Hardware + Software 6 - I Got A New Drawing Tablet
Overview
As I entered the last phase of updating my puppets, one of the big adjustments I wanted to make was the lack of hand drawing in my shorts. That sounds silly to the uninitiated, because I put out animated shorts; however, because I use puppets for 2/3 of my content, I didn’t really need anything but a mouse to use. Now, in the first year or two of making these shorts, I did use a tablet (a Cintiq 13HD). What changed was that I was primarily on a Windows PC, and I began relying more on my MacBook after Microsoft shifted focus to Windows 11. I could have technically used the Cintiq 13hd on my Mac, but it would have been a nightmare to switch between the 2 computer environments and I would have needed adapters.
Basically it was a hassle, so I just decided to leave it.
As I was developing the V5 puppets, I did try experimenting with using the iPad and the “sidecar” feature from the Mac. It worked on, and for quick and non-detailed doodling, it was fine enough, but anything more involved than that was a nightmare. I finally decided to upgrade my drawing tablet in October. I spent a few days researching and getting feedback from my friends about their tablets. I was on board with getting the XP-Pen Artist Pro Gen 2 initially (about $500), but I was put off by the addition of the keyboard remote which increased the price. I have my own keyboard shortcut controller, and didn’t need another, and had the XP-Pen tablet been $100 cheaper, I would have jumped on it immediately in spite of other reservations that I had (mainly to do with longevity and software support).
This was the front runner…was
After flip flopping a bit, decided to go back to Wacom. There were 3 main reasons why:
My Cintiq 13hd has lasted 10+ years and is still functional and reliable, so there’s an assumption of longevity there where I had no direct experience with another manufacturer
Wacom had just released a new batch Cintiqs this year that came at a far more competitive price point for the the quality
The XP-Pen Artist Pro Gen 2 was in the same medium tier price point ($500 Vs $700) and if I was spending that amount, I figured it’s better to go with the devil you know than the one you don’t
The cherry on top was that back in 2013 when I bought the Cintiq 13hd, it was $1000, and it was kind of clunky and ugly at the time. Now, I not only get a bigger screen (16in) but more streamlined setup and for $300 cheaper.
Winner winner chicken dinner
Capitalism at work baby.
So to keep a long story short, I made the purchase and after some trial and error (I.e. stupid mistakes I made, if you want to hear what I did, let me know by leaving a comment or something), I finally got it up and running. Let me just say that I have been vocally critical of Wacom for years. The prices, the lack simplification of their device connectivity and more. I liked the company but felt they really needed a shake up (to which it did happen due to the success of the iPad, which I believe to be a much better device).
Turns out when you have good competition, and you want to make money, that you develop products that people want. Who’d have thought?!
This tablet *rocks*. It’s a huge upgrade from the 13hd in every respect and I love using. Now granted, I have not used it as much as I have wanted to due to trying to get these puppet updates complete. When I do get time to use it, it’s just a great experience. The screen is great and color accurate. The resolution can go up to 2k (but I use it at a far lower res). The drawing experience is as close to perfect as you can get. The highest praise I can give it is that it makes me want to use it.
Outro
I’ve made a lot of upgrades to my workspace this year and it’s made working on these shorts a far, far better experience than I could have imagined. The new setup brings me a lot of joy and makes me want to do more shorts and art. It’s been a very expensive year, but so far everything has been well worth the investment.
Things are getting exciting!
-Until next time-