Cintiq Review

I recently purchased a Wacom Cintiq21UX. I thought about getting the smaller version for the cost savings but being used to a larger Intuos, I didn’t think I would like it. Having tried both at the NYComicon I confirmed my suspicions. I wanted the big one. They were offering a discount if purchased there so I ordered it (thanks to a fortuitous timing of my tax return which cleared that day).

I couldn’t wait till they delivered it less than a week later (with very inexpensive shipping). The day the delivery was due I had to have checked out the window a dozen times an hour for the UPS truck.

Finally it arrived. I took the stand out of the box and placed it on my newly cleared desk (where the Intuos previously dwelled). All seemed to be going fine until I put the Cintiq on the stand and realized that if I wanted to tilt it down to a more horizontal position (which I certainly did) than my desk would need modifying.

The way y desk is configured my monitor is on a raised platform toward the back end of the desk. The platform consisted of 3 sections: the middle one which had the monitor on it and the two end ones which angled in toward the front. Those end sections had to go, so I put the Cintiq back into the box and did the necessary modifications all while hearing the Cintiq’s siren song beckoning (and faintly in the background the Intuoses mocking laughter).

Finally I got it all set up and spent about an hour or so configuring my system. I have it set up so that the Cintiq is my main monitor and my Dell monitor is my secondary one with the desktop continuing up form one to the other.

I find the Cintiq to be a fantastic tool. It has made it far easier to do detail work. With the Intuos I sometimes had to guesstimate where to draw whereas with the Cintiq, I know. I also like being able to draw on the Cintiq with my reference on the other monitor thus freeing up valuable screen realestate. Another benefit of the Cintiq is that it doesn’t succumb to Cliff’s First Law of Flat Surfaces: They can and will collect clutter. The Intuous did frequently.

The Cintiq has programmable buttons and a touchstrip on either side of the display. You can set them up differently depending on the program you are using. I currently have mine tweaked for photoshop but not yet for my other art programs. The pen also has a programmable side switch which acts in the same manner. On the other end of the pen is an ‘eraser’. The ‘eraser’ is an eraser by default in most art programs but can be changed just like the other buttons and switches. By default it uses whatever settings the eraser is set on without regard to the settings of the current drawing tool. This can be changed so that it keeps the settings of the tool you are working on already thus you don’t find yourself erasing more or less than you intended.

The only thing I have found annoying is the right side touch strip which I have a habit of hitting with my palm. This seems to be a rather common problem. The discontinued 20” inch model had this problems solved by placing the touchstrips in a different location, not sure why they didn’t do that with the 21”. Overall well worth the money (now if only I could convince the wife of that).

Youthful ignorance

I have recently been getting back into MAD magazine mostly because of Tom Richmond's MAD blog. I used to read the magazine a lot as a kid and teen though truth be told I always preferred Cracked mazagine.

For a long time I used to think that Cracked was the original and MAD the imitator, hence the title of the post. In either case I used to view them both as the best magazines in the world. When I was old enough I would buy them but as a kid I would read them while my mother would shop. Years later I figured out that I was wrong in my thinking MAD imitated Cracked (this occurred around the time Wikipedia had entries on the two magazines).

I can't pinpoint exactly when or why I stopped reading them but as I got older I did. I recently purchased my first MAD magazine in many years. Although I liked much of what it contained there was only one article that made me laugh out loud and that was 'It's a GOOD brand name and a BAD brand name...' written by Jeff Kruse and illustrated by Joe Coker. The rest of the stuff in the magazine I found myself appreciating more for the art than the humor. Not to say the magazine was unfunny just that the bulk of it wasn't as funny as the average 'Pearls before swine' strip.

I am in the middle of reading MAD ART by Mark Evanier. Very interesting stuff between that and the Wikipedia pages I have learned a great deal(Not to mention from the aforementioned Richmond Blog).I really loved all the Don Martin stuff ( I knew him from Cracked and had no idea he was from MAD originally as was John Severin ).

I was disappointed that Cracked no longer exists as a print mag, the online thing is nowhere near as good. I didn't get a chance to catch the brief revamped print version but I suspect it was as much a disappointment as the revamped Ren and Stimpy was.

Since I brought them up I might as well talk about them. I loved Ren and Stimpy when I was a kid. What disappointment that Rugrats lasted as long as it did but they didn't. Doug was good too (until Disney ruined it). When Ren and Stimpy came out on Spike TV I was ecstatic. That didn't last long. While I did enjoy some of the stories I got the sense that it just went over the top. I love stuff that walks the edge but not when it goes over the edge like I felt this did. Much of it seemed to be vulgarity for vulgarities sake rather than for advancing the cartoon. It also had the misfortune of being on in a block with the superior Gary the Rat and Stripperella (in my opinion the best thing that Kelsey Grammer or Pamela Lee did). Those two cartoons I was surprised to see gone so soon. While I did find Ren and Stimpy to be a bit of a disappointment I didn't want to see it end before it really had a chance.

This post seems a bit random and discordant. I am going to edit it in the near future when my thoughts are more organized. I will also add some links.