Deciding on a Cintiq, or similar device.
I won some money for a local level design challenge (1k) and would like to put the money towards something that will better, or help me better my skills as an artist, or possibly use it to pay a programmer to make a small iPhone game using my design and art.
I'm working towards a painting/drawing degree at a local university and should finish in 2014, and am trying to draw everyday in between to get better. The school only teaches traditional, but I plan to use what I learn primarily in digital illustration and game art.
The questions:
I currently use a Wacom Bamboo and am thinking about upgrading to a 12 inch cintiq or better if I can find one cheap enough.
Thanks for any and all information guys
I'm working towards a painting/drawing degree at a local university and should finish in 2014, and am trying to draw everyday in between to get better. The school only teaches traditional, but I plan to use what I learn primarily in digital illustration and game art.
The questions:
I currently use a Wacom Bamboo and am thinking about upgrading to a 12 inch cintiq or better if I can find one cheap enough.
- Will this improve my workflow at all?
- Does it make digital art more enjoyable to make (keeping me more interested an excited to practice)?
- Is it worth the retail price of the 12 inch (1k) or common used price (700-750)?
- Is there something better I can spend it on that will help me advance my career towards art/game art/game design?
- There are tablet pcs that cost as much as the 12 inch cintiq, are there any that compare in quality, and have enough power to run apps like 3dcoat and zbrush?
Thanks for any and all information guys
Replies
I'm not much of a traditional artist, but using the cintiq over a normal tablet feels much more natural to me. It is a large investment, so definitely think it through.. I was lucky enough to have it gifted to me for a birthday/christmas/graduation joint present :P
- Will this improve my workflow at all? - depends - if you are awesome at drawing but find using a tablet really stifles your noral level of skill - in any case more practise with tablet will fix this.
- Does it make digital art more enjoyable to make (keeping me more interested an excited to practice)? Maybe, but if you're strugging to enjoy drawing and be motivated there are some other questions maybe to ask?
- Is it worth the retail price of the 12 inch (1k) or common used price (700-750)? The device is worth the money, but what is its worth to you as an artist?
- Is there something better I can spend it on that will help me advance my career towards art/game art/game design? If it was me, I would use that money for rent and just draw, paint, make models, beef up the portfolio.
- There are tablet pcs that cost as much as the 12 inch cintiq, are there any that compare in quality, and have enough power to run apps like 3dcoat and zbrush? Zbrush can run on moderate spec tablet pcs, ram and cpu are important, also make sure to check out the availability of hotkeys, it can be a pain if there is awkwardness in setting them up nicely for 3d stuff.
Hope some of those words help somehow!i hit ebay and got a motion computing ls800 for under £200 that i run artrage on for sketching on the sofa, its pressure sensitive and while the screen resolution is low and its no wacom it feels pretty good and i can take it anywhere
UNLESS:
-They have plenty of cash to not regret the purchase
-They want a luxury item that indeed makes painting/sculpting much more fun and comfortable.
Cause that's what it is, a luxury item, when you have it you're happy but nothing justify the purchase except the will of extra comfort.
As for the comparison with tablet pc: ANother world.
If you buy a tablet pc, you'll soon discover the mobility argument is a fail.
A tablet pc needs a keyboard to be usable (I mean other than slowly dabling with photoshop as an hobbyist), and the way tablet pc are designed (keyboard in front of screen) is completely retarded since you have to extend your arm over the keyboard to draw, meaning anti-ergonomic position.
They only confortable setup for extended period of time is keyboard next to screen, and that corresponds to desktop setup, and there I ask: why don't you buy a cintiq ?
One thing that I've found personally from limited personal experience is that when painting on 3d models I'm actually more accurate with my Intuos. Even when the cintiq is calibrated I find i have trouble painting exactly where I want to. (this could just be an experience thing.)
I can see why some 2D animators use those.
I just upgraded from a little bamboo to a medium Intuous 4 and I can tell you it DOES make a difference. It's not a huge leap, sure, but the extra space is just great when you start using it - plus extra things like more sensitivity and tilt support. As a cheaper alternative, I think it's a decent way to go.
I've also done the jump from a Bamboo to an Intuos, and that was worth every penny. So my advice would be to grab the Intuos and keep whatever money is left for something else.
i've been exposed to a number of painting tools over the years which to me feel a lot more natural to work in than photoshop does. might be worth trying some other tools (sketchbook pro, SAI, pixelmator on apple, etc) to see if it's more the software holding you back rather than the input device.
and yes, a spacious intuos is so much nicer to work on than some cramped little entry-level tablet that it'll make a difference for sure.
the small cintiq has a pretty low screen resolution btw.
I wouldn't overburden myself with expensive equipment until your level of work warrants it. I am not sure you'll get all the benefits of the Cintiq just yet.
Blunt, but probably useful advice
Must just be my lack of time with the cintiq.
19 inch, chinese cintiq clone
used drivers from http://www.waltop.com/download.asp instead of stock drivers as suggested by this review [ame="
My review
Pros:
Cheap
little to no drift near edges after calibrating
mostly good pressure sensitivity
good colors, no pink hue like I hear cintiqs have
good refresh rate
bigger pen, my wacom bamboo pen was small and hurt my fingers after awhile, this one is bigger and more comfortable to me
good stand (no rotation though)
good build quality
easy to setup
uses vga so it can be used on some older computers/laptops too
cons:
no buttons on the unit
poor customization options for buttons on the pen and no eraser
slightly uneven backlight
light touch can often register as no touch, pressure sensitivity is great in the mid to upper end though
noticed wavy lines as the pen's tracking adheres to some kind of grid, this is more noticeable when you draw slow, and is also more noticeable in some programs more than others
poor viewing angle, can't really lay it down very far or it becomes invisible, need to be looking basically straight on all the time (this isn't a big problem for me since in college drawing classes (that i'm taking) drawing is usually done upright and I've gotten used to it)
I think if you have the money for the cintiq, and it won't hurt too much, get it. Otherwise, get this. I certainly prefer this over my bamboo, and other wacom traditional tablets i've used. The pros outweigh the cons for me, and although I can't say if it's improved my art yet (its not really about the tools) I can say it's made me more excited about art, and addicted to making it, which means I practice more, and should inevitably get better.