"Art Glossary: Graphics Tablet"

A computer peripheral (gadget) that replaces a mouse. It consists of a pad (tablet) that you draw on and a stylus (electronic pen} you use to draw. The image you draw appears on your computer screen in whatever graphics program you're using.

Many artists use a graphics tablet because it's easier to get fine detail than when using a mouse, it being so similar to using a normal pen. The stylus can be also used for all the things a mouse can e.g. opening and closing menus.

For tips on selecting a suitable graphics tablet, see Before You Buy a Graphics Tablet from the About.com Guide to Graphics Software. I use a relatively inexpensive one myself, bought a few years ago, a Genius MousePen Graphics Tablet.