Question for computer artists

It might surprise some of you to know that I have some cartooning skills. Trouble is, I've always worked in traditional materials (illustration board, non-photo blue pencil, pen and ink, marker, etc.), and want to transition to computer. I saw a news feature on an editorial cartoonist on tv the other day and noticed he was drawing directly on a tablet. Anyone got any experience with these/recommend a model? Also software. I work on a pc (laptop) and am running GIMP. I don't really want to give Adobe any money unless I absolutely have to.

Practically all digital artists use Adobe. I don't know of any professionals that use GIMP.

flash

Oh, and using a tablet takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, as an artist, the mouse does not compare. I don't have a tablet PC, though, so I wouldn't know what to recommend. I used to use a tablet with the Mac at work.

I thought you were asking about tablet PCs. If you're looking for a separate tablet to plug in to your existing PC, Wacom tablets are the way to go.

Thx, x-man. Looking at this one:

http://www.wacom.com/intuos/

Yes. The Wacom Intuos 6x8 is what I used.

The Wacom Intuos 6x8 is simply amazing. I shopped around and got mine from Amazon recently. I saved something like $75 and got free shipping to boot. Seriously, having a graphic tablet is the only way to enjoy creating art on a computer. Like anything, you can use a mouse, etc, but once you experience the tablet, you'll never, ever go back. Kinda like the difference between a DVR (TiVo) compared to a VCR.
Anyway, check out Amazon, force yourself to indulge in a Wacom tablet (Intous 6x8 is just about perfect) and see how much more productive you become. I believe the tablet works on a Mac and a PC (you may need to download a driver for Vista from Wacom's site.) Mac's rule the art world but you can do what you need to do on a PC. Adobe Photoshop is the king of graphic software too.

Good luck. Keep us informed.
Crusher