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How to turn any tablet into a drawing pad
Modern tablets stretch well beyond simple web browsing and gaming. With the ability to be converted into tools like smart home display hubs to control your home's speakers or any smart device, another often overlooked use for a tablet is repurposing it as a drawing pad to bring your digital art projects to life. Whether you're using an iPad, Surface Pro, or another tablet, keep reading to learn how to convert your tablet into a full-blown sketchbook.
Why turn your tablet into a drawing pad?
There's no need to purchase a dedicated drawing tablet like the Wacom Cintiq
With tablets, the powerful combination of touch screens, pen nubs, and other digital writing instruments makes it easy to mimic the look and feel of drawing on a sketch pad. Although there are several dedicated graphic tablets like the Huion Kamvas Pro 16 and XP-Pen Artist Pro 16TP, you can save the extra cost of a dedicating drawing pad with a tablet you already own like an iPad , Microsoft Surface , or Amazon Fire Tablet .
How I repurposed an old tablet into my home display hub
If you have an old tablet laying in a drawer somewhere, this is how to make it the control hub of your smart home.
It takes less than a few minutes to convert your tablet into a drawing pad. Read on to find out how.
How to convert your tablet into a drawing pad
Select the right software for your tablet's operating system (OS)
The first step in converting your tablet into a drawing pad is to select the right software, which is dependent on your operating system.
Bwloe are some popular options for iOS, Android, and Windows:
Astropad Studio (iOS)
Astropad Studio
Astropad Studio is an app that turns your iPad into a drawing tablet for Mac.
Astropad converts your iPad into a drawing tablet. It is compatible with PC and Mac and allows for magic gestures, customizable fingertips, sidebar shortcuts, Quick Keys, and many other options to simplify tablet drawing.
Duet Display (iOS, Android, Windows)
Duet Display
Duet Display is an app that turns your tablet into an additional display for your computer
Originally created by ex-Apple engineers as a multi-display option, Duet Display converts your iPad or Android into a tablet. It is compatible with the Apple Pencil and has many powerful features for artists, such as touch gestures, predictive line rendering, and more.
EasyCanvas (iOS, Android)
EasyCanvas
EasyCanvas transforms your tablet into a digital drawing pad with powerful art tools
EasyCanvas is a graphic tablet app that lets you draw directly in Photoshop and Clip Studio. One of its best features is palm rejection technology, which senses your palm pressing against the screen to avoid unnecessary strokes. It is compatible with Windows 10 (WDDM version 2.0 or later) and iOS 12.2.
SuperDisplay (Android)
SuperDisplay
SuperDisplay is an app that turns your Android device into a high-resolution, responsive second screen or drawing tablet for your computer.
SuperDisplay allows users to convert their Android device into a graphics tablet.
Are you trying to device what Amazon Fire tablet is best for you? Follow along as we give a rundown of each tablet's pros, cons, and recommended uses.
Set up your tablet as a drawing pad
Once you've chosen software compatible with your operating system, here are the steps to convert your tablet into a drawing pad for your PC.
- Download and install software or a companion app onto your PC. For example, EasyCanvas for Mac/PC allows any user to convert their iPad or Android into a drawing tablet, allowing access to all features, including stylus support.
- Connect your devices. Companion apps usually connect your tablet to your PC using Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth. I highly recommend working with a wired connection to avoid latency. The faster the connection, the more responsive your stylus activity. One of the worst things you can experience is shoddy stylus support and delayed input.
- Start drawing. Once you've downloaded the software and connected/paired services, it's time to launch the app and start drawing. Open your default or chosen drawing software on your tablet and watch your stylus actions mirror on your PC monitor.
The Wacom Intuos small graphics drawing tablet is an excellent choice for artists and photo editors
Customize your drawing experience
Using quality stands, custom shortcuts, and more
An easy way to improve your experience is to invest in a quality stand. Tablet stands help keep your tablet upright, reducing strain on your hands and wrists, making work sharper and more accurate. Nowadays, plenty of reputable stands have adjustable angles and non-slip pads. If you plan on moving around a lot, ensure it's lightweight and portable. Always have your tablet at eye level to limit arm and neck strain. Your next masterpiece may depend on it.
Another great way to streamline workflow is to set up custom shortcuts. Also known as hotkeys, these allow digital artists to simplify repetitive actions like switching tools or redoing strokes, all with the press of a single button.
Just be sure that your hotkeys are easily reachable, and practice using them until they become ingrained in your muscle memory.
It's also important to remember stylus calibration as proper calibration ensures all strokes made on the screen are true and accurate representations of what you're trying to draw. With poor calibration, cursors don't align to stylus tips, resulting in shoddy work.
