#i got an ipad last year but took it back because my wacom had started working

[patrickztump]

got an ipad so i had to draw my son in his many positions of rest

[marikaaajoy]

my relationship with digital art and how BNHA salvaged it

I just wanted to let out my thoughts but I can only do it here :>

This might be a downer for some people but I’d like to share it with people here. BNHA means the world to me and this is why.

I first started drawing when I was 7 years old in 2006

I think it’s ugly now, but 7 year old me remembered being so proud of this because this is a drawing of my stepfather. This is the only drawing I have that was from my childhood. I think the aim here is to draw in anime style BUT I didn’t even watch anime back then. I had a classmate who loves anime and she taught me to draw in school. Drawing became a favorite hobby immediately after that.

Then it was 2013 and I was 14 years old. Drawing is still my favorite thing to do besides being on the computer. I love anime at this point too. My parents bought an iPad for the whole family, but I was almost always the one using it. I discovered an app called ArtStudio and thought “Wow, I can draw without making a mess and with only my fingers” because I was always too lazy to take out my drawing materials and clean up afterwards.

These were my first digital drawings. The pirate one was the very first. I got obsessed real fast. I can color so easily, undo any mistake, layers are a blessing too. There was just so much more freedom. I always sucked at coloring in traditional art and I didn’t like the mess (idk my hands get so messy traditionally)

The next year, it was 2014, I was 15. My birthday is in a couple of months and I knew my parents were planning to buy me something pricey (I think it was a laptop) so I approached them and asked if they could just buy the Wacom Bamboo as a present which was cheaper anyway and I even explained how it works to them and how it would allow me to draw on the computer instead of the iPad. I tried really hard to be convincing. I would have prepared a powerpoint presentation if I had to.

They did give me the wacom as a present. They even gave it to me months before my birthday so I could use it already. I thought I was the luckiest teen in the world with my parents.

These are a collection of my favorite works from 2014 to 2016. The middle one was my second drawing using wacom and Paint Tool SAI. I was a part of a lot of fandoms in those years lol

It gets downhill from there :/

April 2016, my mom and I moved to Japan, while my stepfather and siblings stay in my country. It was tough. For someone who is obsessed with anime, you’d think I’d be thrilled to live in Japan.

I was. Though only at the first few months. It’s not the same as it’s portrayed in anime (I should’ve known but I used to be blinded by anime). It was just lonely. The language barrier sucked and then lots of financial and family issues until my parents split. I got my first boyfriend too and I thought I was blessed by the nicest boy, but the relationship became extremely toxic but I didn’t have it in me to walk away.

All the shit that happened affected me mentally and emotionally. My biggest outlet which was digital drawing, was also out of the question because I did not have a computer/laptop when we moved to Japan. We left it in our home for my stepfather and siblings, even the iPad. I have my wacom with me, but no computer/laptop to use it with. I couldn’t draw.

I tried though. I used my phone to draw, but it wasn’t the same. Then the life problems got piled up, things got worse, and I just lost motivation in anything. Literally anything. From 2016 to 2019, I stopped watching anime, I dropped out of all the fandoms I’m in, I stopped watching my favorite TV series or movies, and I stopped drawing. I even got a bit disconnected with my friends who lived in my country (we talk regularly online). My family was broken so I gave all my attention to my toxic relationship as well which made everything worse too lol

I didn’t draw besides from a few scribbles and the drawings above. I did try digital art on my phone a couple of times again and even posted them on my IG, but they weren’t any good. Eventually, I got mentally and emotionally drained and dropped out of senior high school. I just stayed home for almost a year, leeching off of my mom. I felt even more worthless and my life had no direction at this point. Nothing mattered anymore.

April 2019 or so I think, my (ex)bf bought me a laptop. He says it’s a gift, but I think the real reason was to make up for something horrible that he did (which is stupid because money /gifts won’t resolve anything). I have a laptop. I can draw again, but I didn’t. I didn’t care, I wasn’t interested in drawing anymore anyway.

Welp. June 2019, I went back to my country. My (ex) bf stayed in Japan. The distance helped me end the relationship and my friends were there (they always were) to help put me back together along with two trips to therapy. I went back to finish my senior high school in my own country this time. That said, I have to stay in my country for school (but I was happy because I didn’t wanna go back to Japan yet when the breakup was still fresh and with going back to school, my life has a direction again.)

It was weird. I remember just being sorta lost and confused because I used to put my time, effort and everything into my previous toxic relationship, which was now gone. I was free and I had so much free time that I didn’t know what to do with it. I got so used to doing nothing and being nothing.

This is where BNHA enters.

Dunno when it started, but I started seeing Bakugou frequently online. It’s usually just Bakugou. I knew who he was because my friend suggested BNHA to me back in late 2018 I think but I didn’t watch it since I’ve lost interest in everything at that point in my life.

But ye I thought he hot af but I still didn’t watch BNHA.

But then for some reason he REALLY kept appearing in my social medias and it was really frequent. The last straw was when I saw a pic of him in UA’s gym uniform and thought “damn boi aight imma watch bnha for u” (y’all gotta admit he looks good in those colors with his combat boots XD )

I watched BNHA. Fell in love with Iida along the way. Then I switched to Tokoyami (but Shoji was hot too so aaaaa), but then angry emotionally-constipated sea urchin head caught my heart again. But oof. BakuDeku moments really made me feel some type of way I haven’t felt since I moved to Japan. It felt new but nostalgic. I fell hard in that ship.

I started obsessing. From memes to posts to fanfictions to buying merch to filling my room with BNHA posters. I realized I was reverting to my old self from the time I was still happy and it was thanks to BNHA (and the good people who helped me through the worst too)

Shit I wanted to draw BNHA, I thought.

I mean, I have a laptop, I still have my wacom and drawing softwares. I could totally draw digitally again if I wanted to.

But guess what

I can’t :c

My hand physically cannot draw. My drawings don’t look the way I want them too. 3 years of not drawing really destroyed any skill I had. I was back to square one.

September (yeah they’re ugly, I laughed at it). If you’re wondering why I drew on paper, it’s because, for some reason, I really CANNOT draw digitally. I mean it. I can barely sketch digitally at this point. The lines and shapes just doesn’t come to life. They’re just scribbles. But somehow, I can kinda draw on paper with a ballpoint pen. But yeah, that was the best I could do at this point in my life

After that, I still tried to draw, to regain my old art style, but it didn’t happen... It just doesn’t look or feel the same. Drawing used to be fun. But during this phase, it felt like my ugly drawings were just mocking me (probably was just too emo that time lol)

Weirdly, around a week or two I think, after my half-assed attempts at drawing, I managed to draw digitally somehow o.o

I did a Midoriya and Todoroki drawing like this too. It was my first post here on Tumblr I think. The annoying part here is that I cannot draw digitally unless I draw on paper first, take a pic, and then trace the lineart. I couldn’t draw directly on the computer. Granted, drawing on paper and drawing on digital is very different for me in the first place anyway. But it was still a pain. And it still looked like shit. I can only draw stiff poses :/ it seems like my brain decided to delete all data about anatomy and posture and backgrounds. My lineart here is even messy af. It still really not the same as my old style.

By 2020, I think I got my old art style back. On March, I made this. This took me 27 total of hrs to make.

Right now, I think it’s not bad, but back in March, I was disappointed with the result. This is when I finally broke down crying because it didn’t look good enough and I hated that it took me 27 hrs to draw “bullshit.” I was angry at myself for losing interest in drawing for 3 years when I could’ve used that time to improve. I had to start all over again and it still didn’t look good. (Current me thinks that the drawing above is alright. I was just a lot harsher to myself back then. Used to have a lot of issues but I’m doing great now)

I cried myself to sleep that night. Woke up wanting to cry again. I wallowed in sadness for a couple of days. Eventually told my friends what’s up. Got some pep talk. Even talked to my sister (she’s great, she always hypes me up with my stuff and sometimes I think she’s my biggest fan with how she appreciates my drawings and I’m really grateful for that).

My world turned a 180 and I was weirdly positive after all that crying because brain chemicals and shit. I had a revelation. If I hate how my art style looked so much, then I should have been putting effort in changing my art style, not trying to regain my old art style (that I don’t like anymore)

I researched a lot. I analyzed different art styles and anatomy again. I did everything I could think of to find a style that works for me. I might have even neglected school for a bit to focus on digital art lmao

After all that work, I posted a fanart of middle school BakuDeku in their classroom. I love that fanart so much even if I probably have better ones by now because that was the first fanart I made that I felt like I could be proud of and it was the first one I made in my new art style. It was a milestone for me.

March 2020, I moved back to Japan and without the toxic relationship, I’m a lot positive now. Happy. I’m myself again after the previous bad years. I’m still continuously learning though, trying to improve, but at least, now, I found my own art style :) I really suck at interacting with people online, but I’m always grateful for the support everyone has been giving my fanarts. I’m happy when my content makes people happy.

This is why BNHA is important to me. The series is great alone, but it’s not just that to me. BNHA is so much more. It’s what made me find the passion to create again, only this time, it’s focused on drawing (I used to write, but now I just draw, but maybe I’ll write again for BNHA).

My family is supportive with my love for BNHA, but I think they don’t know the deeper reason why I love it. Sure, I was fine living on with nothing much going on in my life. I’ll finish school, get a job, work until I die or something. It was okay. It was the way of life. But BNHA gave my life color again. I wasn’t just blindly going through life anymore. I have something to look forward to everyday now. BNHA even became a bridge to other things. Ever since then, I’m a lot more open to people, to try new things, to explore and not just live through life and waste away. I got better at leaving my comfort zone. I’ve never been happier in my life :D

Thank you for supporting my fanarts. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to express myself through BNHA. I hope to make more content in the future and improve even more :)

[neko-snicker]

A super fun walk through of how my art has changed over the years

check it out if you’re interested! 

I’ve always drawn things as a kid, I honestly can’t remember a time in elementary school where I wasn’t getting in trouble for drawing all over something. I always drew traditionally until my grade six “graduation” when my parents got me an Ipad 2. I got to choose one app to buy, and that app was Idraw, a simple Vector-based drawing app that immediately took over my life.

 I would draw all sorts of stuff on that app from Nyan cat to my Minecraft avatar. And then I found the horse show. Feeling Pinkie Keen was my gateway drug to horse fandom. I watched all of season 1 (which was all that was there at the time) and my little 12 year old mind got an amazing idea: I’LL MAKE MY OWN PONY. Her name is Firefly and I still love her, fight me.

 I drew a TON of drawings of her (which I don’t have anymore ;n; ) It wasn’t until I started looking for information on season 2 that I discovered the fandom: mostly through YouTube videos of askblog dubs. And then I found DEVIANTART and I was hooked. I started actually posting my drawings around 2012-2013 I remember my only art goal was to get into EQD’s Drawfriend

 And then came the ask blog. After discovering Jan Animation’s Ask The Crusaders, I knew I had to do it. Here are some of my first few posts. It’s obvious that even from a young age, I craved that horse clout.

 And then I got THE ACTUAL DRAWING TABLET, my good old Wacom Bamboo that my mom picked up at winners or something. I torrented Sai and got right to doing my first raster-based drawings

By late 2013 I was in much better shape vector drawing wise, and my ask blog picked up! I’m still proud of the adventures these three dorks went on, I even still have a huge archive of fanart of them <3 It was also around this time that my first version of “Neko” appeared and I came up with the name “NekoSnicker”

Here’s some more of my early sai Work. Some big inspirations for me at the time were Jitterbugjive and DVixie (at the time, DennyButt)

2014 was a lot of askblog stuff and learning more about Sai. I was just watching ponies and chatting on skype with my other horse art friends like ShibaRoll (ThunderDaze at the time) and TheLikeableArtist. I think this is the year I made my Neko-Snicker tumblr account started doing paid commissions as well.

By late 2014, my ask blog was at an all time peak and my style had gotten a lot better and I had started getting good at animating. I was involved in projects and other blogs and was posting art regularly every day.

December 2014 would be last time I updates Ask-Firefly and the last time I had any presence on my other accounts for about seven months. Needless to say, I was going through some hard life times. When I did finally come back, I had completely changed the direction I wanted my art to go (before and after break):

I still feel awful for leaving without a word for so long, 15 year old me was not kind to do that. 

It was during this break that I started my Ask Student Luna Blog. I think I hid under another name because I was scared of people not liking my new art style. All I wanted to do was use harsh shading, interesting shapes and exaggerated faces. The freedom of a new name gave me the confidence to do this.

Student Luna really was the art outlet I needed at the time and I am soooo happy I deviated from the on model, cute style I was using before because it turns out, people liked this side of me a lot more. I gained 12,000 followers over the span of a year, 4X as much as I ever had with Firefly. And it was so much more fun.

Of course, when I did come back to my “NekoSnicker” accounts, I cut Neko’s hair and made her into who she it today to fit my new aesthetic a bit more

And from then on, I wasn’t afraid to experiment and draw less cute and more abstract horses

The last few years has really just been a steady pace of me improving my style and gaining more of a presence. I also met these two losers who have each been a big part of my art journey: Modularpone and Anticular

Thanks for reading about my art journey! There were highs and lows but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I am now happy where I am and excited to see where I’ll go next. Let’s finish off with some of my favs from the last year:

[tech-usa-blog]

The first OS X tablet: how Modbook recovered its depression You thought the iPad executed the Modbook tablet? Think again.

"Finger painting is fun when you're five years of age. Be that as it may, when you begin getting into it, will get a pen." That's the reasoning of Andreas Haas, maker of the Modbook and the recently printed CEO of Modbook Inc, on why clients would pick a Modbook over an iPad. Modbook Inc. is actually another organization, yet you have most likely heard the name before—the Modbook, a MacBook transmogrified into tablet shape with a pen and drawing tablet incorporated with the show, was sold through Haas' past organization, Axiotron from 2008 until around 2010. Around then, the organization and its Modbook items to a great extent tumbled off the radar, and most clients accepted it was because of the then-new iPad that had made its introduction in mid 2010. In any case, that was not the situation, as per Haas, who has now left stowing away keeping in mind the end goal to reintroduce the world to his creation.

"When I began Axiotron, we had an incredible group and the organization was fine. We had an awesome keep running until we opened up to the world—after two weeks, Lehman Brothers went midsection up and brought us down alongside the money related framework. Access to capital was an immense issue," Haas told Ars. "With the goal for me to proceed on my vision of making a tablet PC for the innovative business, the best way to do it was to make another organization."

Undoubtedly, we had put in about two years attempting to dive into what was happening at Axiotron. Beside the "iPad executed the Modbook" hypothesis, we had started to hear gossipy tidbits that Axiotron had keep running into lawful issues—conceivably even with Apple. However, those bits of gossip were totally false, battles Haas. He says that he and Modbook have dependably had a sound association with Apple, and that there were no lawful issues required in the organization's two-year hindrance. "When the ModBook turned out, Apple came to us and requesting that we turn into a restrictive arrangement supplier," he said. "That didn't wind up working out, yet we were moved to an engineer contract. We are currently an Apple "designer" and we have an incredible working relationship."

The new Modbook: same as the old Modbook?

Beside the organization's financing—which is presently altogether private—Haas' new organization is to a great extent the same as the old one. As is the item, in any event in its center qualities. Modbook Inc. makes a big appearance on Thursday with a recently refreshed rendition of the Modbook Pro, which not just games more present day specs than the old forms of the gadget, additionally a totally new fenced in area. The base specs begin at a 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 processor with up to 16GB of RAM and either a 1TB hard drive or a 960GB SSD, with a SuperDrive and Intel HD 4000 representation. That can be knock up to a 2.9GHz Core i7 processor too, and all machines accompanied the standard MacBook Pro battery and in addition a MagSafe control connector.

Be that as it may, it's not quite recently the inner specs that are new—by and by, the 2012 Modbook Pro is in no way like the Modbook of 2008 through 2010.

"We changed our approach in the matter of how we coordinate the framework," Haas told Ars. "We used to fabricate it, electronically, near the base framework. In addition to the fact that that was dubious to do, yet when Apple changed motherboards, it additionally raised more conceivable outcomes for disappointment on our end. This time around, we asked 'what's the best nitwit confirmation approach?'"

The appropriate response was that the organization now seals the majority of the Modbook's outside associations into the inner gadget, a changed 13" MacBook Pro with a custom Wacom digitizer incorporated with the show. The thought is to offer inventive experts an approach to take a shot at a "genuine" PC while as yet offering them a tablet-like ordeal—a kind of Frankenstein between the iPad and a typical MacBook Pro.

"We don't have the gleaming screen that is on each other tablet out there, on the grounds that while it's awesome for hands, it's less to draw," Haas said. "We additionally enhanced the digitizer from the past Modbook, and there's greatly enhanced protecting within. The entire thing has been enhanced to improve it even and enable us to manage whatever motherboard Apple may toss at us, and get the most ideal pen digitizer encounter on the screen. We're as yet the main ones that have 512 weight levels, as well—no one else does that."

Shouldn't something be said about the iPad?

We checked on the first Modbook in 2008, about two years before the iPad would make its open presentation. What's more, when the iPad was discharged, we were certain the Modbook had seen its last days. In any case, Haas demands that they exist in altogether extraordinary markets in spite of both being "tablets," and the iPad really helps the Modbook prevail in the market.

"I'm taking a gander at all these tablets out there, similar to the iPad, and seeing the seeds of a future Modbook Pro client," Haas said. "Nearly everybody has an iPad or iPhone. I wouldn't have any desire to live without it. Be that as it may, as an organization, we are taking a gander at an exceptionally unmistakable specialty. The inventive business does not have an item that addresses their issue to draw on a genuine PC's screen and have it be compact. It's quite recently not out there."

Haas started rattling off various routes in which the present day Modbook Pro has favorable position over the iPad. Screen size is a major one, however so is the bezel around the screen. "There is a considerable amount of a bezel around the show. The reason it's there is on the grounds that we took a gander at how individuals utilize the gadgets and they require something to lay their hand on," Haas let me know. "In the event that you take a gander at an iPad, there's nothing to lay your hand on. In the event that you utilize a pen, you don't have a great deal of room until your hand tumbles off! Also, when you go into programming contrasts and an out and out Mac framework, that progressions everything as well."

It's vital to note that Haas is no more odd to The Apple Way™. What's more, the Modbook Pro—as odd as it appears—is straightforwardly motivated by some past Apple ventures. Haas used to work at Apple amid the long-gone Newton days, before Steve Jobs come back to the organization and killed off the venture for absence of offers. However, the thought stayed with Haas sufficiently long for him to dispatch not one, but rather two organizations to make the item he has confidence in.

"I needed to make a pen-based Mac as far back as I worked at Apple. I recall there was a test gadget, and Andy Warhol had a chance to take a gander at it, and he simply cherished it. That is the thing that I needed to do," Haas clarified. "The pen went to the Newton, and afterward that left. I needed to bring back this gadget for specialists as a result of how I saw Andy utilizing it. Also, once the Modbook turned out, we began got notification from individuals who utilize it similarly."

Truth be told, the inventive masters who have come to depend on the Modbook (Pro) don't even fundamentally utilize it as a Mac. On account of the coming of Boot Camp, Haas says there are a lot of clients who introduce Windows 7 on their Modbooks so they can keep on drawing on a strong, tablet-like PC—just with another working framework. "We were actually investigating the shoulder of individuals who utilize the gadget to perceive what they did with it. Modbook is really situated in an indistinguishable working from a movement studio, and at times you see Modbook and Modbook Pros in there."

Haas went ahead to clarify that the innovative business can be exceptionally adaptable with what advancements specialists utilize, and they are generally very cheerful to have the capacity to utilize whatever working framework they're most usual to—regardless of whether that is OS X or Windows. "Truth be told, one of the Modbook's biggest single client construct is utilizing it solely in light of Windows!"

Gaining from past oversights

There are a few things the new Modbook Inc. won't do with its recently relaunched Modbook Pro. For one, Haas swears the organization will never again compose checks it can't money in regards to specs, dispatch dates, or whatever else. This is something Axiotron did a lot before the dispatch of the first Modbook—Haas credits this to weight from financial specialists—and it's additionally why the current Modbook has no formal ship date yet. Haas disclosed to Ars that the organization arrangements to transport the new Modbook Pro in "early fall," however that a strong ship date is probably going to go in close vicinity to half a month.

Haas additionally says the organization won't transform a MacBook Air into a Modbook Air at any point in the near future—a question I solicited him in January from 2008 when the MacBook Air initially turned out, and asked again as we visited for this present week.

"The appropriate response is a number: 16," he said. "The question is: how far would you be able to develop the primary memory of the framework? The Air is constrained to 8GB of RAM and the MacBook Pro can go up to 16GB, and we need to ask ourselves where this gadget will wind up. The general population who utilize the Modbook Pro will utilize Photoshop, Illustrator, and Final Cut Pro. The center gathering is inventive experts, and they need three things: control, a vast screen, and compactness."

Haas says there are different socioeconomics who have taken up the Modbook other than simply innovative professionals—he disclosed to me an anecdote about debilitated clients fancying the Modbook Pro's strength (to process openness highlights) while remaining lap-accommodating and versatile. Yet, he called attention to that even those clients tend to need a similar fundamental things out of a tablet PC. Or if nothing else they need those things out of the Modbook; they can utilize their iPads for something else.

[kayroseoldblog]

iPad Pro w/ Apple Pencil vs. Wacom Cintiq Companion

Hello everyone!For Christmas this year, I received an iPad Pro 12.9in and an Apple Pencil!

As someone who has been practicing digital art for almost 10 years now, I thought it made sense to throw my two cents into the internet about this tool. I also included a few other people's thoughts on each device to try and make the review as well rounded as possible!

Keeping in mine that my Cintiq Companion 1 is three years old now, and my iPad is the latest 2016 edition, you can take this review with a grain of salt if you like.

Let me first start by listing the tools I have used to draw with...

Drawing Tablets I've used:

Wacom Bamboo Tablet (No longer available)

Wacom Intuous 4 Tablet (No longer available?)

Wacom Cintiq Companion (First gen, 2013, Windows 8)

and now:iPad Pro 12.9 w/ Apple PencilDrawing 

Programs I've used:

Photoshop Elements

Corel Painter

Sketchbook Express

Paint Tool Sai

Fire Alpaca

Photoshop CC

Procreate App

Medibang Paint App

The Cintiq 

I've had a Wacom Cintiq Companion v1 since 2012-2013 ish, and I have always loved it. I took to drawing directly on the screen pretty fast, and since beginning to use it, I've always had a slight disconnect when returning to regular drawing tablets. I'm just not as used to it anymore, but I do use them in a pinch.

The Cintiq has an amazing Tempered Glass screen which gives the texture of the drawing a really nice feel, though it seems to make its accuracy suffer, it's very easy to tell that you are drawing on a SCREEN and theres a bit of glass between you and your drawing, but you hardly notice it when drawing usually.

However, Wacom recently, in my opinion, has been going down hill with its portable tablets...I haven't tried out/seen anyone usng the Mobile Studio, but maybe that one is better! Sure looks promising!

My cintiq's charger has been broken for some time now, and after doing some research I found out that any tablet manufactured before July 2014 has a really bad charging problem...and Wacom will fix it for free, but it's been known to just be a band-aid fix. Many friends have said this about their external drawing tablets from Wacom in recent years as well. It makes me miss my old Intuos 4!

My Cintiq has a battery life right out of the box of between 8-10 hours. I use photoshop extensively to draw, and sometimes switch between that and other programs, making 8 hours about the max I can get out of it. After a year or so, that went down to 5-8. So I wouldnt use this more at home than on the go.​

Pros:

OS is up to you (Mac or PC available)

Desktop Applications (Creative Cloud, etc)

Pen w/ eraser on back- Comes with Stand/Case/Pen in one cost

Sort of Portable

Custom Brushes/Downloadable Brushes

Can use on its own w/ no external monitor​

Pressure Sensitive

Cons:

Heavy heavy heavy!

Very thick

Fan gets loud

Included stand is pretty bad

Calibration is off near the edges (Granted, not many people draw near the edges)- Wacom usually has problems

Horrible Battery life

Takes a long time to charge

Screen resolution is odd

Colors are always slightly off

While my review is of the Cintiq Companion 1, I've noticed not much difference in my friend's Cintiq 2, aside from the battery charge lasting a little longer, and it being a bit lighter in weight, but they had this to say:

"Haven't used the iPad so i'm biased - t's the industry standard, I like having the touch keys while drawing, i like the texture of the surface, and it's powerful enough to run Adobe programs without lag, I also like that it's fairly portable if you don't mind the weight. The color on screen I think is sliiiiightly off bc whenever I transfer it from there to my phone or elsewhere something is just... off with the colors. Cintiq is powerful. Use it if you're like professional, because Adobe programs and other stuff. Plus it's a laptop. But if you're just looking for something to do digital art on, the iPad is cheaper and will do it for you from what I hear.  I enjoy [my cintiq companion 2], it does what I need it to and that's all I asked for."

The iPad Pro 12.9in w/ Apple Pencil

Now to be fair, I've only had my iPad for a week and a half, but I think that's even more impressive, because I love it WAY more than my cintiq

The battery life of the iPad is already way longer than my cintiq ever had. I've charged my iPad once since unboxing it. (it was unboxed at about 70%) and thats with extensive drawing every day. Apple says it gets between 10-18 hours of life depending on what you're doing, and boy is that true The downside is that this thing takes FOREVER to charge again, but for how long it lasts, I suppose it's a small price to pay.

The Apple Pencil has an amazing battery life and charges incredibly fast. I've topped it off once since getting it, and it charges fast. Charging it for 15 seconds supposedly gets you another 30 minutes of life. I haven't tested that out, but I wouldn't doubt it honestly. I was able to charge it from 12% to 100% in just 20 minutes, and that's the only time I've had to charge it!

The Apple Pencil feels great on the iPad, and glides really nicely and naturally. It didn't take me long to get used to it at all, it's very much like drawing on the cintiq screen which I liked. However the pressure sensitivity is even more accurate, and the ability of the pencil to draw exactly where you put down your tip is INCREDIBLE. It's very much like drawing on paper.

The size is also great, as it's like drawing on any A4 paper if you draw portrait, and the real-estate of the screen drawing landscape is even nicer. The resolution is much more comfortable than the cintiq's, and I don't feel like I'm drawing in a super cramped area. (Though this all depends on the App you use, I'm not a fan of Medibang Paint as I feel like everything is so squished!)

The Apple Pencil also has the ability to draw tilted. The cintiq's stylus has this too, but it's not as accurate or helpful. This is what makes the Apple Pencil a PENCIL and not a stylus.

However, the Pencil and iPad, which are sold separately, don't come with anything to hold the Apple Pencil in, so I had to buy a sling for it, which was only 6$, but still. It's an expensive item and you're going to want to keep it, not lose! Before buying the sling, I was constantly worried about misplacing my pencil. I don't mind not having a stand as the iPad Pro is so comfortable to draw with it in your lap, sitting anywhere you like. If you're looking for a stand for it, they're pretty cheap on Amazon

Pros:

Better Pressure Sensitivity/Accuracy

Amazing Battery Life

Extremely Portable

Cheap or free Apps W/ Great Quality. Bridging the gap for Photoshop.

Pencil feels great to draw with

iOS Updates

Custom Brushes/Downloadable Brushes

Feels more natural to draw on

No Lag

Cons

Pencil/Tablet sold separately 

Slow to charge

Case/Accessories all sold separately (I'm told Mobile Studio Cintiq will also have everything sold separate)

No Desktop Apps (Photoshop, Creative Cloud, etc)

No cursor to show how big your brush is (in Procreate at least)

ONLY compatible with iOS for iPad

Not a full computer

I was lucky enough to have professional Comic Artist, K. Lynn Smith of "Plume" give me her thoughts on the iPad Pro as well!

"Pros, extremely fun to draw on, it replicates pencil and paper perfectly and it's portability is amazing. You can draw anywhere. Cons: not a lot of storage space on the iPad, sometimes the airdrop goes wonky, and though the programs available are amazing, there are some options not available...like assistance in drawing a perfect circle or stamp/clone tool. "

You can read Plume here!

The Final Word

In all Honesty, I think I'll be using my iPad Pro for most of my digital work from now on. Between all the apps and features, especially with ProCreate, this tablet is really bridging the gap between a Ciintiq and an iPad. Procreate specificaly is missing a few things such as a crop tool, and a text tool. It also doesn't have quite as many ways to edit as Photoshop does, but it's got most of them and enough that it doesn't bother me. You can also save your files from this app as JPEGS, PNGs, PSDs, and GIFs, to name a few.

My Cintiq is currently on it's way out and wheezing its way through life , but I don't think I'll be totally getting rid of it in case I need to bring something from my iPad over for photoshop, but honestly, I do that with my traditional work already so that really isn't an issue to me.

If you're looking to get into digital work, I recommend the iPad Pro 12.9 and Apple Pencil over the current Cintiq Companions. When adding in all the things you'll need, it comes out to the same price as a Cintiq Companion.

While the Cintiq and Wacom ARE the "Industry Standard", you really cannot tell the difference any longer, and I know of many professionals who use strictly the iPad Pro 12.9! Most studios/Art Directors care about what the work looks like, not what you made it on. (unless you're animating!)

[beingmad2017-blog]

Evaluation: My 12 months With Microsoft Surface Pro

New Post has been published on https://beingmad.org/evaluation-my-12-months-with-microsoft-floor-pro/

Evaluation: My 12 months With Microsoft Surface Pro

Imperfect, Heavy, Light, Powerful, and High-quality.

Simply shy of one year ago, I transitioned from a Macbook Pro and iPad combination to a Microsoft Surface Pro 128GB. In Mild of this week’s announcement of Floor Seasoned three and my acquisition of a Surface Seasoned 2, I think it’s time to mirror on what that enjoy became like. Like maximum oldsters, I used to be a touch skeptical approximately the concept of mixing a PC and pill into a single unit. Would it be too heavy? Would the overall performance be too low? Would the battery life be awful? And what about the brand new Windows eight OS it truly is been the situation of so much teeth-gnashing? I will try to answer a lot of these questions and extra as succinctly as viable. Hit the star and let’s get into the question: what is it want to stay with Microsoft’s imaginative and prescient for computing within the destiny?

1. The Running System, starring Windows eight/8.1:

Home windows eight.1 Replace 1 had a good head start with Home windows 8, as I started the use of it in the course of the first publicly to be had betas about nine months earlier than release, twin booting on my Macbook Seasoned. That enjoy gave me masses of time to figure out how to navigate the OS properly before launch, so I didn’t have the battle that plenty of people did. Of direction, it likely facilitates that I Simply naturally enjoy exploring and coming across new matters. The early Home windows eight experience did have its struggles, though. I would end up conversant in the iPad and even to my Home windows Cellphone 7 tool, both of which had plenty of apps to be had in their shops. Home windows eight’s shop changed into notoriously barren through assessment, and that led to some early frustration whilst trying to use Floor Pro as only a tablet. Too many apps and functions had been lacking to make for a satisfying enjoy.

Although, the device’s ability to address legacy Windows desktop apps with aplomb stored me happy sufficient to continue, and the app saves catch 22 situations have become less essential by means of the day. If there are one component Home windows simply wishes to repair, though, is its way of offering the desktop. The computer continues to be wrapped in the trappings of an archaic System whose time has surpassed, and it is time for Microsoft to Replace it to a greater modern presentation that has fonts massive sufficient to examine on high DPI monitors and huge enough to function with a finger.

With eight.1 and the new eight.1 Spring Replace (truely? We couldn’t Just name it 8.2?), really all my lawsuits about Windows 8 evaporated. At the same time as a few dislike the new aesthetic, I’ve individually discovered myself loving the flat shades, active tiles and removal of extraneous outcomes. My honest hope is that as Windows evolves it gets even flatter and the metro aesthetic will become extra pervasive.

Idea: Use a Microsoft account, and use OneDrive! I can not stress these sufficient. In case you’re the use of Home windows eight–and on a Surface Seasoned, you’ll be–you shouldn’t create a local account. Doing so cuts you off from some of Home windows eight’s first-class functions. Amongst these is the ability to have almost your entire Computer configuration, proper all the way down to tile sizes, locations and apps established, sponsored up on your OneDrive account within the occasion you either need to restore your Laptop otherwise you sign into a different Windows 8.1 Laptop. satisfactory, even though, is that with OneDrive you get 7GB garage totally free, which, While no longer enough to the cowl, say, your music and snap shots collection, might be masses to make certain your essential documents are all effectively subsidized up inside moments of you making any exchange. It’s easy to learn how to keep in your OneDrive folder, and as soon as you’ve become conversant in having that safety net you will wonder the way you ever lived without it.

2. The Hardware: Build First-rate, Heft, and Capability.

Floor Seasoned Docking Station

I used to lug around a 2010 Macbook Seasoned thirteen.3″, which weighed four.5 pounds, and an iPad 1, which weighed 1.5 pounds for a complete of 6 kilos. So after I say that the 2.5 pound total of the Surface Pro and sort cover turned into a massive weight off my back, I am genuinely no longer kidding. The sacrifice was that I had a smaller screen, but the gain becomes miles more Powerful processor and a long way advanced display decision and pixel density. The Construct Nice is the first rate: there may be literally zero flex to this device, its magnesium shell is tough and robust enough to withstand likely greater abuse than you should sense comfortable making your Laptop undergo. As a pill, It’s half of a pound heavier than that unique iPad was, but as a laptop, it has a large gain over some thing Apple offers. but you possibly marvel what I use my Surface Seasoned for?

Workload

I have spent a maximum of the beyond 12 months as a movie school pupil at UCLA, this means that that quite a few my workload entails modifying and transcoding video, compositing after consequences compositions, transferring photos throughout special media and so forth. I take advantage of Adobe Top-quality for most of these responsibilities, and my Floor Pro has dealt with all of them with grace. I’ve had no issues modifying and rendering 1080p video in actual-time. And as you’d assume from a Windows device with a complete size USB port, working with external hard drives and optical drives is a breeze. Suffice to mention, I also do the basics including running in Microsoft Office, writing in Final Draft, checking e mail, surfing the internet, yadda yadda. Basic, I have had no court cases store one: early on, my first Surface Pro had a few severe troubles with the Marvell Avastar wifi chip and had to be exchanged, a hassle it’s no longer absolutely uncommon with this device. extra on that later.

Webcams

allow’s be sincere: the webcams in this device suck. They may be flat-out terrible, and there’s no getting around that reality. They are satisfactory for simple Skype video calls, however, this is pretty much it. If you really want to report video, use something else. whatever else.

Stylus

I regularly take notes in OneNote MX (it really is the metro model), specifically currently. Like most college students, I’ve tended during the last few years to type my notes, but current studies show that students who take notes through hand tend to do higher on assessments. nicely, I’m serious about evidence primarily based research, so I took this to coronary heart, but I am also lazy, because of this I don’t need to type things after I’ve written them down. Enter Surface Seasoned’s stylus and voila: I will hand write my notes and have them in a virtual layout all at the same time. Hell yes. I locate that the stylus, regardless of its reasonably-priced plastic sense, works well as a virtual inking device. some whinge about the shortage of a dock for the stylus, but in reality, I’ve no issues with that. I have been the use of it for 12 months and haven’t begun to lose the element.

Art Associated Work

Ultimate notice on usability: my fiancée, artist Kelley Frisby, got her Surface Pro on launch day exactly due to the included Wacom digitizer with 1,024 stages of stress sensitivity. From the outset, the utilization right here turned into contentious due to the fact Surface Pro shipped with out a pressure touchy driver that Photoshop could understand. But, as soon as that motive force materialized, she took to using the stylus all the time. And whilst we discovered approximately Manga Studio Seasoned from artist Jonathan Case’s internet site, things definitely went off the hook as she observed it to be some distance superior to photoshop for creating hand drawn illustrations. That she can have her Floor Pro on her lap with stress sensitivity Whilst she draws, and her keyboard reachable for the use of keyboard shortcuts is a massive benefit that different pills really don’t provide. Clearly, In case you’re an artist who attracts and paints digitally, Floor Seasoned is the tool for you. Nothing else combines such a lot of Hardware abilities and large software availability.

three. Battery lifestyles

Floor Seasoned Kickstand

This is the only extreme issue that has dogged the Surface Seasoned due to the fact that its authentic launch, notwithstanding the fact that it became in no way as awful as human beings claimed or the truth that Surface Pro 2 absolutely mitigated the problem (and by using all reviews, Floor Seasoned 3 does even better). Early claims had been that Surface Pro was given approximately 3.5 hours of battery life. And below sure instances, that’s proper: watching 1080p films with the brightness up Whilst downloading stuff inside the history will, like another device, consume battery lifestyles an awful lot greater than common usage will. however it really is handiest a part of the test, isn’t it? below normal usage, which I’ll define as the web, e-mail, and word processing, Surface Pro 1 gets five hours battery existence proper out of the container. With a few mild tweaks to the power profile, which I have specified in one in all our maximum famous posts, It is completely possible to get 6-7 hours of battery existence. My exceptional time turned into Simply over 8 hours general, but with a caveat: I used to be operating with the wifi became off, writing in a phrase, in a low Mild situation wherein I may want to effectively turn down the display screen brightness to minimum. The majority I recognize get in the variety of 5-6 hours.

Why I Switched

allow’s be as clean as possible right here: the Surface Seasoned isn’t a faultless tool, however then, nor is whatever else. My chief complaints are that the computing device in Home windows eight.X needs a present day UI revamp and that I desire the screen have been a touch bigger. I’m hoping to improve to a Surface Pro 3 sooner or later within the destiny for that very purpose, although my suspicion is that the artist network, including my own superb Kelley Frisby, will hesitate to improve as a result of the new device’s probably inferior N-Trig digitizer.

So that leaves the huge query: why did I switch? it really is a complex query. First, I was by no means sold on Mac OSX, but whilst Apple’s Bootcamp 5 Update removed my ability to install Home windows 8 as a twin-boot OS preference, claiming it wasn’t well suited with the laptop I might be using for 2.5 years (and at that, going for walks Windows 8 on for 9 months), the Final straw broke. This becomes the 0.33 time Apple’s created issues for my devices, following the iOS 5 Update that slowed my iPad to a crawl and the iOS 4 Replace that made my iPhone 3G all but unusable.

The prospect of having a pill and computer all in an unmarried tool turned into also very appealing to me. sure, there are compromises: It is a touch heavier than a tablet and a little smaller than an average computer, but the Common effect is the internet wonderful, and I am happy to mention that my 12 months with Surface Pro has me convinced: Microsoft’s vision of the world in which pills are Simply slender, Mild, contact-pleasant Computer’s is the proper one. That we now see even desktop all-in-ones turning into large tablets (significantly, have you visible the Dell Venue Pro 18″ tablets? Loopy!), and touch slowly however truely spreading even to budget level laptops, is a great signal the convergence Microsoft anticipated whilst it announced the original Surface Pro is actually going on.

problems I had & Answers Microsoft presented

Surface via Microsoft

I cited the problem my unique Surface Pro had with its wifi chip awhile in the past, however, there is greater to that story. In fact, Simply multiple weeks in the past my Floor Pro another time started out having problems with the wifi chip, and no Replace, driving force substitute, or even a Machine reset helped. Ultimately the device commenced blue screening again and again, so I took it in to peer what Microsoft ought to do for me. To my entire marvel, they exceeded me a cutting-edge Floor Seasoned 2 and even permit me to pay the distinction to improve it to the 256GB/8GB version, which I eagerly did. the new device is largely all of the exquisite stuff approximately Floor Seasoned 1, distilled into a purer shape. equal weight, size and shape, barely better display (though I really can’t tell the difference, for what It is really worth), and the type cowl 2 is an incredible little keyboard that does its activity with aplomb. I am very happy certainly, and more than satisfied I bought the extended assurance.

Value Proposition

I’ve seen a whole lot of folks argue that the Floor Pro collection is too luxurious, and I’m able to apprehend why. $999 before you even upload the keyboard looks as if a quite tough tablet to swallow, specifically for a pill while you stay in an international of $499 iPads and $199 Kindle Fires. however, I think It is worth remembering what you get while you buy into the Surface Pro Device:

1. You get an ultrabook that may run pretty much any legacy Windows app you may throw at it. It has Brilliant RAM alternatives (4-8GB) and garage options (sixty four-512GB), a full-sized USB port and each stressed and wireless external monitor support (the latter thru Miracast). In Apple land, this costs you $900 minimal.

2. You get a pill which could do anything an iPad or Android pill can do, plus extra, with the best disadvantage being sheer numbers of apps. Even that is converting as the Home windows save processes two hundred,000 and could quickly merge with the Windows Smartphone shop to boot. And as it’s Home windows, you furthermore may get the perk of person bills right out of the field. In Apple land, This is every other $four hundred+

three. A virtual drawing/inking answer. Whether you Just take notes otherwise you do fine Artwork, the Floor Pro has you blanketed. You don’t get this in Apple land at all. You rather purchase a USB pill that does not have a display screen for $one hundred+, or you buy a Cintiq to connect with your Macbook for $1,000.

Lengthy tale quick: at first glance, yes, it seems like Surface Pro/2 is steeply-priced, however, you get a first-rate quantity of Fee for your money.

Remaining Phrases

Would I suggest the Surface Seasoned or Pro 2? Sincerely, specially If you’re an artist or someone who is Just sick and tired of lugging round more than one gadgets. We live in a global where our computing Hardware isn’t Just Powerful, however, can do its job with noticeably little strength or heat. there’s Just no reason to hold devices on your bag further to the smartphone to your pocket. If I may want to have a wish granted, it would be for Microsoft to feature an extra USB three.zero port, thunderbolt, and circulate from an mSATA to a PCIe SSD. Mind you, it doesn’t precisely want those items, however, the Hardware nerd in me Could be simply glad to have them.

As for Floor Seasoned 3, nicely, I might love to check it, and greater importantly I would love to place it in the palms of our classically trained illustrator so she will put it thru its paces and render a verdict on its usefulness as an artist’s digital tablet, but to date haven’t had any luck getting time with the new device. but howdy, if Microsoft would really like to let us borrow one, we should probable Work some thing out!

[netmaddy-blog]

Microsoft Surface pro and Macbook Pro

New Post has been published on https://netmaddy.com/microsoft-surface-pro-and-macbook-pro/

Microsoft Surface pro and Macbook Pro

Imperfect, Heavy, Light, Powerful, and Excellent.

Just shy of one year ago, I transitioned from a Macbook Pro and iPad combo to a Microsoft Surface Pro 128GB. In light of this week’s announcement of Surface Pro 3 and my acquisition of a Surface Pro 2, I think it’s time to reflect on what that experience was like. Like most folks, I was a little skeptical about the idea of combining a laptop and tablet into a single unit. Would it be too heavy? Would the performance be too low? Would the battery life be awful? And what about the new Windows 8 OS that’s been the subject of so much teeth-gnashing? I’ll try to answer all these questions and more as succinctly as possible. Hit the jump and let’s get into the question: what’s it like to live with Microsoft’s vision for computing in the future?

1. The Operating System, starring Windows 8/8.1:

Windows 8.1 Update 1 had a good head start with Windows 8, as I started using it during the first publicly available betas about 9 months before launch, dual booting on my Macbook Pro. That experience gave me plenty of time to figure out how to navigate the OS well before launch, so I didn’t have the struggle that a lot of people did. Of course, it probably helps that I just naturally enjoy exploring and discovering new things. The early Windows 8 experience did have its struggles, though. I’d become accustomed to the iPad and even to my Windows Phone 7 device, both of which had lots of apps available in their stores. Windows 8’s store was notoriously barren by comparison, and that led to some early frustration when trying to use Surface Pro as just a tablet. Too many apps and features were missing to make for a satisfying experience.

Nevertheless, the device’s ability to handle legacy Windows desktop apps with aplomb kept me satisfied enough to continue, and the app store dilemma became less important by the day. If there’s one thing Windows really needs to fix, though, is its way of presenting the desktop. The desktop is still wrapped in the trappings of an archaic system whose time has passed, and it’s time for Microsoft to update it to a more modern presentation that has fonts big enough to read on high DPI screens and large enough to operate with a finger.

With 8.1 and the new 8.1 Spring Update (really? We couldn’t just call it 8.2?), virtually all my complaints about Windows 8 evaporated. While some dislike the new aesthetic, I’ve personally found myself loving the flat colors, active tiles and removal of extraneous effects. My sincere hope is that as Windows evolves it gets even flatter and the metro aesthetic becomes more pervasive.

Suggestion: Use a Microsoft account, and use OneDrive! I can’t stress these enough. If you’re using Windows 8–and on a Surface Pro, you will be–you shouldn’t create an old-fashioned local account. Doing so cuts you off from some of Windows 8’s best features. Among these is the ability to have almost your entire PC configuration, right down to tile sizes, locations and apps installed, backed up to your OneDrive account in the event you either need to restore your PC or you sign into a different Windows 8.1 PC. Best, though, is that with OneDrive you get 7GB storage for free, which, while not enough to cover, say, your music and photos collection, is probably plenty to ensure your critical documents are all safely backed up within moments of you making any change. It’s easy to learn to save to your OneDrive folder, and once you’ve become accustomed to having that safety net you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.

2. The Hardware: Build Quality, Heft, and Capability.

Surface Pro Docking Station

I used to lug around a 2010 Macbook Pro 13.3″, which weighed 4.5 pounds, and an iPad 1, which weighed 1.5 pounds for a total of 6 pounds. So when I say that the 2.5 pound total of the Surface Pro and Type Cover was a big weight off my back, I’m really not kidding. The sacrifice was that I had a smaller screen, but the gain was a far more powerful processor and far superior screen resolution and pixel density. The build quality is exceptional: there is literally zero flex to this device, its magnesium shell is hard and sturdy enough to withstand probably more abuse than you should feel comfortable making your PC go through. As a tablet, it’s half a pound heavier than that original iPad was, but as a laptop it has a huge advantage over anything Apple offers. But you probably wonder what I use my Surface Pro for?

Workload

I’ve spent most of the past year as a film school student at UCLA, which means that a lot of my workload involves editing and transcoding video, compositing after effects compositions, transferring footage across different media and so on. I use Adobe Premiere for most of these tasks, and my Surface Pro has handled them all with grace. I’ve had no problems editing and rendering 1080p video in real-time. And as you’d expect from a Windows machine with a full size USB port, working with external hard drives and optical drives is a breeze. Suffice to say, I also do the basics including working in Microsoft Office, writing in Final Draft, checking email, browsing the web, yada yada. Overall, I’ve had no complaints save one: early on, my first Surface Pro had some serious problems with the Marvell Avastar wifi chip and had to be exchanged, a problem that’s not entirely uncommon with this device. More on that later.

Webcams

Let’s be honest: the webcams on this device suck. They’re flat-out terrible, and there’s no getting around that fact. They’re fine for basic Skype video calls, but that’s pretty much it. If you really need to record video, use something else. Anything else.

Stylus

I frequently take notes in OneNote MX (that’s the metro version), especially lately. Like most students, I have tended over the past few years to type my notes, but recent studies show that students who take notes by hand tend to do better on tests. Well, I’m all for evidence based research, so I took this to heart, but I’m also lazy, which means I don’t want to type things after I’ve written them down. Enter Surface Pro’s stylus and voila: I can hand write my notes and have them in a digital format all at the same time. Hell yes. I find that the stylus, despite its cheap plastic feel, works well as a digital inking device. Some complain about the lack of a dock for the stylus, but honestly, I’ve no issues with that. I’ve been using it for a year and have yet to lose the thing.

Art Related Work

Last note on usability: my fiancée, artist Kelley Frisby, got her Surface Pro on launch day precisely because of the integrated Wacom digitizer with 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity. From the outset the usage here was contentious because Surface Pro shipped without a pressure sensitive driver that Photoshop could understand. However, once that driver materialized, she took to using the stylus all the time. And when we learned about Manga Studio Pro from artist Jonathan Case’s website, things really went off the hook as she found it to be far superior to photoshop for creating hand drawn illustrations. That she can have her Surface Pro on her lap with pressure sensitivity while she draws, and her keyboard handy for using keyboard shortcuts, is a huge benefit that other tablets simply don’t offer. Truly, if you’re an artist who draws and paints digitally, Surface Pro is the device for you. Nothing else combines so many hardware capabilities and broad software availability.

3. Battery Life

Surface Pro Kickstand

This is the one serious issue that has dogged the Surface Pro since its original launch, despite the fact that it was never as bad as people claimed or the fact that Surface Pro 2 completely mitigated the issue (and by all reports, Surface Pro 3 does even better). Early claims were that Surface Pro got about 3.5 hours of battery life. And under certain circumstances, that’s true: watching 1080p videos with the brightness up while downloading stuff in the background will, like any other device, eat battery life much more than average usage will. But that’s only part of the test, isn’t it? Under normal usage, which I’ll define as web, email and word processing, Surface Pro 1 will get 5 hours battery life right out of the box. With some mild tweaks to the power profile, which I’ve detailed in one of our most popular posts, it’s entirely possible to get 6-7 hours of battery life. My best time was just over 8 hours total, but with a caveat: I was working with the wifi turned off, writing in Word, in a low light situation where I could comfortably turn down the screen brightness to minimum. Most people I know get in the range of 5-6 hours.

Why I Switched

Let’s be as clear as possible here: the Surface Pro is not a flawless device, but then, neither is anything else. My chief complaints are that the desktop in Windows 8.x needs a Modern UI revamp, and I wish the screen were a little bigger. I hope to upgrade to a Surface Pro 3 at some point in the future for that very reason, though my suspicion is that the artist community, such as my own wonderful Kelley Frisby, will hesitate to upgrade as a result of the new device’s possibly inferior N-Trig digitizer.

So that leaves the big question: why did I switch? That’s a complicated question. First, I was never sold on Mac OSX, but when Apple’s Bootcamp 5 update removed my ability to install Windows 8 as a dual-boot OS choice, claiming it wasn’t compatible with the computer I’d been using for 2.5 years (and at that, running Windows 8 on for 9 months), the final straw broke. This was the third time Apple’d created problems for my devices, following the iOS 5 update that slowed my iPad to a crawl and the iOS 4 update that made my iPhone 3G all but unusable.

The prospect of having a tablet and laptop all in a single device was also very appealing to me. Yes, there are compromises: it’s a little heavier than a tablet and a little smaller than a typical laptop, but the overall effect is a net positive, and I’m happy to say that my year with Surface Pro has me convinced: Microsoft’s vision of a world where tablets are just slim, light, touch-friendly PC’s is the right one. That we now see even desktop all-in-ones becoming large tablets (seriously, have you seen the Dell Venue Pro 18″ tablets? Crazy!) and touch slowly but surely spreading even to budget level laptops, is a good sign the convergence Microsoft predicted when it announced the original Surface Pro is really happening.

Problems I had & Solutions Microsoft offered

Surface by Microsoft

I mentioned the problem my original Surface Pro had with its wifi chip awhile ago, but there’s more to that story. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago my Surface Pro once again began having problems with the wifi chip, and no update, driver replacement, or even a system reset helped. Eventually the device started blue screening repeatedly, so I took it in to see what Microsoft could do for me. To my complete surprise, they handed me a brand new Surface Pro 2 and even let me pay the difference to upgrade it to the 256GB/8GB model, which I eagerly did. The new device is basically all the great stuff about Surface Pro 1, distilled into a purer form. Same weight, size and shape, slightly better screen (though I honestly can’t tell the difference, for what it’s worth), and the Type Cover 2 is a fantastic little keyboard that does its job with aplomb. I’m very happy indeed, and more than glad I bought the extended warranty.

Value Proposition

I’ve seen a lot of folks argue that the Surface Pro series is too expensive, and I can understand why. $999 before you even add the keyboard seems like a pretty tough pill to swallow, especially for a tablet when you live in a world of $499 iPads and $199 Kindle Fires. But I think it’s worth remembering what you get when you buy into the Surface Pro system:

1. You get an ultrabook that can run just about any legacy Windows app you can throw at it. It has excellent RAM options (4-8GB) and storage options (64-512GB), a full-sized USB port and both wired and wireless external monitor support (the latter via Miracast). In Apple land, this costs you $900 minimum.

2. You get a tablet that can do anything an iPad or Android tablet can do, plus more, with the only drawback being sheer numbers of apps. Even that is changing as the Windows Store approaches 200,000 and will soon merge with the Windows Phone store to boot. And because it’s Windows, you also get the perk of individual user accounts right out of the box. In Apple land, this is another $400+

3. A digital drawing/inking solution. Whether you just take notes or you do fine art, the Surface Pro has you covered. You don’t get this in Apple land at all. You instead buy a USB tablet that does not have a screen for $100+, or you buy a Cintiq to connect to your Macbook for $1,000.

Long story short: at first glance, yes, it looks like Surface Pro/2 is expensive, but you get a tremendous amount of value for your money.

Last Words

Would I recommend the Surface Pro or Pro 2? Absolutely, especially if you’re an artist or someone who’s just sick and tired of lugging around multiple devices. We live in a world where our computing hardware is not just powerful, but can do its job with surprisingly little energy or heat. There’s just no reason to carry two devices in your bag in addition to the smartphone in your pocket. If I could have a wish granted, it’d be for Microsoft to add an extra USB 3.0 port, thunderbolt, and move from an mSATA to a PCIe SSD. Mind you, it doesn’t exactly need those items, but the hardware nerd in me would be really happy to have them.

As for Surface Pro 3, well, I’d love to review it, and more importantly I’d love to put it in the hands of our classically trained illustrator so she can put it through its paces and render a verdict on its usefulness as an artist’s digital tablet, but so far haven’t had any luck getting time with the new device. But hey, if Microsoft would like to let us borrow one, we could probably work something out!

Oh, almost forgot: do buy Microsoft’s extended warranty for Surface Pro, no matter what version you buy. It’ll really pay off if anything ever goes wacky with your device, and it even offers accidental damage protection, which is usually pretty expensive if it’s offered at all.