Penny Arcade's Gabe: 'Finally got the Surface Pro 3 I was excited for'

Penny Arcade artist Gabe (aka Mike Krahulik) has had an up and down relationship with the Surface Pro line. 

He was one of the first artists to publicly embrace the early models for art creation: http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2013/3/3/penny-arcade-artist-gives-surface-pro-a-thumbs-up?rq=penny%20arcade but he also balked at many of the limitations introduced by Microsoft's switch from Wacom to N-Trig tech in the Surface Pro 3: http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2014/7/7/penny-arcades-gabe-bails-on-the-surface-pro-3?rq=penny%20arcade

Yesterday, Gabe updated his blog yet again and the results are more positive.

"Microsoft has been working on various ways of fixing some of (my) issues and since I wrote that post they have managed to fix a lot of them..This weekend I feel like I finally got the real Surface 3 I was excited for.."

Krahulik writes that the combination of firmware fixes, Surface Hub app and Manga Studio finally allow him to create useable art such as the image above. The new post is definitely worth a read, especially if you're worried about the Surface Pro 3's suitability.

Penny Arcade's Gabe bails on the Surface Pro 3; UPDATE: Maybe just Photoshop

Penny Arcade artist Mike Krahulik (Gabe) has been an important early adopter of the Surface Pro and has publicly sung its praises. But earlier today, he posted a very distressing note. He's not going to draw any more comics on the Surface Pro 3 and is going back to the Surface Pro 2.

Quoting Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes, he writes (presumably to Microsoft):  “You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!”

The post claims that today's comic took Krahulik three times longer to draw in Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 and "I'm not happy with the results at all."

Check it out for yourself here: http://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/2014/07/07/surface-pro-31

I wrote Gabe via the Penny Arcade submission form to suggest that perhaps his blame is misplaced.

I don't doubt that he's seeing the issue. Every Adobe CC 2014 product I've tested misses occasional pen strokes or is otherwise buggy on the Surface Pro 3.

But there are other tools available that work perfectly well on the device. I sound like a broken record, but cartoonists like Krahulik should do themselves a big favor and try Manga Studio 5 / Clip Studio Paint. The software's tools are specifically designed for comics, its brush engine is unrivaled and it offers fine pen curve and stabilization settings that can overcome current N-Trig limitations.

Gabe and Penny Arcade have a big audience and I expect his frustrated article will find its way into the hands of other tech pundits who will parrot it ad nauseum. More anti-Microsoft fodder.

Every artist should be free to work with the tool they know best. But it's unreasonable to dismiss a new device only a month after its release because one specific application is being buggy.

What's your take?

UPDATE I heard from Gabe and he wrote, "yeah I draw in MS5. It doesn't work very well at all for me on the Surface Pro 3. It was so bad that I decided to try PS."

Now I'm stumped. Defective hardware?

UPDATE 2: I was right. Gabe was using an older version of Manga Studio.  He'll be drawing another strip on the SP3 next week. I can't wait to read his verdict. http://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/2014/07/07/update-to-my-surface-post

Penny Arcade Surface Pro 3 update

Mike Krahulik, Penny Arcade's Gabe, has published an update to his experiences with the Surface Pro 3 that is an absolute must-read for anyone concerned about the tablet's suitability for artists.

He has been shown updates that I haven't seen that will clearly make a positive difference to users.

After I was done drawing I went out to lunch with some of the people from the team. I said to them “listen, I am an edge case. I don’t use this machine the way most of your users will use it. I understand this thing isn’t going to do everything for everyone.” Their answer was basically “why not?”

It's a great post and well worth your time. Check it out here: http://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/2014/06/16/surface-pro-3-update

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Microsoft features Penny Arcade in new Surface video

Continuing the trend of begun by Intel of featuring Surface Pro artists in promotional videos (reported here and here), Microsoft yesterday unveiled this entertaining profile of Penny Arcade's Mike Krahulik.

When I was launching this blog in early 2013, Krahulik's review was one of the only write-ups of the Surface Pro's graphics capabilities written from the perspective of a professional artist.

Microsoft Surface Manager Markus Weickenmeier has written a companion piece on Krahulik and Penny Arcade on the Surface Blog.

Surface Pro 2 impressions from Penny Arcade's Gabe

Penny Arcade's Mike Krahulik, aka Gabe or @CWGabriel, was among the first widely-read Internet artists to sing the praises of the Surface Pro.

To show its gratitude, Microsoft hosted Krahulik and other artists in New York for Monday's Surface 2 event and presented the creatives to the tech media for interviews.

Krahulik has just posted another great read with his impressions of the event and many enhancements found in the Surface Pro 2. It contains lots of juicy nuggets like this one:

The big question seemed to be why I don’t just use an IPad. I had to explain the concept of pressure sensitivity, my need to run programs like Photoshop, Manga Studio and also the power of a real Stylus...It has literally changed how and where I work. I’m an honest to God fanboy when it comes to the Surface and I was happy to share that passion.

Check out the full post here. 

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Beautiful image from Gabe's web comic The Tithe, which the artist writes was mostly produced on the Surface Pro.

Priorities in order?

Penny Arcade is back with another Surface tablet plug. I won't spoil the punchline, but it's worth a click. 

Another comics artist makes the switch

Jonathan Case, creator of the graphic novel Dear Creature and the artist of many works for Dark Horse Comics, including Green River Killer, The Guild, House of Night, The Creep, and Eerie knows a thing or two about his art tools.

Last month he posted a great write-up detailing his experience on the Surface Pro and his new-found tool of choice Manga Studio 5.

​Thanks to a compatibility question from Twitter follower Troy Church (@tchurch), I was persuaded to upgrade an older copy of Manga Studio just last week and I was delighted to discover that it's the first desktop program I've tested that supports pinch and zoom while sketching.

The interface of Manga Studio is still a little too cluttered for the Surface Pro's screen, but it clearly is a tool that pro users like Case and Penny Arcade artist Mike Krahulik are using to full effect.

Case also has a newer post celebrating the release of Wacom's pen driver update.​​

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More Surface Pro love from Penny Arcade creator

Does the game box look familiar?

Penny Arcade web comic artist Mike Krahulik (Gabe, @CWGabriel) has already done some great pr for the Surface Pro, but this morning he was at it again--while dissing Microsoft's latest toy, the XBox One. 

The bulk of his blog post is about his favorite Windows 8 games, but he goes into a lengthy list of why the Surface Pro is a great addition to an artist's toolkit:​

(The Surface Pro is) also my mobile drawing studio. It runs Manga Studio beautifully, and with the latest Wacom drivers Photoshop finally supports the pressure sensitivity although i still prefer drawing in Manga Studio or Sketchbook Pro. I’ve drawn comic strips on it while on airplanes, sitting on my deck, on stage at PAX and on the couch watching TV. No question, it is the perfect mobile digital drawing hardware.​

​Couldn't agree more. Check out the full post here.

Penny Arcade artist gives Surface Pro a thumbs up

Penny Arcade web comic artist Mike Krahulik (Gabe, @CWGabriel) recently got a chance to take the Surface Pro for a test drive and wrote this exhaustive post about his experiences.

It's a great read and filled with useful nuggets for artists hoping to produce professional quality results with their new tablet.​

Check it out here.​ He also posted a YouTube clip demonstrating his inking with Sketchbook Pro.

Inking over a sketch on the MS Surface Pro. Software is Sketchbook Pro.

The artist's write-up is so good that it prompted Apple defender John Gruber at Daring Fireball to write the following: "How ironic would it be if the iPad becomes the dominant mass market computer and the Surface becomes the one for artists?"​

Ironic indeed!​