Day 1 - Monday
Got my Cintiq 21UX today and to say that I was excited would be an understatement! There are few products in this world that carry an unmistakable 'cool factor' to them: the Cintiq is one of them.
It was pretty easy to set it up. I noticed right away that it was a little different at first-mostly because of the fact that now I'm working directly on screen. As one who relies heavily on sketching during the brainstorming process, I was interested in seeing how the Cintiq performed.
Once I adjusted the pressure sensitivity and configured it to my work style, it worked like a dream. Using a mouse for creating digital artwork is equivalent to using a brick to sketch a portrait. I sketch everything on the Cintiq now-no more wasted time with scanning pencil sketches into the computer.
My prior experience with the Intuos3 allowed me to become familiar with Wacom's properties interface. I've been keeping the properties open and am constantly finding more efficient ways to use the shortcuts and other functions.
Day 2 - Tuesday
I'll never go back to a mouse. It's just simply inferior.
Even if you're just browsing the web or using simple word processing applications, everything is easier with the Cintiq. I've been putting this thing to the test today, and after one day, I've pretty much adjusted to it. I'd say it takes a solid day of exploring and messing around to get the swing of it. I've been doing a ton of sketching and have completed some illustrations for a book I'm working on.
I've even had the chance to use it in Flash for some animation and have found the pen and shortcuts to be extremely helpful. It's easier to navigate and I can focus more on the animation instead of the awkwardness of using a mouse. I usually make minor editing changes in Adobe Illustrator and then import them back into Flash, but now I can edit the images directly in Flash.
Another benefit is that my wrist has felt better. I'd been using a mouse for quite a while, since 1991, and recently, I've been telling my wife that I need to get something different because I don't want to cripple myself! At first I tried the Cintiq on my lap so that I could use it like an art board. Today, I put it in the stand to try out the rotation feature. Wow, was that really cool! The rotation feature adds an element to this device that really makes it practical to a designer. It never ceases to amaze me how natural it feels.
Day 3 - Wednesday
I've finally begun digging into illustration work with the Cintiq. It's a blast being able to have pressure sensitivity, which makes a huge difference in the illustration process.
I've also started to use the layers in Illustrator. Now I can make a light sketch of the figure on one layer (just to get proportion and the angle down) and then sketch a more detailed illustration on the layer above. Finally, I'm "inking" on layers and the best part is that I can save everything in one file.
Day 4 - Thursday
I find myself switching positions several times a day while using the Cintiq. This makes it nice because I usually sit all day in the same position, so sometimes I just like to kick back with the Cintiq in my lap and sketch away. Or if I'm browsing the web for images or collecting information, I can place the Cintiq on the stand and select what I need with the pen.
Day 5 - Friday
My dad comes over to visit often, and after he'd seen me get so excited about my new Cintiq and he'd seen how incredible a tool it was for art, he asked me to make him something on the Cintiq. I decided to sketch him a picture of my Mom for his birthday.
The portrait came out pretty good. Overall, I think it wasn't too bad for a first time! I made some custom brushes in Photoshop and went to work. I do a lot of pencil portraits and am very committed to that medium, although the Cintiq gives "paper and pencil" a run for its money.
I'm finding that the Cintiq speeds up my workflow, but now that I do things so much faster and easier, I put more detail and quality into my work while the timeframe stays the same. My work is improving and that's the key. I simply can't get over what an amazing tool this is.
Day 6 - Saturday
Today, I was storyboarding a cartoon that I'm working on. The cartoon is called Pain in the Drain, and it's about a water district employee who fights the evil drain-clogging forces of F.O.G.G. (fat, oil, grease and grit). It's such a blast sketching these storyboards on the Cintiq.
When I use the same angles of a character that I've already drawn, I can just "copy" it, instead of re-drawing it - this is a big timesaver. It's really easy to go back and make changes. Instead of erasing or drawing arrows around the page, I can cut, copy and paste to move images around.
Day 7 - Sunday
One of my favorite things to do is sit down and sketch--sketch characters, objects, anything, it doesn't matter. With the Cintiq, I open up Photoshop and pull up my custom brush set that I made a few days ago and start sketching immediately. The brushes I made mimic a pencil very well.
I tried printing out some of my drawings, and once they're printed, it's pretty tough to tell them apart from real pencil sketches. Sketching on the Cintiq is so realistic that when I flip the pen over to erase, I instinctively try to 'brush away' the eraser crumbs that would have been there had I been using paper! No more eraser crumbs and black fingertips.
Day 8 - Monday
It's been a week and a day since I've started using the Cintiq 21UX, and it feels like I've had it forever. I'm now convinced that everyone should throw away mice. While the Cintiq is an investment, everyone should get one if it's in their budget.
I still pull out my Intuos3 when I'm using my laptop remotely and am impressed at how easily my skills translate from one product to the other. Both have changed the way I work, and in a week, they've opened up a new window for me to advance my skills and techniques in ways that were impossible with a mouse.
