressKeys

4 (customizable)

Multi Touch

Pen

Battery-free, pressure sensitive

Wireless

Maybe (sold separately)

Bundles Software

ArtRage Lite

Price

$120.00

Reviews

-

Buy on Amazon

Name

Wacom Intuos Art Small Pen and Touch (Old Version), Black

Preview

Weight

about 290g

Active Area Size

about 6.0 x 3.7 inch

Pressure Levels

2048

Resolution

2540 LPI

ExpressKeys

4 (customizable)

Multi Touch

Pen

Battery-free, pressure sensitive

Wireless

Maybe (sold separately)

Bundles Software

Corel Painter Essentials

Price

Price not available

Reviews

-

Buy on Amazon

Breaking it Down

Now the two items need to be compared more thoroughly based on what do all these parameters mean and how useful they are. We’ll explain how these things work and what to expect from either of the tablets.

And, since this is a battle to decide which one of them is best, the one that is decided to have better parameters would win.

Weight; and the tablet’s body in general

Weight is one of the very important parameters if you’re a freelancer, a student or a traveling artist and want to be able to carry your drawing supplies with you easily. It’s not so important if the tablet always stays at home on your desk, but it still can be uncomfortable if the device weighs too much.

Also, there are some other properties that might be important: the tablet’s design, thickness, the material it’s made of and the locations of some important buttons and slots.

Wacom Intuos Draw exists in two size options, which are small and medium. But both of them have very nice weight. The small one weighs about 290 grams (+- 50 g), and the medium one weighs about 480 g (also +-50g). It is very convenient and makes both models easy to carry around without suffering from your bag being too heavy.

It’s available also in two color options: blue and white. The material of the tablet feels good, and all the necessary wires can be conveniently plugged into its top, without being an obstacle for your hand. In fact, it’s designed to be used by both left-and right-handed artists.

Wacom Intuos Art also has two size options, and their weight parameters are the same: about 290 grams (+- 50 g), and about 480 g (+-50g). Light and easy to carry.

This tablet can be purchased in two different colors as well, but this time they are blue and black. Ergonomically designed, it also allows any artist to use it, no matter if they’re right- or left-handed; and all the slots are out of the hands’ moving range as well.

As you can see, there’s no difference between the two tablet models in this field. They’re both sleek, light and stylish. The only thing that might make you stick more to one or another option is the color choice, but it’s absolutely up to you.

Also please keep in mind that both models are pretty plasticky to touch and would probably bend and flex under heavy pressure, so you won’t be able to treat any of them too roughly.

Active area

The size of every digital tablet’s active area (also known as working area) is probably the most important thing that the artists look at. It basically limits (or doesn’t limit) your hand movements and stroke length.

There are no rules that determine the perfect size, and it doesn’t affect the size of the final drawing, unlike paper in traditional arts. So it’s basically just a matter of personal preference for any artist.

Smaller ones can be better for those who have limited desktop area or have to carry it around a lot. And bigger ones are good for long stroke lovers or landscape painters.

Some artists say that small tablets cause their hand to hang off its edge, which is really uncomfortable, and others would recommend bigger tablets for those who have more than one computer screen. So, the choice is up to you and your circumstances!

Wacom Intuos Draw, as we already mentioned, comes in two size options: small and medium. When it first came out, the medium option wasn’t yet available, but it currently is, and it’s perfect for those who prefer more space for their hand. Actually, the small version isn’t too bad at this, and many artists do not require a bigger option, but if it’s less convenient for you, why bear with inconveniences?

Their sizes are 6.0 x 3.7 inches for small ones, and 8.5 x 5.3 inches for medium ones. This should be enough for most artists, no matter their skill.

Wacom Intuos Art had both small and medium versions since its first launch, and it used to be the advantage of this model. However, it’s not relevant now, since both of the tablets provide that option.

The working area of this tablet has the same measures: 6.0 x 3.7 inches for small versions, and 8.5 x 5.3 inches for medium versions.

This leads us to conclusion that none of them wins in this particular paragraph, and it’s a draw.

Pressure Levels

The quantity of pressure levels of a digital tablet defines its ability to react to your hand’s pressure and produce thinner and lighter or darker and heavier lines. Just as it would have worked on paper. The bigger the number is, the more realistically the device would respond to the strokes you make.

Since both of the tablets are entry-level devices that can be sorted into affordable price range, they aren’t too fancy in this field and wouldn’t provide you extremely realistic performance. But their abilities are still pretty solid and would be enough for artists with simpler drawing styles and for those who are still looking for their styles. Besides, you can also toy with sensitivity parameters a little bit in the drawing software settings as well.

Wacom Intuos Draw will give you 2048 pressure sensitivity levels.

Wacom Intuos Art has 2048 pressure sensitivity levels as well, making it equally responsive.

Which means, this paragraph is a draw once more and both of the tablets are capable of giving you the same performance.

Resolution

Tablet resolution is measured in LPI, which means “lines per inch”. The LPI number shows how many digital lines can fit into one inch of your tablet’s working area. Basically, the bigger the number is, the better quality your final drawing would be.

The history of this term gates back to printing resolution, when the number of dots that could physically fit inside an inch of a paper sheet defined the print quality. And even though you don’t have the exact same dots on a graphic tablet, this works approximately the same way.

You might think that these numbers should be extremely big in order for the drawing to look decent. But in fact, human eyes are much less powerful than computers.

According to calculations, you would only need 1000 LPI for a high-quality outcome. 2000 LPI would be already a very good professional result.

Wacom Intuos Draw would give you a resolution of 2540 LPI to make sure that every drawing of yours turns out to be a real eye candy. You would be able to draw very small details in high quality and the final result will look great.

Wacom Intuos Art has the same resolution. And 2540 LPI is a perfect number to satisfy both beginners and professional digital artists.

Both tablet models are equally good in this field and would provide you excellent performance.

ExpressKeys

The so-called ExpressKeys are shortcut buttons on the tablet’s surface designed to make your work faster and more efficient. They are meant to minimize your need to switch from the tablet to the computer keyboard.

Most modern tablets have the possibility of customizing their ExpressKeys to each artist’s personal needs and preferences. It can be easily done for any software you use, and it will grant you the great value of spending more time on working rather than clicking and scrolling menus.

So, no matter what options you prefer to use most, you can program each button to be responsible for any of these particular functions. And they will be accessed easily, within the reach of your other, non-working, hand, in a single click.

Wacom Intuos Draw has four programmable ExpressKeys. This might not be too much, but keep in mind that this model is a tablet mostly for beginners and artists with simpler styles and simpler needs.

It might be perfectly enough just for the basic functions like cancelling the last stroke you made, repeating it again. It might also be used for flipping the drawing horizontally (some artists do it to check the realism of their drawing when their eyes get glazed over), for creating a new layer, for opaqueness settings and many other options.

Wacom Intuos Art has four customizable ExpressKeys as well. Since it’s also basically created to be a tablet for those with simpler style, this might be enough for you if you use your tablet just for drawing and studying.

However, having only four of them might be too limited if you’re going to use the tablet for designing as well. This kind of work might require more customizable shortcut buttons.

So, in this paragraph, the winner might be Wacom Intuos Draw. Its functions correlate with the ExpressKeys quantity a bit more, and it wouldn’t have the possibility of limiting you somehow.

Multi-Touch

Now we have come to a really interesting part. To a part where we actually find out what makes one Wacom Intuos “Draw”, and another one Wacom Intuos “Art”. What makes them different in their eventual purposes.

The multi-touch function in a digital tablet allows you to use not just the stylus, but also your fingers on its surface. Basically, like a smartphone’s touchscreen, it allows you to pinch-zoom, toggle, navigate, drag, touch, and perform many other gestures.

Wacom Intuos Draw does not have a multi-touch function. It is a simple device to practice your drawing, perfecting your style and studying. You can only use it with the special pen.

Wacom Intuos Art, however, has the multi-touch. This is why it’s suitable not only for drawing, but also for designing purposes. It also allows you more freedom in navigating your drawings with your other hand rather that doing it with the mouse on your computer.

The tablet has a switch to turn on palm rejection. That means, your hand won’t cause any pointer dragging or extra unwanted lines on your drawing while you work. And you can place your hand on the surface freely while you’re holding the pen, if it’s comfortable for you.

Summing up this paragraph, the winner here is Wacom Intuos Art. The multi-touch function is interesting, allows you more creative freedom and, probably, more comfort in navigating your drawing.

Pen

Pen, or stylus, is also among the most important things that artists want to check out before making a purchase. It would be a thing you interact the most with, and it’s absolutely not worth buying a cheap and uncomfortable one. It might ruin your hand, your drawing style and your desire to draw in general.

So, what do people look for in a pen? Nice pressure sensitivity, if it’s a feature that depends on the pen itself and not on the tablet screen. An ergonomic and comfortable grip and pleasant weight to mimic the realism of an actual ink pen.

A couple of shortcut buttons and/or an eraser function built into a pen might also be appreciated.

Wacom Intuos Draw has a pressure-sensitive cordless battery-free pen. It means that the 2048 pressure sensitivity levels belong to the pen. And it also means that there’s no need to charge it, so nothing would stand between you and your sudden urge or necessity to create.

You can easily remove your old nib with the nib remover on the back of the tablet, and replacement nibs are also stored there. Some artists find the tablet’s lid very easy to break when you open it, so you’ll have to be careful when you try to reach this nib replacing section.

The pen can be stored inside a small loop of fabric attached to the tablet’s top, so you won’t be worried about losing it somewhere. It has no eraser on its back, but its two buttons, very conveniently located, can be programmed to switch to erasing mode or to perform the “undo” function.

Wacom Intuos Art has the same stylus model with the same features. It’s cordless, battery-free, and pressure-sensitive. It features no eraser and has two programmable buttons.

Both of these tablets feature nice, convenient battery-free pens, that are pleasant to hold and work with. Their nibs are easy to replace, and they both have two programmable buttons, that are ergonomically located for you to be able to click them easily.

So, it’s totally a tie on this feature.

Wireless?

A wireless function on your tablet allows you to use it without the need to plug it into your computer with a cord. It might be really useful in some cases, but might also cause small input lags from time to time. It mostly depends on the software you’re using and on how much your computer can handle in general.

Wacom Intuos Draw is capable of pulling off wireless function, but the component needs to be bought separately and placed under the back lid of the tablet’s body.

Wacom Intuos Art can be wireless with the help of the separately bought wireless kit a well. It’s installed the same way as it goes with the first model.

So, despite the fact that the wireless kit isn’t included in the set together with the tablet and needs to be bought separately from it, technically both of them are able to transform into wireless tablets. None of them, or it’s better to say both of them, are winners in this case.

Bundled software

Good companies who sell licensed devices always bundle up a license key for paid software together with their products. It also usually gives access to some special user communities, tutorials and other perks.

Of course, you can download any other free drawing software or purchase a different one that you prefer, since these tablets are compatible with almost every known program made for artists. But if you already have one pre-bought with the tablet itself, why not try and enjoy it?

Wacom Intuos Draw offers you ArtRage Lite, which is a nice and easy-to-understand program. It’s meant mostly for those who concentrate more on drawing and painting specifically and like styles that are looking more like traditional art.

Wacom Intuos Art has Corel Painter Essentials. Some artists believe that this software is too “heavy” and overstuffed with functions, therefore is difficult to operate, and most of the features stay unused.

On the other hand, it can offer more style options, vector drawing, some experiences similar to Adobe Photoshop. Overall, it seems to be a pretty appropriate software for a tablet that is “capable of more”, since Intuos Art, as we mentioned before, is meant to be used for designing as well as drawing.

However, sometimes simpler doesn’t mean worse. And in that particular case we’re talking about two entry-level tablets that are great for beginners. An easy-to-understand program for easier drawing seems to be more useful, so Wacom Intuos Draw wins.

Final recount:

Wacom Intuos Draw won 2/9 sections.

Wacom Intuos Art won 1/9 sections.

6/9 sections were a tie between the two of them.

Pros and Cons

Final Thoughts

After our research and explaining everything, we have to say that the winner of this epic battle for beginners is Wacom Intuos Draw. Yes, it might not have the fancy multi-touch function, but its beauty is in its simplicity. In case of Intuos Art the price-quality ratio may not be too fair, since it features just one more function, and the price is noticeably higher.

Intuos Draw is a very good quality, light and loyal companion for beginner artists and art students for its price. You can fit it onto a packed desk and carry it around in your bag (not too roughly). Its stylus requires no batteries, and its pressure sensitivity level would allow you to create pretty realistic lines very easily.

If you need something more professional with more functions, though, you can look into other tablet models, and you’ll definitely find the perfect tablet you are looking for!

Hanna is an artist, poet and musician who lives in Minsk, Belarus. She loves food, cats, gigs and esoteric stuff.

Author: Hanna Martsynkevich

Artist and Writer