What's up, hopefully Nick and the gang won't regret giving me open access to this blog where I can spout off my insanity on a regular basis. I'll try not to destroy the Load's image or get fired . No, we should have some real fun here; I'll be posting some cool background stuff on the toons, graphic design, Flash, Adobe, top-secret tricks of the trade (maybe), and whatever else seems interesting! We'll see where this goes.

So for my first entry I'm going to give a shot out to one of my favorite companies, Wacom. Yes those wonderful people who have brought us the amazing Intuos tablets and the mindblowingly cool Cintiq 21 UX. I do all my work on the Cintiq, and when I'm out of town or otherwise without my Cintiq, I take an Intuos3 (9x12).

The Cintiq is a Godsend for Graphic Designers.
Those of you who have ever played around with one or who are blessed enough to own one know what I'm talking about. There's nothing like powering up that beautiful 21" LCD screen and sketching away like a mad man (or mad woman...person).  If you are wondering whether or not to make the plunge for the $2400 (ouch) piece of equipment that is the Cintiq, you might want to try out the Intuos3 tablet first (I'll explain why later).

Cintiq Cons and Pros
Ok I'm going to start with the cons of this beast (which aren't many); first of all, it's huge, forget about traveling with this thing. I've contemplated putting it in it's own luggage on a flight, but thinking about a big simian-like dude chucking my priceless pearl onto the plane, I reconsidered. Can't carry it on (haven't tried, but doubt you can) because it's too big, and trust me, you don't want this thing sitting on your lap for the 3 hour flight (it's like, 23 pounds, and gets a little hot after a while. It's also kind of difficult to find a place to put your keyboard, you'll kind of have to figure that out for yourself. And that's about it, other than that it rocks.

Now it's time for the PROs, which are many, and I'll only list some of the top ones. First: it's the best thing - ever. Second: When I sat this bad boy on my desk and messed around in Illustrator and Photoshop I was blown away. I was telling everyone about it, and was (and still am) so excited to get to work every day so I could 'play' with the Cintiq. As a designer, there is something amazing about using a computer how you use a sheet of paper and a pencil, except it's like you have super powers now. So just operating it is incredible. Third: You can constantly change the position you use the unit. It stands up almost vertical, so you can use it like a regular monitor, or it can lay completely flat on a table. The adjustments are so easy and intuitive to use as well. You can also slide it up off it's stand, plug it into your laptop, go into the living room, sit in your favorite chair, plop the Cintiq in your lap (it does get a little warm after a bit) and use it like a big ol' drawing board, which is soooo cool. Fourth: The screen swivels 360 degrees on the stand! It's really cool, so you can just flip the screen 90 degrees and use the screen in portrait mode! Fifth: Customizable buttons and touch pads on the unit. These rock. You can use this amazingly simple little app to customize the buttons to whatever program you're in (great for graphic applications and browsing). I occasionally with change the function of the buttons as I change the way I use the programs. Sixth: The pen. Not only is the pen comfortable, it has customizable buttons too! The pen can actually function differently in different programs. Now you might be thinking those 'mouse user' thoughts like "Dude, I'll never use all those customizable features". My friend, on the contrary, you will use them because they're too awesome not to. Lastly: Have carpal tunnel? Do you have to do all those retarded stretches 'cause you wrist is killing? I've been using a mouse since 1991 and about 3 years ago I started to feel the pain, brother. I was seriously worried because I'm still a young guy and it was really painful to do illustrations and stuff because of all the mouse work I did. After getting one of these babies, the pain is completely gone! It's incredible, I feel like I can work all day (don't tell Nick). So anyway, if you've got the dough, get one, you will not regret it. It's better than anyone can possibly describe, but I tried.

Intuos3 Pros and Cons
I'll start with the PROs this time, just for kicks. So let me just start out by saying that as awesome as the Cintiq is, the Intuos3 is right up there too, and it's cheaper! Look, drawing on the screen is cool OK, but all of us starving artists don't have a cool $2400 lying around. So here's the deal, the feel, pressure sensitivity, ease of use and freedom from carpal tunnel all come standard on the Intuos3. I transition between the Cintiq and the Intuos3 all the time and the difference is almost undetectable. You're just not drawing ON the screen, but even still, using a pen with all the customizable buttons instead of a 'brick-like' mouse is too cool for words. The Intuos3 is really easy to take with you and works great with a laptop. But here's a word of warning and this might help you out. I own the 9x12 Intuos3 and it's big, the whole unit is actually 13x17", and I thought hey, the bigger the better! Well not with the Intuos3, it BARELY fits in my laptop bag, the top hangs out by about 3 inches or so, and it's just so bulky if you're not at a desk. If I had to go back in time, I'd get the 4x6", here's why: First, drawing on a computer is different (better) than paper because you can ZOOM in and out, unlike paper. So you don't need a lot of room to make your strokes, because if you want a BIG stroke, just zoom out and make it happen! I'm a detail guy so I don't move my pen around a lot on paper, I focus on small areas at a time. No huge mural-like painting strokes here. If you are the type of person who uses the BIG strokes, get a bigger tablet, if not, go smaller. A smaller tablet will fit on your desk easier and it will transport nicely on your laptop. If you like to work or sketch while on the plane, a smaller size helps too.

Cons. Hmm...you know, the only con is that you aren't drawing on the screen like a Cintiq, but I really can't think of any cons, per say. Oh well the only thing is the mouse that comes with the tablet - you won't use it. The Intuos3 is really a great piece of equipment that I highly recommend, even if you're not a graphics person. Using a pen is vastly superior to the mouse, and it's so much more fun to use.

So there you have it, I'd be interested in hearing other users comments on these products and maybe some tips as well!