I can do many things in life, but drawing is absolutely, 100% not one of them. I’ve tried. Lord, how I’ve tried; I can kind of trace things, and I’m not terrible at inking or colouring art that I find online, but really, I gave up on any artist ability in the drawing sense a while back.
My kid, though. They’re a whole other story.
Anya, who used to be known as the Biff Bam Pop! Princess but is nearly a teenager and is too old for that moniker, has become an artist in their own right. For a few years now I’ve watched their skills develop, from inspired doodles and drawings of characters seen in anime, manga and television, to regular digital art classes where Anya has been honing skills I wish that I had.
Anya’s typical tools have been an iPad and Apple Pencil, but some months ago, by total coincidence, we were offered the chance to look at a Wacom One, a drawing tablet and pen from a company synonymous with digital art creation. Below is the logline:
The Wacom One is a must-have for animators and comic designers who want to take their creations to the next level. With 4,096 pen press levels, it’s designed for drawing, sketching, animating, visual thinking and more on a Mac, PC, Chromebook, and even certain Android devices. The natural pen on paper feel, 13.3-inch screen is perfect for animators and comic designers of any skill level. The pressure-sensitive, battery-free, cordless and lag-free pen makes it a seamless transition from paper to technology.
While I knew I wouldn’t have much to contribute to test driving the Wacom One, it made absolutely sense for Anya to see what it felt like using a device that so many pro artists swear by.
In their words, “The Wacom One is a must have for anyone who hopes to be a digital artist, animator, or anything in that range! The Wacom One tablet and pen are easy to get the hang of; it took us only about an hour to set up properly.”
The Wacom One isn’t a standalone device, it’s worth noting. You need to combine it with a PC or Mac (there are also some Android devices it works with as well.)
“We set the Wacom One up on my dedicated art computer and it was so easy to get it to work,” Anya says. “You connect the Wacom One to the computer and plug the computer into a charging port, and then it should show the computer screen on the tablet!
For their first work, Anya made their own VTuber model using the Wacom One. Now, don’t be alarmed if you don’t know what the heck a VTuber is, because I sure didn’t.
“If you don’t know what a VTuber is, I’ll explain,” says Anya. “It is basically a virtual YouTuber or streamer who uses an animated model instead of their real face. I had wanted to make a model despite not streaming, and the Wacom One was a perfect tool to help me with colouring in their attire and adding smaller details onto the model’s outfit and hair.”
The art didn’t stop with a VTuber, though.
“I also drew my favourite My Hero Academia character, Shōta Aizawa, using the tablet,” Anya reveals.
Watching my kid get so enthused about drawing and creating has been inspiring to me, and I’ve been thrilled that Anya has been so determined to grow as an artist. For them, the Wacom One has been a great tool to continue along their artistic journey, and they believe other budding artists would feel the same.
“The Wacom One was incredibly easy to set up and easy to navigate, so I definitely recommend it for any up and coming artists,” Anya concludes. “ Someone who had been drawing for about two years would definitely love this tablet, as would a more experienced artist.”
You can learn more about the Wacom One here.
