Wacom tablets vs ipad for digital sketching

[Sossity]

Which would be best? to all those who have experience with both or either, which feels closest to pencil & paper? I have never used a digital tablet, but have just used pencils & paper old school style.

I would also like the tablet and or software to be able to trace over sketches & compare sketches side by side for comparison, as I do this to pick a final sketch for an artwork.

I have seen some of the sketches with the ipad, & they look impressive, I like how the ipad is portable, & from some of the scenic art sketched on it, it seems like it could be taken outside.

The ipad looks like it would be easier to take out in the filed or outdoors to sketch, where as the wacom tablets have to be connected to a laptop or computer.

I asked about this on another forum, & was told the ipad's screen is too shiny to be of any use for drawing outdoors on site.

I have a macbook laptop, & will probably be getting the student version of Adobe CS5 software to take some classes on it.

I am looking into digital sketching as well because, I have alot of sketchbooks around, & the paper attracts silverfish, & I archive some of them by scanning them. I do this to get the sketches on smaller media like DVD's to archive, since I live on a canyon & my area has had wildfires. I would not want to lose my sketches on the paper pads, that is why trying or doing digital sketching would have my sketches in digital form. The scanning of the paper sketching get tedious, as a single project can produce 10 to 60 or more sketches, so I find myself falling behind on my scanning.

 

[chrono1081]

I have both and both are great but for completely different uses.

The iPad can make some remarkable art in the hands of someone talented, but its something that would probably not be the choice for most professional use.

The wacom is most likely what you are looking for and you will probably want the inking pen if you are doing tracing. I have the bluetooth wacom (its the third wacom I've owned) and I love it. I've been using wacoms for years. They detect tilt, pressure, and with the right pen, barrel rotation. They do take some time to get used to though. Most people hate their wacom for the first few weeks then love it.

Honestly I like using both and would recommend both if its in your budget. If portability is key give the iPad a try you can return it if it doesn't fit your needs. If portability isn't important, grab a wacom tablet.