Is it Possible to Work (as an Digital Artist) with only a Tablet?

Short answer is: Yes! It is possible. It is what I do.

I do have a laptop and there's an iMac that my husband uses that he lets me use once in a while.

I use my laptop to edit my videos and back-up my files (even the files from my iPad)

But if you don't have a laptop or a pc, is it still possible to just use an iPad? Still yes! As long as you have access to internet and not really that big on filesize, meaning that you don't really produce like a GB per file which I haven't experience yet in any of my illustration or comic files, but definitely could happen and quickly lose storage space if you use it heavily to edit videos or record your process as a video and don't erase it from your storage after uploading it to any platform you might be posting anything...

I actually already upgraded to an iPad Pro 12.9 M1 with 128gb storage. Previously I used a iPad Pro 12.9 2017 with 64gb storage which I gave to my husband since it still works perfectly well. He actually told me to get a new one since I use the table heavily and instead of him getting a new lower spec tablet, I might as well get the new one so he can get my old one. :D But if I can be honest I haven't felt the difference in performance yet from my old one versus the new one so if you plan to get an older version then I think there's no problem.

Back to the topic at hand: So how exactly can I JUST use a tablet for everything if I don't have like a desktop or laptop computer? What about storage if I ran out? As long as I have access to internet it's going to be fine?

1. You can use cloud services to back up your files. There are options like Google Drive that offers free 15gb storage. But if you need more than that you can opt for a monthly or yearly subscription that can give you up to 2TB of storage that cost from $2 a month (100GB) to $10 a month (2TB). You can also use this storage for your other devices like a phone. There is also Dropbox that offers 2GB free storage and if you still need more they also have a monthly or yearly subscription from $9.99 a month for 1TB, up to $25 a month for unlimited storage capacity. There are other cloud storage services out there that you can use and take advantage of their free storage.

2. If cloud storage is not your thing you can use a hard drive instead. Current tablets can now use an external hard drive and there are even newer external hard drives that are actually design for tablet use. Personally I'm still using an external hard drive that was compatible for the Windows OS and just uses an OTG USB-A to USB-C adapter to access any files I might need from it. We do have another hard drive that is compatible with a OSX but my husband actually owns it :D But when he let me test it even though it is an older hard drive model we bought 5 years ago I can still copy files from the iPad to the hard drive using the adapter. Currently external hard drives that are design to be used with tablets as well has USB-C to USB-C cable so you don't need any adapter. I personally think this is the best option.

As for apps or programs that you can use for your art/graphic/layout/illustration, almost probably already knows Procreate which is an app you can buy for about $9.99 last time I check. My husband was lucky enough to have got it for free years ago when it wasn't popular yet and Apple Pencil didn't exist yet. I personally use Clip Studio Paint EX which I pay a yearly subscription of about less then $100 which some may think it's too much but I use it for work. It is a program I have been using ever since.

If you look at any tech youtube video reviews of course some would disagree that using a tablet as your only computer is impossible but you have to take into account what kind of job they actually do. If you are, let's say, a programmer, a video editor, some could be a photographer, etc... using just a tablet might not be for you. If you are an artist and you still feel like just using a tablet is not enough and you are not comfortable with the idea, then it is probably still safer for you to get a PC.

But if you are just asking the possibility of just having this to work on and do everything? It is a big YES since I am a proof that it is possible.