Hi I’m Pippa and I’m a full-time Illustrator & Designer, so I spend an unhealthy amount of time drawing each day. I was excited to try out the VK1200 tablet display from Veikk as the market is definitely in need of some competition and at only $469, this tablet is at a lower price point compared to other pen display tablets.
First impressions
My first impression was that the box is classy and simple and the tablet itself is light and thin but sturdy and also a decent size (hand in picture for scale). Doesn’t feel too plastic-y either which is a bonus!
Unboxing the tablet
In the box, you get the Veikk tablet which is 11.6 inches, a touch glove, a pen holder, two pens (+ a lot of extra nibs, not pictured), two pen cases, a screen cleaning cloth, two sets of cables (one is an HDMI cable and the other a USB cable) and you also get a quick start guide. It’s a nice touch to have two pens included in case one does break.
Setup details
It’s important to note here, I’m using it with a Macbook Pro running Big Sur, which comes with a couple of specific things that I have run into before.
If you have the newer model with the M1 chip, having more than two monitors connected isn’t supported. A pen display like this one functions as a monitor, so you cannot connect one of these at the same time as an external monitor. Something to be aware of as a designer I am often working off an external at the same time as using a tablet.
The second thing is that the cable which comes with this tablet is standard HDMI, so to connect to a Macbook you’ll need an adaptor that converts HDMI to USB C. Personally I like the J5Create one, and use it all the time! You’ll also need a USB A to USB C adaptor for the second cable, but if you have a Macbook it’s likely you have one of these around already. The one I use is also by J5Create.
The next step is downloading the tablet driver. All drivers are available online from Veikk.com. Installing is simple, but I did find that if you have any other tablet drivers currently installed, you have to uninstall them to get the VK Tablet Centre to work correctly. Otherwise, it’s pretty much plugin and go.
You have plenty of pressure and calibration settings in the VK Tablet Centre and you can also customise the shortcut keys to your personal preferences (having ‘undo’ in the right position is a must for me) without any difficulty. You have the option to map the ‘active’ area to either the tablet screen or your computer screen, or you can mirror the displays if you like to look at both! It’s worth noting that this tablet also has the option to ‘flip’ the active area, so it’s great if you are left-handed. The standard pressure sensitivity was a little tough for me, but with a bit of adjustment, it felt perfect.
Using The Tablet
From trying it out in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop, I found there was a touch of lag while doing lots of short strokes very quickly in Photoshop. Otherwise, it was extremely user-friendly with no big problems. Adobe Illustrator and Indesign however had no issues, and it worked great in the capacity as a mouse.
If you’re using it on a Windows computer, I’ll add that I highly recommend using Windows Ink to get the pressure sensitivity right. It’s definitely worth playing around with the settings to see what works for you. You can also adjust the colours if they aren’t matching your other screen quite right.
Now onto the fun part… drawing! To test it out, I decided to draw one of my favourite treats that I was missing in lockdown – an almond croissant from Goods Bakery in Wellington, with a delish coffee.
I went with Adobe Photoshop as that’s my preferred programme, and aside from the subtle lag I mentioned, it was great. You can set up your pen for right-click capabilities, which I love as then you can easily right-click to adjust pen size while working. The pen is a nice weight and doesn’t feel too cheap!
The pen holder is great too and it also functions as storage for extra nibs. I tend to wear through nibs quite fast as well, so it’s good to have a stash. As you can see from this setup photo, it also doesn’t have any separate clunky power cord. It’s all powered via USB, so it’s easy to set up and looks tidy on your desk!
When drawing, I was able to get smooth lines. I’d seen elsewhere that people had experienced some issues with maintaining a smooth line in Photoshop with pressure dropping out. I think they’ve fixed that potential problem with the latest driver.
My Final thoughts
Overall, Veikk is the first real competitor to Wacom (current market leaders) that I’ve seen hitting the mark, and hitting it well! The VK1200 is a solid tablet that’s well-suited to a junior to intermediate designer or illustrator. It’s basically plug-and-go, the tablet itself feels well-made and is visually appealing, and most importantly, it performs well. I’m interested to see how it performs with heavy usage. I generally would draw anywhere between 6-10 hours/day, but I have spent a week playing around with it, and so far, I’m very impressed. The very subtle lag when working quickly in Photoshop is still present, but this isn’t a deal-breaker for me.
I’d recommend it, and personally am looking forward to adding this into my work rotation. It’s light, portable and a good choice to take from the home studio to the office! I really like that it doesn’t need a power supply either – I can easily take this to work in a café or bring it to a meeting. Nice work Veikk!
About Pippa
Pippa Keel is an award-winning Illustrator living in Wellington, New Zealand. She is best known for her nature drawings, & for forcing everyone she knows to join her daily Fitbit step challenges. Pippa is the former Exhibition Illustrator for Te Papa Tongarewa, the National Museum of New Zealand, and has worked for clients such as Zealandia Eco-sanctuary, Radio New Zealand (RNZ), Coca Cola NZ & MAC Cosmetics. Recently, Pippa has finished an incredible project where she illustrated a lovely children’s book called ‘Kaewa the Korora’ that follows a penguins new world at the National Aquarium.
