A good size for the average joe is about 4x6 and 6x8 you don't really need all the extra space most of the time

anyway, if i were you (this is me) i would go for the intuous right off the bat. Probably because its just overly better than any other tablet; which means you'll have better results with what you do and you don't need to shell out more money if you feel like you need an upgrade sometime in the future