#kamvas162021
This painting is sponsored by Huion, who provided me with a Kamvas 16 (2021) in exchange for a review! I always wanted to try out a screen tablet instead of my regular tablet, so this was a perfect opportunity to do so.
Unpacking & Setup
The Kamvas 16 comes in a beautiful box with multiple cables, a pen with extra nibs and a pen stand that makes me hungry because it looks like a futuristic chocolate donut. So far, I resisted taking a bite, so I can’t comment on its taste yet. Also included is a glove, a cleaning cloth and a sturdy stand to prop the tablet up at different angles.
The tablet comes with two cable options to connect to your computer:
- USB-C able + power cable
- 3-in-one cable (HDMI + USB-A + power)
Important note if your computer is older than a few years: My current iMac has neither HDMI nor USB-C plugs, and using an USB-C to USB-A adapter does not work. An Adapter from HDMI to Thunderbolt2 did the trick! So if your computer is older than a few years, I highly recommend double-checking your plugs and to make sure you have the correct adapter ready if needed.
The power cable comes with an extension cord so you can use the short version when sitting right next to a electricity outlet, or use the extension if your outlet is further away. To keep confusion with the many cables at bay, anything that belongs to the power cord is colored red instead of black - a neat little detail to make setup easier and safer. There’s also an illustrated user manual explaining how to plug in your shiny new device.
Huion Painting Experience
This was my first time using a screen tablet, and a 2nd monitor in general, but setup and driver installation went smoothly (once I found the right adapter). The device itself is beautiful and feels nice to the touch with its rounded corners and flat and overall smooth design. Definitely a lovely friend piece of equipment I enjoy having at my desk.
At first I had to get used to having my hand in front of the image - just like drawing in real life! But I got used to that very quickly. While in use, the screen is slightly warm to the touch on the right side - I am testing it in winter and appreciate that helps warm up my eternally cold hands, a perk I did not expect. It didn’t get really hot during my testing period so I expect no trouble with this even in summer.
The pen is quite light, very responsive and feels nice, and has two extra programmable keys on the side. The Kamvas itself has a row of 10 programmable buttons on the left side I set up to have quick access to undo/redo amongst other things, and to change my brush size. The latter turns out to be a major downside for me, since it is much slower and less elegant to press a button multiple times than using the touch ring I am used to using for this purpose. Likewise, using the keybind to change brush size by dragging the cursor on the canvas works, but is choppy when I don’t lift my palm off the tablet while doing so.
The screen itself is pretty and painting on the surface feels nice, not too slippery and not too rough. Just right! 15.6-inch drawing area feel alright to work on, although I would not mind it being a bit larger, being used to working on a 27“ screen. Likewise, the 1920x1080 resolution is alright but doesn’t live up to my Apple screen - an unfair comparison for sure, but a noticeable difference nonetheless. The colors on the other hand feel accurate to me, nice and vibrant.
One of my main worries before using the Kamvas was whether or not there would be any parallax issues or lag while drawing on it. While there is a tiny gap visible between the pen tip and the digital brush tip, it did not feel annoying. Drawing feels very smooth and lag-free.
Painting & Process
With Chinese New Year upcoming, I wanted to paint something celebrating tigers. Maybe a small place of worship, or a natural tiger-shaped rock formation, or a long-forgotten ancient civilization that loved tigers?
My usual workflow for an environment painting is along those lines:
- Research (What do tigers look like, what are different ways of stylizing them, what mood am I going for and can I find any cool looking real world relics that inspire me?)
- Creating composition thumbnails in 2D (or 3D for scenes with complex architecture or perspective, or when I will need multiple views of a location)
- Establishing color & light
- Painting the final piece
I was considering either a warm, sunny, golden scene, or a lush, vibrant green setting. I ended up painting the yellow version, but snuck some of the greens back in for some variety in color. Big thanks goes to Yen, who helped me out with figuring out tiger anatomy!
Final Thoughts
I’m very pleased that I finally got to test a screen tablet, and I really enjoyed the drawing and painting experience of the Kamvas 16 (2021). I will need some more practice to make full use of it, and I sorely miss having touch control in addition to the programmable buttons.
If I were to choose a screen tablet for myself, I would look for one with a higher resolution screen, and ideally some sort of brush size control that’s not tied to clicking a button.
The cost/performance ratio is great though and as a small-to-mid-budget model, the Kamvas 16 (2021) looks and feels like a perfect fit for beginners and young professionals alike.
Huion Official Store: https://bit.ly/3tl4RRx
Huion Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/HuionTab
Happy Lunar New Year!
