Video: Wacom Inkling to Sketchbook Pro workflow

In a half lifetime littered with ill-advised impulse purchases, there are few I've regretted as much as my Wacom Inkling. 

The Inkling is a pen and digitizer you clip to any drawing pad to record your sketches. When connected to your computer, the analog drawing is captured. Sounds magical, right? Especially two years ago when I plunked down $200 for it. 

Once it arrived, the magic quickly wore off. Like all Wacom hardware, the Inkling is a premium, well-designed device. But the included Sketch Manager software was terrible, the digitizer missed many lines and the end results were pretty much useless.  

And so the Wacom Inkling went into my closet of obsolete technology to be forgotten...until this morning.  

The Autodesk Sketchbook Pro Facebook feed posted a link to this video produced in June for ImagineFX magazine by Nick Harris. It's the first time since its release that I've spotted the Inkling mentioned as more than a technological curiosity beyond Wacom's product page.

The Inkling's contribution to the workflow in this video is very brief, but it does demonstrate the pen's potential. I really like the idea of developing thumbnails on paper and transferring them to the pc for further refinement. I don't think the Sketch Manager software has been updated beyond version 1.1 released in early 2012, so it remains to be seen if it is compatible with the current versions of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. And the price has dropped to $99, so Wacom may just be clearing out remaining inventory.

In any event, I'll unpack the Inkling this weekend and give it another go, while also testing its compatibility with Windows 8.1 and the Surface Pro. I'll let you know how it goes soon.

This video by Nick Harris came with a step-by-step Sketchbook Pro and Inkling tutorial, featured in ImagineFX magazine issue 93. 

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AuthorRick Rodriguez
CategoriesTips
TagsWacom, Inkling, Autodesk, Sketchbook Pro
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Video: Sketching tests on Sony Vaio Duo 13 with N-Trig digitizer

Like most of you, I've tended to dismiss tablets and convertibles that feature N-Trig digitizers that are limited to only 256 levels of pressure. However, I'm also first to admit that it's nearly impossible to distinguish more than a few pressure levels while drawing on the Surface Pro.  

The price and performance of Sony's Vaio tablets and convertibles is definitely appealing, especially with screen sizes ranging from 11 to 15 inches. 

I came across this video produced by Sony Vaio Duo 13 owner Scott Harris, which demonstrates Clip Studio Paint 1.2.7, ArtRage 4.0.5 and Sketchbook Pro 6.0.1 running very well at high resolutions. 

N-Trig drivers for Photoshop are still in beta, but if you don't require that functionality, I'd say the Sonys are definitely worth considering.

 

Excuse my horrible quick sketches. I got a chance to test the Sony VAIO Duo 13, and made this video to show how awesome it's digitiser works for digital art. Check out my stuff on http://artofscottharris.deviantart.com Check out the ArtSketch.org review of this model here: http://www.artsketch.org/digital-art-revolution-the-sony-vaio-duo-13/ My personal verdict: Perfect for Art, especially with Clip Studio Paint.

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AuthorRick Rodriguez
CategoriesWindows tablet
TagsSony, Vaio Duo 13, Vaio Flip, Vaio Tap 11, N-Trig, Clip Studio Paint, ArtRage, Sketchbook Pro, Manga Studio
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Reader tip: DIY Smudgeguard

Reader Jora Thompson sent in the following this morning. I've been considering a Smudgeguard myself. When I first got my iPhone and later my first iPad, I was very fastidious about wiping down the screens daily. Now with five other touchscreens spread throughout the house, I'm lucky if I wipe them down once a week.

Do you use a Smudgeguard or a similar product? Have you tried making your own like Jora did? Let us know below. 

* * * 

Smudgeguard, the height of tablet pc artist fashion?

By JORA THOMPSON

Hey there, I love the page, visit it quite often for updates, I thought I might let you know of something that has been 2 birds, maybe 3, with one stone. Or at least something almost as cheap as a stone

I have used a Smudgeguard for years. I know a lot of illustrators don't use them. I wont go through the lengthy list of uses of a Smudgeguard for traditional and digital. but I will say for a traditional, or digital illustrator: completely worth it, and even more worth it if you work on a screen tablet.

Especially important if you do pencil work, ink work, or digital inking.

Anyway---

After 5 years, I just recently lost my Smudgeguard, sadly right before I got my Surface Pro.

I did not want to wait for shipping, so I went to local store and bought a pair of $0.50 one size fits all winter gloves (thinnest also happened to be the cheapest). Cut them to resemble a Smudgeguard (leaving only pinky, side of palm, and wrist covered.

And bingo! Now my hand effortlessly glides over the screen and will even after marathon sessions.

...and so rarely in life does this happen, and does it ever happen for $0.50?

The temporary solution to my small problem, totally negated a much larger issue I was having...palm rejection. My pro is not defective, just the way I hold my hand/lift pen and set down hand is just out of bounds so that the palm rejection is not reliable. With the glove I don't worry about this at all.

(the 3rd bird) Additionally I wonder if this might be a solution to the Cintiq Companion's on screen buttons, where in that when your pen is close, palm rejection does not let you tap the onscreen buttons with the free hand. Which would be a huge annoyance to me, to have to pull my pen hand away to tap a button.... So maybe if one can turn off palm rejection, pen in the protected hand, tappy tap with the other

Ultimately I will still be seeking a different smudgeguard, since I don't expect this one to last for years, and isn't as perfectly comfortable or as thin as the other.

I don't know if an 'official' smudgeguard is thick enough material to stop palm rejection. Also I think they are more expensive than they used to be, I'm sure a person could make their own. I imagine non-scratchy thin polyester gloves would be best to DYI.

And I have heard a lot of people say to me, "I don't want to have to have this thing on my hand when I draw/paint" 

I'm sure many inexperienced archers said the same thing in reference to drawing an arrow.

Also, with the a specifically made Smudgeguard, you forget your wearing it after a moment, many times I've gone to the store... sat down to dinner... still wearing it.

 
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AuthorRick Rodriguez
CategoriesTips
TagsSmudgeguard, glove
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Batman 66's Jonathan Case sizes up Cintiq Companion vs. Surface Pro 2

If you are a fan of the campy 60's Batman tv series, you owe it to yourself to check out Batman '66 on Comixology. Each issue is only 99 cents and is packed with great art and outstanding motion effects. 

Artist Jonathan Case's positive reviews of the first generation Surface Pro convinced a lot of us that Microsoft's tablet pc wasn't merely a toy. In the hands of a professional artist, the Surface Pro is a serious workhorse.

Case is back this week with a review of the Wacom Cintiq Companion. And because he also owns a Surface Pro 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, Case offers a fascinating comparison between the three devices.

I highly recommend you read his thoughtful post here. 

Frames from Batman 66, artwork by Jonathan Case (c) DC Comics

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AuthorRick Rodriguez
Categoriesreviews
TagsWacom, Cintiq Companion, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, Jonathan Case
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A couple of very different sketches

The news was light today and I haven't installed any new software in a couple of days, so I decided to actually use the Surface Pro for a change. 

I'm not a 2d artist, I just play one on this blog.  But what I like about these two images is how different they are aesthetically despite both being created in Manga Studio. 

For #PortraitNovember, I used one of Ray Frenden's soft pencil brushes for this quick sketch of my daughter. 

One of my former colleagues posted a very attractive photo of herself on Facebook this morning and Tex Avery's howling wolf cartoons sprung into my head. So I tracked down a shot from one of the shorts and used it as an excuse to practice inking and flat coloring.

The Yiynova tablet monitor I received earlier this week has a defect and is being replaced, but before it died I began working on this image of the granddaddy of superheroes The Shadow. The image I was using as reference is on a Kindle HD 8.9 and the Surface Pro 2 is off-screen powering the Yiynova. 

 

What projects did you work on this week? Do you have an image you've drawn on your Surface Pro that you'd like to share with our readers? Use the contact page form to send me a note with a link. Make sure to says what software you used and if you care to walk us through your technique, that's even better! 

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AuthorRick Rodriguez
CategoriesTips
TagsManga Studio, Clip Studio Paint
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Daarken video review Wacom Cintiq Companion

Digital artist and teacher Daarken has posted a very detailed and informative review of Wacom's first tablet pc to accompany his written review published earlier this month. Check them out.

This is my review of the new Wacom Companion. The version I have is the 256 GB Companion. In short, this computer is awesome. I highly recommend it and I will be using it for all of my professional work. Sorry for the dark video, I live in a cave.

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AuthorRick Rodriguez
Categoriesreviews, Windows tablet
TagsWacom, Cintiq Companion, review, Daarken
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Nib replacement for Surface Pro pen? Fuggedaboutit

A while back, a reader asked  about replacement nibs for the Surface Pro pen.  I hadn't considered the question until that moment because many months ago I had replaced my standard pen with a Wacom Bamboo Stylus Feel - Carbon (a name only a Japanese company could bring to market).

Unlike the standard stylus, all replacement pens come with extra pen nibs. In addition to the Carbon, I've purchased three other Surface Pro compatible pens and I had assumed all along that  the nibs were interchangeable. That assumption turned out to be incorrect. 

The standard Surface Pro pen's blue nib (center) doesn't match either the older wider nib above or the shorter Stylus Feel nib below.

The older Samsung and Wacom stylii I reviewed here have a wider diameter and don't fit in the Surface Pro pen's barrel.

The nibs for the Bamboo Stylus Feel pens are the correct diameter, but almost imperceptibly shorter in length.  Before realizing this, I put a Feel nib into the Surface Pro pen and had a devil of a time pulling it out again.  I've seen some posts on the TabletPCReview.com forums state that the nibs are compatible. They are not.    Take my word for this, DON'T TRY IT AT HOME!

Searching the Microsoft online store turned up no replacement nibs for sale.

Recently, the official Microsoft Surface blog posted a feature dedicated to the Surface Pro pen that included a new email address for "like-minded pen enthusiasts." I wrote asking for advice about nib replacements. Last night, Microsoft's Markus Weickenmeier, whose title is Manager - Surface wrote back confirming that Microsoft doesn't sell nib replacements.

So when your nib wears down (and it will), the only Microsoft solution is a replacement pen for $30. 

My advice is to pick up one of the available alternative stylii and store the standard pen as a collectible or for when you pass it along on eBay or Gazelle. Although the alternatives cost the same or more, they feel better to write and draw with and come with several replacement nibs. And when you run out of those, additional sets of five nibs cost only $5 - $10 direct from the Wacom Store. 

Wacom Customer Care overview of how and when to change the nib of a Bamboo or Bamboo Fun pen. The tips provided here apply to Surface Pro compatible stylii as well.

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AuthorRick Rodriguez
CategoriesTips, news
TagsSurface Pro pen, Microsoft, Wacom, Bamboo Stylus feel, Penabled Tablet PC Eraser Pen, Digitizer Pen/Stylet, Samsung
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Woodard: Bosto and Surface Pro make great combo

The Surface Pro and the other mobile devices we generally discuss on this site are awesome drawing tablets.

But let's face it: whether we're talking about 10 inches or 13, they're still cramped. Sometimes you just want -- no, need some elbow room. 

I'll admit that I envy those of you with 22- or 24-inch Cintiqs at work or at home. Though I've always wanted a B.A.T. (big ass tablet), I could never justify the cost of such an expensive toy. 

Recently, illustrator, designer and custom brush seller Ray Frenden (@Frenden) began reviewing much lower cost Wacom alternatives on his site Frenden.com. His positive experience and reviews convinced me to take the plunge and order a Yiynova MVP22U(V2) tablet monitor. 

It's been waylaid in transit by a train derailment earlier this week (no lie), but I'll write up my experiences as soon as it arrives (assuming it's not lying under a freight car).

In the meantime, I thought I'd point you to this review by artist Jon Woodard (@mastajwood), who was inspired to try out the even lower priced Bosto Kingtee 19MA. I've read some horror stories online regarding Bosto's latest 22-inch model and canceled an order for one after Frenden tweeted some of his dismal results with a review unit.

However, Jon offers high praise for his new device in his post: http://sjcpanda.blogspot.com/2013/10/bosto-vs-cintiq.html. And below, you can see his first output on the new tablet monitor.

“If my pockets were DEEP,” writes Woodard, “I’d have a Cintiq 22HD without a doubt. As my pockets are more along the lines of ‘humble freelancer’ - the Bosto is perfection.”

Drawn with Bosto 19" tablet monitor on Surface Pro.

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AuthorRick Rodriguez
Categoriesreviews, Windows tablet
TagsBosto, Kingtee 19MA, Jon Woodard
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