Cintiq v Intuos

abrams · Jun '18

I was wondering what experience others had with this.

I've used a normal Wacom tablet on and off for probably 14ish years. Initially I played with it a little bit way back when (Intuos 3). Then I let it collect dust for about 10 years and now I've been using the Intuos 3 and then a Intuos Pro Medium for about 4 years, 2-3 of which has been full time.

I then decided to try a Cintiq and, to be honest, I hated it. I then tried traditional pen and paper and also hated it. I have next to zero traditional art background and all my experience has really been on a tablet.

Somehow it seems my brain has been wired to always see my final work without a hand in the way. Also due to the translation size (medium tablet with a 27" monitor) my hand has become used to very small fine movements. Transitioning to a 1:1 ratio of hand movement on the Cintiq feels off now.

Anyone else here come from a purely digital art background with no traditional experience, and then switched to the Cintiq many, many years later? How long was the transition period for you? Did you eventually feel more proficient with the Cintiq?

My long term goal is 3d, so maybe it's a waste to get used to the Cintiq, but overall this is something I did not expect! For most things the normal Intuos seems sufficient, but long sweeping lines (curved or straight) are definitely a struggle on the tablet. No matter how used to it I am, any movement beyond an inch the disconnect becomes too strong to maintain accuracy... hence the desire to get used to Cintiq.

sanguine · Jun '18

I used to use an intuos-like tablet before getting my cintiq, but I have always done traditional art as a kid, so the transition from tablet to cintiq felt natural and I immediately preferred the cintiq's intuitive nature.

Your issue is a unique one, I must admit. I don't know that I've ever met an artist who prefers the disconnection inherent to a tablet, but if that's what you're used to and you're getting results you like, then I don't see any immediate need to "learn" how to draw in a more traditional sense. That said, there are some benefits to a 1:1 scale, especially for drawing. Generally, it is easier to make gestural strokes using quick, practiced movements from the shoulder joint, and this is often a necessary skill for artists to have. I'm not certain you will be able to produce precisely those same results with a tablet setup. It's kind of a nuance, but I think you might stumble upon several such intricacies of the mechanics of drawing that will distinguish a traditional artist from you.

That's not to say your learning process will be greatly hindered, but you might run into some obstacles that would otherwise not occur. I'm kind of going off on a tangent, but my point is that drawing is and generally always has been a hand/pencil/paper relationship, and in my opinion, disconnecting one of those is a bit unnatural. If I had to give you advice, I would suggest giving traditional art a solid try. Even just pencil and paper. Try to fill at least one sketchbook before completely writing off traditional art, because I think it presents some valuable challenges that you would otherwise never face (for example, the general inability to undo something). I hope this comment was in some way helpful for you!

marc · Jul '18

That's indeed a strange "problem" to have hehe. Just like @sanguine mentioned, it's not a bad idea at all to get used to drawing 1:1 just so that you have more opportunities to practice when you're away from the tablet (doodling on pen/paper or ipad pro if you ever get one) and can draw steadier, longer strokes more easily.

Strictly career-wise, it's not needed, but if you're used to drawing on a tablet learning to draw on paper/cintiq should come to you pretty quickly even though it might feel very strange and shaky for the first couple hours

nostalgia · Aug '18

For me I will always use an Intuos over a Cintiq for one reason: posture. Many people don´t think about ergonomics when drawing, but hunched over a cintiq 8 hours a day for a few years can wreck your back. Even having the Cintiq upright so its perpendicular to my face cramps up my arm from raising it to draw. The Intuos remedies all these problems.

Katar · Aug '18

There's actually quite a number of people who prefers traditional tablets.
I have 1 screenless and a screen one and I use them for different purposes (they're not Wacom, I use Xp-pen products and I found them pretty good and they're chep so I can have 2 for less than what would have costed me to buy a single Cintiq :P) ). While editing, like making some adjustments to proportions, an arm too long, an eye in the wrong position etc., I prefer the screenless one. Also for coloring, I like not having the hand in the way so I can have a better picture of what I'm making.
For sketching and inking I prefer the screen one, it's faster and more intuitive and I usually make the lines right at the first take, while I have to undo a lot with the classic tablet. So, different tools for different purposes
But there's a lot of artists that only use the desk ones, like Trent Kaniuga comes to mind. So yeah, whatever suits you ^^.

abrams · Aug '18

Awesome, thank you for the insight. I've been trying to get in some traditional sketching here and there and it has helped make the Cintiq feel a little better, but it's amazing how used to a tablet I've become. Sure, it sucks getting some line angles done on a tablet, but seeing the final piece without my hand in the way has become natural. It's comforting knowing I'm not the only one though.

abrams · Nov '18

Hey, I wanted to follow up in case some newer artists found this thread. Maybe I'll post it somewhere as an original post later if this gets lost, but I took the time to try and recreate the same image from around the web with an Intuos (always seen on the left side) and a Cintiq (always seen on the right side). It's not a perfect experiment, as the time spent on each respectively was not identical, but I tried to keep it similar.

Personally, I think the Intuos versions always came out better except for, possibly, the inking sample at the end. The Cintiq made getting longer curvy smooth lines easier for sure, but I could easily clean up the Intuos inking if I wanted to. I did find that I almost always wanted to spend more time on the intuos versions. I think it's much easier for me to spot errors and make adjustment on the Intuos because I get the whole picture at once, in the final product viewing angle, and without my fat hand in the way.

The main caveat here is that I have experience on an Intuos but almost zero traditional or Cintiq experience. This post is probably the most useful for an artist who has been working on an Intuos and is wondering if an upgrade to a Cintiq will help. In the long term, most likely, but in the short term, probably not, unless you have extensive traditional experience. Hope this is helpful to someone!

note: big picture! you can zoom in quite a bit

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Cintiq v Intuos

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