The cabinet is filled with all sorts of fun goodies. My personal favorite is the gigantic Wacom Intuous 2 tablet. No, it's not an iPad. This is what it looks like:
See that pen thing? It works like you think it might--you take the pen, you go open up your image editing software of choice, and you draw. Our model is a particularly nice one. The pen is very pressure sensitive, and the drawing area is absurdly spacious.
But what is it good for exactly? Well, I'm not a particularly skilled freehand artist. Using the tablet means I get as many do-overs as I'd like, with no eraser marks. It means I can achieve a sketchy, drawn-by-hand look but use whatever colors I'd like.
Things you should know:
1. The edge of the drawing area corresponds to the edge of the screen. It's not like a rollerball mouse, where you keep shifting things over--wherever you place your pen tip is where the mouse cursor will jump to.
2. It takes practice to get smooth and steady movements. Be patient with your hand; you'll probably be drawing at an angle you're not used to.
3. Start by tracing things! It's a great way to get a feel for how the tablet moves.
