Hardware Review: Wacom One Creative Pen Display drawing tablet

This is something a little new for Fantastic Universes, but will hopefully be the first hardware review of many.

A few years ago I worked for a major UK electronics retailer. and Wacom drawing tablets were big sellers. The fact that the company makes a wide range of devices to suit every level of experience, and every budget, made them a huge draw. I always wanted one, but when the company I worked for went bust, the opportunity to purchase one went with it.

Here’s the online overview of the company:

“Wacom Co., Ltd. is a Japanese company headquartered in Kazo, Saitama, Japan, that specializes in manufacturing graphics tablets and related products. The company was founded in 1983 in Japan, released its first pen display in 1992, and was the first company to make pens without a cord.”

Being the owner/publisher of Fantastic Universes, as well as editor-in-chief of Dark Knight News and writer for DC Comics News has opened up many relationships with PR companies, publishers, TV, and movie studios, and now with Wacom. When the tech giant approached me to test and review their brilliant Wacome One Creative Pen Display drawing tablet, I jumped at the chance!

This is a terrific piece of kit!

Not only is it super-easy to set up, and completely Android, Mac, and Windows compatible, but it also comes with free software, including 90 days’ worth of access to great programs like Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo. Of course, industry-leading software like Clip-Art and Photoshop also function brilliantly with the device.

Inside the box budding digital artists will find the tablet, with its own protective case, a drawing pen with a selection of nibs, and a power/HDMI/USB cable that came with a US power connector. Thankfully, that can be swapped out for others from around the world. I’m based in the UK, but as I’m a frequent traveler, I had an adaptor to convert the power plug for UK use.

The Wacom One comes with a tiny, but extremely easy-to-follow setup guide, links to the Wacom website, and codes to claim the complimentary software. Seriously, I’m not the most tech-savvy guy in the world, but setting up and using the tablet was a breeze!

Anyone who’s used Photoshop or clip-art will know that using the software with a mouse isn’t the most intuitive or user-friendly way to go. The Wacom pen, with its selection of interchangeable styluses, is a joy to draw with. The fact that how hard you press down makes a difference was mind-blowing. The experience is so close to using a physical pen or pencil that I was immediately left feeling incredibly impressed… but that’s just the beginning!

Wacom has its own proprietary software called Bamboo. This app is absolutely phenomenal and so easy to use that I was even able to sit down with children and show them the basics. Within ten minutes they were drawing, writing, and scribbling with gusto. In fact, they even showed me a few new tricks!

The choice of effects from pencil to marker, or from paint-brush to crayon, the level of effects available is incredible! Pressing delicately or more firmly gives immediate and easy-to-manage results, as does a choice of brush/pen sizes.

Conclusion

The Wacom One Creative Pen Display drawing tablet is absolutely excellent. It’s easy to set up, and incredibly intuitive, plus, most importantly, it’s super fun to draw with! I love the fact that it has its own display, so hovering the pen over the tablet shows you where on the screen it’s about to land, enabling users to place it exactly where it needs to be. This is a huge plus.

The device is great; for illustrators, teachers, CEOs, designers, comic book artists, professionals, amateurs, kids (with supervision), and adults. If you were previously on the fence about buying one, swing your legs over and hit the ground running. This is an excellent piece of hardware that’s hugely versatile and a joy to use.

Images and video content may be subject to copyright. Huge thanks to Wacom and Asylum PR for the test tablet.