Wacom Cintiq

Heaven.

I've been using a Wacom Cintiq 21UX at work and a 4"x5" Intuos 3 at home. Well, I finally took the plunge and invested in the setup I needed. Just after getting a necessary laptop replacement I'm now the proud owner of a Wacom Cintiq 20WSX.

first piece done with the new toy - 30 minute digital painting

The 20WSX is a slight step down (in size only) to the 21UX. The resolution support seems quite similar. In my opinion there are actually some advantages to the 20" model:

• There are a few more programmable buttons. These buttons even include the preset "display swap" function (much like the new 12" model), allowing me to easily use two monitors with my stylus. I am quickly getting used to this feature. While I enjoy keeping the Cintiq as my ONLY display at work, my new laptop works optimally at a higher resolution than the Wacom display supports, allowing me to run 3D applications and hold more menus on the screen. This is a huge convenience and could only be improved by a higher resolution on the Cintiq- but for now I won't complain.
• The touch-scroll bar is set on the back of the display rather than the front (as on the 21UX). I found myself wanting to use the scroll function, keeping my mouse out of the equation for zooming in photoshop and scrolling on the web, but my hand kept bumping it while drawing on the screen, so I had to disable it. Now I can use it without the worry of zooming in and out while drawing with big curved motions. The only drawback is that when I'm using the programmable buttons on the side I tend to grip the edge of the display, occasionally bumping the scroll with my index finger. The excusable element here is that I am already adjusting my grip habits to get around that.
• The widescreen format (16:10 ratio) allows my Photoshop menus to sit on the single display without crushing my workspace width. I always have adequate height and like keeping my menus close to the worspace while reference images sit even nearer my art. This was always a crunch with a typical 4:3 or similar, but the widescreen gives me the right amount of width to be comfortable.
• $500 less than the 21". yes, $500 towards something else and I feel like I bought the "big boy". To be honest, New York apartments are small even if you get a "big place in Queens" like myself, so to fit my laptop and Cintiq on my desk in my studio or bedroom, I really can't afford the space or weight of the 21". This is perfectly oversized and any larger would create an uncomfortable desk or inadequate room. I also see the future need for the 12" Cintiq for travel, and that would psychologically price it at $500 less for me, should I choose to purchase one.

Overall I am in love. I can see myself getting more into the rabbit hole of the DIGITAL ART world, but if I'm having this much fun I don't really care. I'm sure I'll draw and paint, but when I do digital work now I know that I am at least drawing on the surface that my art is on, rather than staring at my laptop with a postcard sized workspace in my lap. That is a value that is worth the price of this great tool.

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