It’s a Cintiq
In which we learn all about how to spend two grand replacing a 90 pence marker (and loving it)…
I got to play with a Wacom Cintiq today. You know the one? I’ll recap for those of you who’ve been asleep at the back. It’s a pressure sensitive drawing tablet which plugs into your computer. The major difference here is that not only is it a tablet but it’s a screen too. The upshot is that you’re drawing directly onto the screen which is really cool.
“…this thing f—king rocks…”
I’ve used a tablet before, back in the days when Macs had ADB ports and everything came in grey. I will freely admit to being a little skeptical as to whether it would be better than a regular tablet… well paint me converted, this thing f—king rocks.
Photo courtesy of Wacom
So I’m sitting in front of a £2000 drawing tablet (yes that is two thousand of your English Pounds) and what do I draw… this. Do you like it? I think it looks pretty convincingly like a marker sketch. Not only does it look like a real drawing but it felt like doing a real drawing using the Cintiq. The original illustration is 20cm square at 300dpi which is quite a big file but the Cintiq easily kept pace — there was none of the lag I recall from using a tablet previously. Of course the dual 2ghz G5 Power Mac it was attached to probably helped…
“…rush out and buy this baby…”
So am I telling you to rush out and buy this baby? No, not at all. What I’m telling you to do is rush out and buy me one of these babies. Perhaps you could get me a Power Mac Quad to go with it… If you draw in the old-school way (you know with pens and paper and stuff) you should really try one of these out. If you’re a starving artist the Cintiq may be beyond your budget. Of course if you’re lucky enough to have a wealthy patron then nothing says “I believe in your art” like a Cintiq…
The Cintiq is avaialble in 17" and 21" inch sizes — sadly I get no kickback if you buy one. I was playing with the 21" version. If you’d like to read a full review (without any swearing) you can find one here.