new question: wacom cintiq scratching?, and which art book should i get

[Pavel Sokov]

Ok, for my 18th bday i got a wacom cintiq 21 ux, and since my real monitor is only 19 inches, i decided to replace it with the wacom entirely. This also makes sense because i have two video cards running in SLI, which demands for games to be played on really high resolutions to get the benefit.

So question is: Can i use this permanantly as my monitor to game, and do everything i want, and then when i draw just lower it? I am asking this because yestarday i used it for a bit, and it got pretty damn warm.

So if anyone knows if it can handle this task, please let me know.


Question two: My sister ordered me the art of Paul Bonner, and Spectrum 14. I also have Greg Cappullo's book.

So which other book should I get? I am thinking of the art of games workshop or something, but I wanted to ask you first.

I remember someone talking about a sick art book by a very well known artist who developed a distinctive style, but the book was kinda sold out. his style was extremely gritty, weird tense poses, characters with gasmasks, with a surreal twist. if anyone remembers his name, let me know

EDIT: I LOVE MY NEW CINTIQ TABLET, BUT IT APPEARS I MANAGED TO MAKE SCRATCHES ALL OVER THE PLACE PRETTY MUCH FIRST DAY. I CAN SEE THEM IF I LET THE LIGHT REFLECT OFF THE TABLET AND BEND MY HEAD. ANYONE KNOW HOW I MAD THE SCRATCHES, OR ANYTHING ABOUT THEM AT ALL?

[timpaatkins]

Phil Hale. Goad. I picked it up for 35 bucks. its 200 on amazon now though...

[ArtZealot]

answer to question number 1 is yes, the cintiq 12 inch can also be used as a monitor.

[Pavel Sokov]

art zealot i got the 21 inch though. I have been using it the past 3 days, it gets hot, but nothing bad happaned yet, obviously. It's just way too large for my table.

Timpaatkins, thats exactly the guy i was speaking off, thank you! oh wait, what the hell its 370 $! is it made of gold or something and there was only 3 made? whats the deal?

K, what other ways do i have of getting it?

[ArtZealot]

art zealot i got the 21 inch though. I have been using it the past 3 days, it gets hot, but nothing bad happaned yet, obviously. It's just way too large for my table.

Timpaatkins, thats exactly the guy i was speaking off, thank you! oh wait, what the hell its 370 $! is it made of gold or something and there was only 3 made? whats the deal?

K, what other ways do i have of getting it?

The 21 inch can also be used as a monitor, i use one at work and it's on pretty much 24/7 and has been almost always in use for a year that i know of. As far as books go, heres some that i like:
Oxide 2x: Art of Kim Hyung-Tae
Skillful huntsman
Art of midway
Art of world of warcraft, and art of burning crusade
Art of darkwatch
Structura by Sparth
Carlos Huante has some art books that are good. and if its your birthday, a subscription to imagine FX would be a good present. it's what i ask for every christmas.

cheers'

[J Wilson]

Phil Hale. Goad. I picked it up for 35 bucks. its 200 on amazon now though...

Yep, sounds like Phil Hale's work to me too.

[ArmoredGorilla]

Congrats on the new gear. What do you think of the cintiq; does it live up to the hype?

[Pavel Sokov]

Ok, I will tell you exactly everything i think of the cintiq.

The really bad:
There appear to be scratches i made somehow all over the surface. a lot of them id say. pretty much on the first day. How did i make them? Maybe it's my watch? I have no idea but its ridiculously retarded either way. if the pen is scratching the surface then words fail me. I started wearing a glove on my hand to make sure my nails dont touch the surface. so what could it be? really frustrating.

The bad:
On the stand there are rubber nubs that help the stand to not slide around. The left nub unglued a bit from the stand and i just had to glue it back on with my own glue that seems much better.

The good:
Everything else. It works great, my next pieces that are coming up are much better then ud see with my regular tablet, who knows you guys might even like them . haha, but seriously, it's great, it is the logical next step for every digital artist. It is great because i wanted a new monitor, mine was too small, and here it is. This thing has 1600 x 1200 resolution i believe and my games look and play great.

The confusing:
Ok, why in the world does it not go to 90 degree vertical position? It makes no sense. So i gotta play games with a not straight screen, but oh well.


Overall:
Very sad about the scratches, that is extremely frustrating. I know for 2500$ they arent meant to get scratched so easily. It's ridiculous.
Very happy about everything else. wish the stand would go to full upright position.

9.2/10. (missing 0.8 entirely taken off because of the scratches. what a load of bs haha)

[Max Challie]

Don't try to impress us with the depth of your anguish, keep the emotions to yourself and help us solve the problem. There is always a way, and always more than one solution to a problem. If you have a problem, fix it. The more problems you have to deal with, the less they'll frustrate you and it even becomes fun solving them.
So please post with your head, not your heart; actively work with us to solve this.

Obviously, don't use wear a watch while using the Cintiq. Of course it's a sensitive surface, of course it will get scratched by things with sharp or abrasive surfaces.

Where has it been scratched? In the area you use the pen in most often, or the area where your watch is most often?

So i gotta play games with a not straight screen, but oh well.

Try raising your chair, or putting an object at the back of the stand.

[/ev]

Pavel, the cintiq shouldn't scratch permanently unless you were wearing a watch or something. The pen does leave fine reflective lines but these can be rubbed/polished out with just a monitor or sunglass rag or just a tissue. I wouldn't use any abrasive cleaners on it.

Ive been using mine in production for about 2 years and it hasnt had any permanent scratches- i use it every day- 10 hours a day. The rubber feet do peel back from the stand.

Btw, i use it as an additional monitor to my macbook pro. Its not built to be a gaming monitor, i think id prefer something widescreen for that.

[Pavel Sokov]

i was wearing a watch the first 2 days, but on my left hand, so i mean that would be a really slim possiblity.

I tried rubbing them really hard with towels and such, they dont come off.
no one in the world was able to tell me how i got the scratches on there yet.

i mean if i rub them with the towel and they dont come off, that makes them real scratches and that sucks big time because i dont think i rubbed it with my watch, but who knows

[/ev]

Thats tough. Probably best to contact wacom- they might have a solution. The coatings are made to be durable.

[frog from itchy]

My 12Wx also has scratches - probably from dust that gets caught under the pen nib.

I use a microfibre cloth to clean it before every session now.

[Max Challie]

Are the scratches actually getting in the way of your work? Or are you just worried too much?

[frog from itchy]

Sometimes the nib catches slightly in them, but it's not a huge problem.

[brownieccad]

man that scratching stuff sucks-

any one have any good info for a first time user to prevent this from happening- i am currently working the entire summer to pay for one myself and would hate to open it and scratch it-

i have seen those gloves and will definitely get one before using even once- but i was just curious

[Justice Von Brandt]

I'm sure you have a warranty on the tablet, all tablets come with one I believe. Call wacom and complain.

[J Wilson]

I'd use the thin cotton gloves photographers use to handle photos. I've seen pictures of the old cell animators who used them with the thumb and first finger cut out so you get all the grip you are used to, while still protecting the surface. Using a cloth made for sensitive surfaces to wipe it before use sounds like a great idea too. As another resort I'm sure you can tape a piece of clear acetate over the surface too.

[ushio18]

This is kinda what happened to my Cintiq at work after half a year of use...
I tried calling Wacom.. they said to dust off the screen each time before using..and change nibs regularly.. which I did. I think I changed the nibs 2-3 times over the course of 6 months.. and because there are scratches.. the nibs wear even FASTER. so not sure what to do now.. other than to use one of the corners on the screen for now..

[Brashen]

If I were you I'd get a 24 inch screen to complement the cintique!!

[frog from itchy]

Buy a screen protector - that's what I did with mine.

It will stop it from getting new scratches, and cover up the old ones.

There are a few vendors, this is who I used:

http://www.NuShield.com

[Bowlin]

I've had mine for two years now and don't notice any scratches at all. I don't really ever clean it, except wiping it with my hands. I notice that the way I hold my pen on it, my nails never touch the screen at all. It does look like light scratches when i have the screen off and draw on it, but lightly rubbing my hand over it, it's gone.
Is it noticeable with the screen on? I know for my LCD tv I was told never to use any cleaning agent on the screen, so I've never tried on my cintiq. Might that have caused it? And that screen protector might work, but I'd be cautious if it changes the values and colors of the actual screen some.

It does get hot when left on for a period of time, usually on the top around the button. Really hot if over a day or so. I try to turn it off every time I get off the computer (always worried I'm going to wear that little button out )

[Sexual_Lobster]

hi,
i've had a cintiq for just under 5 months and ooooh baby has it gotten some heavy usage. it has some pretty nasty scratches that don't cause a problem for viewing but are starting to really bug me when I draw over them. when i turned the cintiq off and shone a light on it i was quite disturbed by the amount of scratching.

some research i've turned up:

some cintiqs have defective acrylic surfaces. if you noticed scratching after your first day request a new one.

wacom has awful customer service so be prepared for rejection.

apparently there are acrylic surfaces and glass surfaces, which do not scratch as easily.

felt nibs are less damaging (i've ordered some but they haven't arrived yet so i can't verify this yet). my friend says he's used a spring nib and hasn't any scratches. (i lost all the other nibs they sent me when i moved house so until my felt nibs arrive i've got to be careful).

wipe it down before each use, dust particles get under the nib

it is possible to get a replacement surface but its expensive, i live in australia so i'm not sure if it can be done here or if i could even afford to mail my sweet cinty (or scratchy as i call her these days) to america or wherever.

in defiance of Max Challie's call for hard headedness and for us all to behave like robots I'm going to say I'm a little peeved about it and i can only hope the intensity and depth of emotion I just revealed don't shock him overly.

[Redmond]

Acrylic scratches really easy, I know because I like transparent coffee tables.

[Artastic]

First of all, I'd call Wacom, complain, and have them send you a replacement 21ux. Too expensive of a device to have crap parts. Then, while you're waiting for it to arrive, place an order for this:

http://www.buyviewguard.com/anti-gla...FSAeDQodwwYTnA

Best investment I made with my Wacom. It works, has a matte papery feel to it, and doesn't affect the tablets performance at all. My only issue is I have some trapped air bubbles, but I'm too lazy to take it off and try to reseat it. Definitely worth getting though. The protector scuffs after use some, but the scuffs wipe away. And I'd suggest using the felt tip nibs for the wacom pen.

[Noia]

I know this thread is a little old, but I bought a viewguard as well for my cintiq 12" and I wanted to seconded Artastic on it. I had some nasty scratches on my screen that will killing my felt nibs and driving me crazy so I tried it.

I got air bubbles from pieces of dust when I first installed it. Customer service suggested some scotch tape on the static side (it uses static, not adhesive) and it did the trick. I like the matte texture better than the glass too- just a little tiny bit of friction that keeps the pen from slipping.

[artmessiah]

I've had my cintiq for about 2 and a half months now and for the life of me I can't figure out how so many people seem to get scratches on their surfaces. I use it at least 5 to 6 hours a day and I've yet to see a single lasting mark on my screen. I bought it new so maybe things have changed in regards to the type of screens, but again, I haven't seen a single scratch on my screen. Best of luck to those that have em, hopefully you can go through wacom to get a replacement. I second what Artastic said, use the felt nibs if you can and get a screen protector if you're paranoid about getting scratches.

[Arshes Nei]

It might depend on the surface material. From what I understand the glass ones are less prone to scratches than the newer models. It could also have to do with batches upon release. Could be there is just a batch of makes that are prone to scratches than others? Might want to see if there's some serial/id marks to see if there is a correlation but who knows.

[Lingmerth]

One other reason for the varying amount of scratches might be peoples different drawing styles, some people draw lightly and others draw rougher and press harder.

I for example draw very lightly and never seen any signs of scratches either on my Intious 3 or Cintiq 12. And i do mean lightly "PressureCurveControlPoint 1 0 200 849 400 1023"