cintiq, surface, ipad pro

Lynn Larson · 30 Mar 2016, 18:40

I was going to get a surface pro 4, stopped at Best Buy last week and the iPad Pro's were on sale, $100 off...that covered the cost of the pencil I have a wacom intuous medium hooked up to my comp, and i'm very happy with both so far!

Valerie Bean · 31 Mar 2016, 01:38

@lmrush I've been using a Surface Pro 3 and Photoshop CC for painting since November 2014; I've never tried a Cintiq so I can't compare them, but I use my Surface daily and I'm extremely happy with it.

Russ Van Dine · 31 Mar 2016, 02:52

I use an old cintiq that I got for 800 bucks off of eBay. a whole bunch were on sale and this one had a scratch so it sold for far less, 22" model. The scratch was in the protective film... so I have had it and use it all the time... I feel fortunate!

dvandegriend · 31 Mar 2016, 12:12

@lmrush I don't use my surface for artwork because I have the non pro kind. I don't really draw or sketch digital though. I use photoshop to color and that's it. I like using paper and ink. To me it feels more organic and i love seeing the tiny nicks and fliks of ink rather than a smooth digital line. But that's just my preference and that's why I've never really gotten into drawing digital. Mainly the surface is a great bridge between a Desktop computer, a Laptop, and a Tablet!

lmrush · 31 Mar 2016, 12:22

@Lynn-Larson Thank you Lynn-yes I was looking at those as well

lmrush · 31 Mar 2016, 12:22

@Valerie-Bean Thank you Valerie!

lmrush · 31 Mar 2016, 12:24

@Russ-Van-Dine Do you draw upright or put the cintiq flat? trying to envision the process with the cintiq- Did you test drive the cintiq anywhere before you bought one?

Russ Van Dine · 1 Apr 2016, 01:24

I mostly have it upright, it strains my back to lean over it all the time. I had used one at a friends house only once and I thought it was great. My cintiq is older but everything still works great. I am woking on the svs monthly challenge right now on it and loving every minute of it!

Sarah LuAnn · 1 Apr 2016, 01:22

I went with a yiynova instead of a cintiq and really like it a lot. I read a lot of reviews and comparisons before making my decision. Basically everything I read summed up to this: the yiynova gives you about 90% of the quality that you get with a cintiq, but at about 50% of the price. I've had mine since September and I'd say that's pretty accurate--I have had no problems with it and am completely satisfied with my decision to get it rather than a cintiq. It really is a very nice tablet monitor, not quite as sleek and high-end as a cintiq, but also without the price tag.

BWoodford · 1 Apr 2016, 01:23

I have a small Wacom Pen and Touch tablet and I'm very happy with it! It doesn't break the bank and it gets the job done.

lmrush · 31 Mar 2016, 23:33

Does anyone know if a Core I 5 is enough or should I splurge for Core I 7 does it make a difference for us using PS CC ?

lmrush · 1 Apr 2016, 01:21

I went with a Dell all in one with Core I 7 , it was only $50 more than the I5. Going to keep using my Wacom bamboo for a while, while I save for a cintiq- Thank you everyone for all your posts.

lmrush · 1 Apr 2016, 01:22

@Sarah-LuAnn Thank you Sarah, you paint like a master with it you should be happy!

lmrush · 1 Apr 2016, 01:23

@BWoodford Yes, I feel the same way about my bamboo, it is 8 years old and so simple nothing on it to break, I feel like it could last forever

lmrush · 1 Apr 2016, 01:24

@Russ-Van-Dine That was one of my worries-the strain, thanks for sharing!

evilrobot · 2 Apr 2016, 02:41

I actually just got an Ipad pro today...messed around in procreate a little bit. Going to take Will Terry's class before I decide on if I like it or not...but so far I'm not that impressed seems like my wacom performs much better....but it could be I don't know the app well enough yet or just haven't found the right app.

Leslie Walker · 2 Apr 2016, 07:21

@evilrobot try Paintstorm. It is a fun little program and you can customize the crap out of your brushes on that one. Youtube has some good reviews on procreate and paintstorm.

evilrobot · 2 Apr 2016, 20:48

Alright been messing with my Ipad Pro for a bit now. Ok, it's awesome...but I'll still be using my cintiq more than it. I'd say if you are buying it for your only drawing device unless you own a mac computer, it would be a bad idea...because you won't have access to Adobe programs and manga studio ....and other programs....you can't use it like a cintiq unless you own a mac. Also I'm, use to using dual monitors for my reference and to listen to music and other things while I'm working...so as a portable sketch book it will be awesome for me.....but it's still pretty expensive and you could buy a small new cintiq for around the same price or a used older but bigger cintiq for less....I got my 21" cintiq on ebay for $800.00 two years ago and still think it's the best investment I've ever made.

lmrush · 2 Apr 2016, 22:00

@evilrobot Thank you. That is my plan, use my new computer as reference and save for a cintiq- my 8 year old bamboo will just have to hang in there for a while

chenzui · 21 Dec 2018, 09:35

This post is a bit old but note that the iPad has a pretty short lifespan, I am a digital artist . I must tell you that you could probably get 2-3 years of smooth operation out of it before it starts to slow down, if you're getting the Pro models, that's around a grand every 2-3 years.

A XP-Pen Artist is peripheral - separate from your computer which means it'll operate as well 5 years later like it was the 1st day you got it. Not to mention, iPads probably won't go above 13 inches max. Most artists will tell you screen real estate is pretty valuable, to be able to draw without zooming in helps keep the colour, tone or detail work together in a composition. Though if you do buy a XP-Pen Artist , probably best to get something above 20 inches. such as my XP-Pen Artist 22E Pro Pen Display Monitor tablet .