Wacom Cintiq 21UX Review

Dec 8, 2012

Art Inspiration Wednesday! on Wacom Tablet Reviews

New inspiring digital art: Sports theme

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Mar 13, 2012

Wacom Cintiq 24HD Receives iWard!

Iwards-macdirectory

Congratulations to Wacom for being chosen for a MacDirectory iWard! MacDirectory gives out annual awards to the best tech products. In their words, "Products awarded for value and excellence" and Wacom was included in this year's list!

Specifically the Wacom Cintiq 24HD. MacDirectory praises the Cintiq for it's large, 24 inch widescreen display which is the largest Wacom screen so far. They also commend the high quality of the screen and the overall stunning look of the whole package.

Click here to read my full review of the Cintiq 24HD.

 

 

Mar 12, 2012

Art Inspiration

Sometimes artists get stuck and need a little inspiration. If you are stumped about what to create with your Wacom tablet, you can look at these typography examples. I'm a big fan of typography as art. When it is done really well, it looks clean and simple, but makes a strong impact.

Ji Lee, an artist at Google Creative Lab, decided to challenge himself by using the letters of words to describe the word.

For example, the word condom is spelled in a bold font with the "c" extended around the "ondom" to represent a simplistic and classy condom. Another word is "exit" where the X appears to be running towards an I that is made to look like a door. Both get the words meaing across so cleverly. Brilliant! 

Mar 9, 2012

Perks to Wacom Bamboo With Anime Studio 8 Upgrade

Anime-studio-pro-8
Wacom and Smith Micro have formed a partnership. In doing so, upgrading Anime Studio 8.1 will allow artists to use finger gestures on the Wacom Bamboo multi-touch tablets. The update also contains 30 new features and performance upgrades.

Multi-touch allows animators, graphic designers and digital artists to be more efficient and save design time. You can use more than one finger at once which saves time performing ordinary commands. By making the process more user friendly, digital artists can use finger taps and gestures to design, create, adjust scenes and objects as well as zoom, drag and drop, scale and rotate designs.

Anime-studio-debut-8

Anime Studio Pro is retailing at $199.99 and Anime Studio Debut is $49.99. Currently, Debut is selling for $34.99 and Pro is priced at $139.99 on Amazon.

If you don't own a Wacom Bamboo tablet, you can read more on my Wacom review site!

Wacom_bamboo_connect

Mar 5, 2012

Art Inspiration!

I think I'm better off not assigning a day to be "Art Inspiration" day. I seemed to have missed last week and the week before was on Friday. So, from now on, I'm not sticking to a specific day even though it will most likely always be Monday. 

Here are some examples of art that can only be created by getting out of the house (and if you have snow)! This kind of thing reminds me that I should occassionally step away from my Wacom tablet and computer and be creative outdoors!

First two images are of snow drawings by Sonja Hinrichsen. Last three 3d-looking pieces were made by Simon Beck.

More information about the artists:

Simon Beck

Sonja Hinrichsen

Feb 27, 2012

Samsung 10 Inch Galaxy Note Tries to Compete With Wacom Tablets

So far, I have heard a few people ridicule the new Samsung Galaxy Note because of it's size. Combining a tablet and phone together seems like a good idea until you realize you will be holding a phone that is as big as your face up to your ear. The Galaxy Note might be a good tablet option for those wanting a smaller design, but a phone? I'm not sold. What do you think? Is the Samsung Galaxy Note on your wish list?
Stealing features from the Galaxy Tab tablet and Note phone/tablet/whatever-it-is, the 10.1 inch Galaxy Note is aimed squarely at the creative types. Just like the rumours suggested, the Ice Cream Sandwich tablet comes with an S Pen stylus for sketching or jotting down notes, with the new marketing buzzword “S Note,”

Feb 17, 2012

Art Inspiration Wednesday (on Friday)!

I must admit that I had trouble being inspired this week and decided to focus on giving my office a huge overhaul. Before I knew it, Wednesday was over and then Thursday. I still feel a bit uninspired, but chose to focus my theme on Presidents in honor of President's day! Not the most exciting inspiration, I know. Sadly, I had a lot of trouble finding cool and unique art of presidents. The most I could find are of Obama, so don't think I'm trying to make any political statements with the following images. :)

Wacom Tablet - President Lincoln
www.vhankim.com
Michael Bower obama typography
www.idesignstuff.net
theLGL JFK Smoking Break
thelgl.com
President Barack Obama mosaic
www.idesignstuff.net

Naughty Dog Artists Use Wacom Cintiq

The artists of Uncharted and Uncharted 2, Naughty Dog, explain why they prefer to use the Wacom Cintiq 21ux.
The first thing you notice when you walk into Naughty Dog's Santa Monica, Calif., headquarters is a wall-to-wall glass case filled with colorful trophies and awards for "Uncharted" and "Uncharted 2," Naughty Dog's incredibly popular games for Sony PlayStation 2 and 3. Both titles have been praised for their stunning and fluid graphics, mostly created using Wacom® Cintiq® 21UX interactive pen displays.

Feb 8, 2012

Art Inspiration Wednesday!

I'm always inspired by what people can create from simple, everyday objects. I found the above photo (allthingspaper.net) on Pinterest.com and it made me wonder what other cool art made from books are out there. Surprisingly, a lot!

Art Inspiration Wednesday!

I'm always inspired by what people can create from simple, everyday objects. I found the above photo (allthingspaper.net) on Pinterest.com and it made me wonder what other cool art made from books are out there. Surprisingly, a lot! I bet there are a lot of people who are outraged by the idea of cutting up books, but I just see it as a form of recycling. I know I definitely have a few books that would make better art pieces than reading material.

I love this! Clever way to give new life to old pulp novels. Art by Thomas Allen.

Briandettmer-3dart
Amazingly intricate. Art by Brian Dettmer.

12-works-art-made-from-books-birds

Another amazing piece! Art from CasaSugar.com

Feb 6, 2012

I'm not just a pretty face who knows about Wacom tablets

All kidding aside, I also try my best to make a living with my designs and illustrations. Along with my freelance business, I enjoy making T-shirt designs, greeting cards and more on Zazzle.com and Cafe Press in my free time.

This isn't a commercial for those sites, it's a shameless plug to sell my t-shirts and other gifts! Zazzle and Cafe Press are great for making a little extra cash while doing what you already enjoy.

I'm not getting rich off of these web sites, but the extra money is helpful. If you are interested and have the time, please check out my stores. Thanks and don't worry, I won't be making these shameless plugs a habit.

Oh! And polite and constructive criticism is welcome! All the negative Nancy's can keep their opinions to themselves! Thanks! - Jenn

My Zazzle Store: http://www.zazzle.com/monkeyjenn

My Cafe Press Store: http://www.cafepress.com/MonkeyJennDesigns

Feb 2, 2012

Wacom Cintiq 24HD Tablet Demonstrations

Since we all can't or don't need to buy the top of the line Cintiq 24HD by Wacom, the next best thing is to play with one at a store. If that's still not possible, then I recommend watching some demonstrations!

This demo and review is a little over 9 minutes, but is very helpful. He demos the stylus as well as the scroll wheel and buttons. Skip to 7:50 for his opinions of the cons. Cintiq 24HD Review and Demo.

This video shows the Cintiq 24hd in action! I'm not a fan of the music, but I liked watching his progress. Drawing on the Cintiq 24HD.

Not the best video, but gives you a good idea of the size of the 24HD. Quick review and demonstration of the Wacom Cintiq 24HD.

Jan 25, 2012

» Art Inspiration Wednesday: Office Space Design

Today I’m doing things a little differently with the inspiration. There will still be images, but I’m focusing on home office desk space solutions. Currently I’m trying to de-clutter my desk so I can focus more on creating than where to relocate odds and ends.
Here are some home office design ideas that are inspiring me to rethink my home office layout.

Google's 5th Annual Doodle Contest Is Open

This is a great contest for kids to not only win a Wacom tablet, but a $30,000 scholarship for college. I wish I was young enough to enter!

Google's fifth annual Doodle 4 Google contest for students in kindergarten through 12th grade is now open. This year's theme is "If I could travel in time, I'd visit..." The entry deadline is March 20, and only one entry is allowed per student.

The national winner receives a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology grant for his or her school

Jan 20, 2012

Architect Stylus Better Than Wacom Stylus?

As much as I really like my Wacom stylus, I'm glad there are alternatives that can give the Wacom digitizers a run for their money.
Aluminum-machined styluses are all the rage these days, it seems, with Arctic Accessories’s $23 Architect Stylus the latest in a long line of impeccably-designed devices. But while the Architect may take its cues from Adonit’s line of capped pens and the sleek figure of Wacom’s Bamboo, the Architect winds up being in a class all its own.

Jan 19, 2012

Art Inspiration Wednesday!

Yes, I know it’s Thursday, but I’ve been sick with whatever nasty bug seems to be going around. Good news is that I feel well enough to post some pictures!

Jan 13, 2012

Jaja Stylus Uses Sound Waves to Detect Pressure

The Jaja is intended to be a more precise stylus for the Apple iPad.

The company is trying to raise money on Kickstarter. If you like being the first to buy new gadgets, then you might want to help them out since the first 500 people will be able to buy the Jaja for $40.
If you like to sketch on your iPad, you know there are a bunch of styluses on the market and coming out which try to improve upon the drawing and painting experience in apps like ArtRage.

Jan 11, 2012

Art Inspiration Wednesday! on Wacom Tablet Reviews

Well, I had a fun vacation and I hope everyone is having a happy 2012 so far. Unfortunately, my cat passed away while I was gone. For those who have pets, you know how much they affect our lives. She was 14 years old and died peacefully. She will be greatly missed. Since she’s on my mind, I hope you will forgive my inspiring art post today. It seems kind of silly to post cat art, but she’s on my mind a lot.

Jan 9, 2012

Rossmorr i23 HD Interactive Display Tablet Competes With the Wacom Cintiq 24HD

Rossmorr i23 HD Interactive Display Tablet seems like a reasonable competitor for the Wacom Cintiq 24HD.
Been eyeing the tablet sweetness that is the Wacom Cintiq 24HD, but not quite ready to make the financial investment that comes with it? Oregon-based Morgan Ross Egging has begun shipping the Rossmorr i23 HD. The 23-inch tablet offers up a 1920 x 1080 resolution (compare that the 24HD's 1920 x 1200) IPS display.

Active iPen Stylus

There are roughly one gazillion iPad styluses out there and – despite their stylistic differences – they all work in the same way: by mimicking your meaty fingers

Jan 2, 2012

Infinite Z Virtual Holographic 3D Display for Designers

Infinite Z has a zSpace product that uses a laser pen and 3D glasses to make you feel like you are designing in three dimensions. Pretty cool. I wish I could test one out. The price is steep though at $6000! I think I would still prefer a Cintiq 24HD.
At the recent “Autodesk University”, Infinite Z was there demonstrating their zScape product.  They call it a “virtual holographic display”, but from watching their video I would say it’s somewhat like a Wacom Cintiq with a 3D Display
Click here to watch the demo video.

zSpace - A Virtual-holographic Experience from Infinite Z on Vimeo.
via vizworld.com