Birdman in Spaaaace!

Combo of an Alaskan mask, an owlbear and sasquatch.  Had a lot of fun drawing fur here.

Jager Mark 6

Today's offering is a mecha out on patrol in the wastelands. This one did not take me as nearly long as I thought it might.

Dog Obsessed

Happy Thanksgiving from the Curmudgeon! 

Dum dum dum, dum deee dum, dum dee dum...

Trying to get work done, and so, of course, I end up doodling a Star Destroyer variant.  Oh well.  And, to our American readers, Happy Thanksgiving!

Olde Tyme Goblyn

 

 

Yesterday morning I woke up with the phrase "Bowler Hat Goblyn" in my head.  Today, this is what we get.  Sketchbook Pro 6 and Perfect Photo Suite.

  

Draco Horriblus

 

Today's effort.  Haven't used this style in a long time, but it seemed appropriate today.

Busy day...

I've been drawing a lot today, mostly to keep the ol noggin limber.  Hence, a hobbit in a spacesuit bearing a striking resemblance to Douglas Adams. That is all.

Grarr!

 

Watched a great documentary on Ray Harryhausen on Netflix last night.  Hence, a creature....

Wherin I give my impressions of the Cintiq Companion

When I told some of my artist friends that I had ordered the new Cintiq Companion from Wacom, they have wanted a review. After all, this new tablet promises to be an incredible tool for artists and designers of all stripes.  And it ain't cheap.  So, the more input you receive before you plunk down your hard earned cash, the better!  Keep in mind, my review is from the point of view of a person who has been using an iPad nearly exclusively for about three years now. 

 

First off, the Cintiq Companion is one solid piece of work.  Nothing feels cheap about this device.  The seams are all tight and the buttons feel springy and firm.  About the size of two iPads side by side, the Companion is a convenient size for drawing on.  I have gazed at the much larger Cintiq monitors for a long time, but getting this ultra portable model, I do not feel cheated for screen real estate.  The pen is the usual Wacom 2048 levels of sensitivity and supports a tilt function as well.  It works beautifully and is a pleasure to draw with.

 

The Cintiq Companion comes in two flavors;  Windows 8 or Android.  I am not familiar with Android products, so I chose the Windows version.  Plus, I wanted to be able to  use full fledged PC software and not just apps.  (As an iPad user, I am not looking down on apps!  The iPad is a powerful machine for doing art, even with it's limitations in memory.  It is definitely a very affordable and valuable tool.  If I hadn't needed to make larger files than it could accommodate, I would still be using it!)

 

I have used Windows 8 on a desktop once or twice, and did not enjoy it.  However, the tablet format makes it all make sense. I find it terribly easy to use and speedy as well, booting up in seconds.  Installing and uninstalling apps and software is easy and the setup fairly painless.  Battery power is very good, and the six hours it claims is pretty solid, even though I really doubt I will be operating away from an outlet a lot.  It does make it convenient for drawing on the couch whilst covered in small dogs, though!

 

Overall, I love this device.  I'm using Sketchbook Pro 6 on it and am just floored. The ease of drawing on a piece of paper and the ability to edit digitally make this a win on all levels.  The only thing I would change about it is the travel case it comes with:  it needs a strap!  It is not awkward to carry, but a strap would make it perfect.  I'm certain, however, a more luxurious version of this bag WITH said strap will be offered as an accessory in the near future.

 

Okay, nuff said!  Back to doodling!

Evolving

So, for the past year or so, I've been working on my images on an iPad using a pressure sensitive stylus.  This past week, I upgraded to Wacom's new Cintiq Companion tablet, which is a dedicated graphics tablet. And I must admit, it's pretty awesome. I am able to draw exactly like I do on paper, but can skip all the scanning and cleaning up of scans. 

So, this got done today during lunch and breaks at work.  This is Skippy the Crocolisk, done in Sketchbook Pro 6.  This was inspired by a Dead Milkmen record and this song from the Doubleclicks.