September housekeeping

Thank you for your kind comment😭 Ah my desk is currently buried by monitors haha. I always need two monitors for any kind of editing works. And now plus the 13" and 24" Cintiqs...🤪 I'm super curious about trying those iPad apps. It seems more and more drawing apps are dedicated to mobile devices and PC software are going to be outdated one day. Though I actually tried once on iPad (not pro version) from my friends for 10~20 mins and I can only make child drawing on it XD The pen works very differently from Wacom and the lines were wobbling like crazy! I really can't say getting an iPad pro will solve my drawing problems, but am still very curious about how the drawing experience will be if on a mobile and paper-like device. I also like some aspects of apple pencil. It holds more like a pen than Wacom pens because I can adjust the holding gesture freely, and the lean support seems more effective. And instead of worrying the matte glass will blur the view, they just make the apple pencil tip made of rubber (or feel like rubber). Which is genius because I can get a super clear view while still maintain friction for drawing. BTW, I'll post those CWT photos very soon!

Aw wow thank you for sharing your experience! So I'm not the only person having this problem! For years I had assumed it might be me not knowing how to use it 'correctly'. Before 2015 I had a 22HD mounting to an Ergotron arm, at that time I managed to make some doujins but I was never satisfied with it and the drawing process was painfully slow. After some years I sold it to one of my friends but he seems perfectly fine with it. Recently I got a cheap small table and the height is adjustable by two screws. Which means I could lay the Cintiq flat on this second table while not being too close to it. But it caused other problems like the table is lower than usual which is only suitable for laying down the Cintiq, if I wish to set the Cintiq above 30 degrees for getting a clear view I'll need to carry the Cintiq elsewhere and adjust the table again. The perfect solution might be an electric height adjustable desk, but it's expensive and will take a lot of space 🤔 To sums up, I guess an expensive device needs an expensive environment to work with *sigh*

I'm so happy to hear from you! I've been curious what were you up to, I hope you're feeling better now! Putting your workspace in order is super important, I keep thinking about getting a new second monitor since my old one decided that it's cable would rather rest in pieces than connect correctly xD It must be really unhandy to keep switching between devices that much, no wonder you're considering other options. I see that a lot of artists switch to working in SketchbookPro and Procreate so I think iPad might be a reasonable option! I heard that CSP for mobile devices is also very good! Plus you can take it with you anywhere, which is awesome. I like spending time in cafes and it would be cool to sketch there digitally but my Samsung tablet barely opens pdfs... so paper and ink it is! SUPER EXCITED for the upcoming artwork, I admire your patience so much. The work you do while sculpting the characters is so admirable, I can't wait to see the results! I hope you had fun during CWT, I am very interested to hear more about it!

V

I have the flex arm on the Cintiq, and I'm like you - I couldn't get used to working on it. I got severe arm fatigue and elbow/shoulder pain if I worked on it for more than 10 minutes. Because it's mounted at an angle and you can't lay it flat, your arm is in a very uncomfortable position if you're not used to working at that kind of angle. It'll definitely solve the problem of space though, beyond just completely getting rid of it. My Cintiq is now a glorified second monitor and I also have regrets buying it. I'm using my old Intuos 3 tablet because it's more comfortable for me. (Love your work by the way! <3)

Aw thanks! The main concern which still holds me back about buying the flex arm is that, it seems not stable enough compared to the stand which I'm currently using. And also it probably still has the same problem like the stand, that it will lift Cintiq about 4~5 cm between the table surface when the angle being set below about 30 degrees. Which makes the monitor too close to my eyes and very uncomfortable to use. But it's probably the only choice if I want to clear out working space. I'm having some work-around but they actually create more problems to deal with. I can understand the inconvenience of working in a tiny space! I almost forgot how I managed to draw mangas back when I was in college, living with other 5 roommates in a super crowded dorm. Mobile and smaller devices are probably always the best choices. I'm just a slave to Wacom products now so I sometimes brainlessly bought devices that I might regret haha.

I've also entertained the thought of having a Cynthia mounted on a swivel arm thing, but I'm still unsure xD my room and workspace is uuuultra tiny, so I'm still not sure how I want my set up to be! looking forward to the con write up! (also the pic looks gorgeous!)