So, What is a Boogie Board Tablet?

Boogie Board 8.5 LCD Writing Tablet (with Garden Varieties #7 drawing)

Several of my readers and artist friends have emailed me questions about the Boogie Board tablet that I've been using to draw with for the past few weeks. So, in today's post, I thought I'd start off by sharing some basic information.

The official name of this eWriter is the Boogie Board 8.5 LCD Writing Tablet, developed by Kent Displays of Ohio and sold through iMPROV Electronics. You can see the different Boogie Board models (and in pretty colors, too!) at http://www.iMPROVelectronics.com/us/en/

Today's post shows a picture of the Boogie Board I am using, sold under the Brookstone label, that I first saw "in the flesh" at my local Staples office supply store.

The Boogie Board tablet is thin and very light, weighing only 5.6 ounces—much lighter than most paper sketchbooks—and comfortable to hold when drawing. The writing/drawing surface measures about 7" x 5", a nice standard size familiar to artists.

The writing/drawing surface is smooth with a kind of semi-matte finish that the stylus just glides across with ease—having less resistance than pencil on paper. The tablet is pressure sensitive, so you can vary the line weight as you draw.

Pictured to the right of the Boogie Board is the dense plastic grey stylus which comes with this tablet. It's about 5" long and fits nicely in a slot at the top of the Boogie Board tablet. Also pictured are the rubber tipped paint erasers that I used on my last drawing, Garden Varieties #7.

I like drawing on the Boogie Board tablet because I can carry it around with me anywhere. It doesn't require electrical charging or being plugged in, and drawing on it is a spontaneous process—there's no going back, re-doing, deleting, or erasing a line or "mistake" while drawing. You just keep working until the drawing is finished—good or bad—and then do another one! I find the Boogie Board tablet a great device for drawing practice, which is exactly why I bought it.

Which brings me to these two questions from readers:

You make these beautiful concoctions and then erase them? and

How do you get the drawing from the Boogie Board to your blog?

I photograph the drawing on the Boogie Board with my digital camera, transfer the image to my computer, and save it to my hard disk. Then I use image software to even out the color, sharpen the edges, and resize it for uploading to my blog.

There is a new Boogie Board tablet that has a "SAVE" feature, designed to store up to 200 pages (or drawings) and made to connect to your computer. It's called the Boogie Board RIP (for "Record Image. Preserve.") You can see that device, too, at the website noted above.


Thanks for your interest. I hope you are enjoying a good week. 
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Text and image ©2012 Carol L. Adamec. All rights reserved.