One Year With A Cintiq

November 4, 2020

My 24” Wacom Cintiq Pro with Touch Control completely replaced my iPad for my client work within a matter of months and I also use it everyday as a second monitor. I only use my iPad when I travel or need a mobile studio (combined with Sidecar).

I do think that the iPad is still a better pure drawing tool, due in large part to its flawless pinch and zoom capabilities. I’d recommend not purchasing the Cintiq with touch control—it’s so sensitive that I have it turned off 99% of the time and just use the EK remote control for rotation and zooming.

As far as processes go, the Cintiq can’t be beat. Its ability to use native programs—Photoshop, Sketchbook, ClipStudio, illustrator, etc. is a huge time saver rather than iPad’s multi-step process simply to export a file to my desktop machine.

More than anything, I appreciate the larger canvas—It allows a natural shoulder movement for drawing and painting.

In terms of ergonomics, I have to emphasize that my comfort level with the iPad is very low and the Cintiq was never going to worsen the issues for me.

My set up for the Cintiq includes a Fully brand hydraulic standing desk, the Wacom flex arm, and a soft floor pad—all of which allow me to sit or stand comfortably at any height. While it doesn’t completely solve my neck and back issues, it’s significantly more comfortable for me than being hunched over scratching on an iPad.

I find the Cintiq to be indispensable for my workflow. That being said, I’m a full-time illustrator and it made sense for my needs.

If you want more screen real estate, I highly recommend it. You’ll adjust to your new workflow very quickly and you probably won’t ever utter a long string of curses like you would after reaching your layer limit in Procreate or trying to export a file (looking at you iPad).

If you simply want more “space” to rest your hand/arm, then I’d recommend purchasing the Sketchboard Pro for iPad and calling it a day.

Three Years Illustrating With The iPad Pro

September 2, 2019

For the past three years, I’ve used the first and second generation iPad Pro exclusively to create the vast majority of my client and personal illustration work. As a result, I have a handful of opinions about working with this device.

How-To: Jasmine

August 1, 2019

Process and patience are the two most important components in realistic drawing—not your tools. When you find the perfect balance, your best friend’s personality will begin oozing off the page long before you’ve finished the drawing … as well as every ounce of heart you put into it.

Jasmine

August 1, 2019

This little old lady had a lot of personality, down to her slightly off-kilter gaze. For such a small creature, she had an enormous presence and I can only hope that I captured a fraction of her charm.

Curious how Jasmine was drawn? Learn More>>

How to: Gamerbot

July 2, 2019

Going digital is all about process and once you nail down what works best for you, it’s off the to the races. But first, you will need to figure out which app you want to use … I work primarily with Procreate.

How-To: Lawrenceburg Poster

August 20, 2018

With big jobs that have a lot of moving parts, process and organization are everything. I walk you through the creation of the Lawrenceburg poster from concept to color.

How-To: Craft CMS 3 Installer

April 10, 2018

The iPad is a marvelous drawing tool. But it does lack in some key areas that will force you to decide whether or not they are deal breakers. In this tutorial, I’ll share some tips and tricks and try to convince you why you shouldn’t care about what the iPad isn’t and focus instead on what it is.

F5 Holiday Tips One-pager

March 20, 2018

Revisions are a part of any job. And sometimes you wind up doing a few rounds of major edits to arrive at a solution that matches the changing vision of your client. This "quick" project went through four rounds of substantial revisions before the final piece was approved — a handy lesson in streamlining your process to make changes as painless as possible.

The evolution of this artwork

Ballard Beer Co. Tee Alt Version

June 24, 2017

I was asked to create an alternate version of the "Pals" tee for the Ballard Beer Company with simplified text framed by hop vines. This is the result ...

Kitchen Kraken

June 5, 2017

I was afforded the opportunity to create an illustration for a client who has a penchant for octopi and squid. Ultimately, this illustration will be painted on a tile backsplash in her kitchen.

I plotted the illustration using a photo of the space. Ideally, I would have liked to get exact measurements but I knew going in that adjustments will need to be made on-the-fly to accommodate the space, size (dimensions) of the tile, and things like the electrical outlet. None of these things affect the basic concept.

Turns out I did a pretty good job measuring. Very little adjustment will need to be made to the illustration to accommodate the space.

Next steps will be selecting tile, researching paints, how-to-paint-on-tile techniques, and how to fire and/or seal the final painting.

I'll be posting more about this project as it progresses.

Ballard Beer Co. Tee

June 2, 2017

Newly finished tee shirt design for the Ballard Beer Company. The shirt will feature a reversed version of this illustration.

Process

As with most of my work, I sketched out the primary art by hand then scanned the image. The final line work was done on an iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil. I wound up exporting multiple PSDs for various elements of the final illustration and compositing those elements in Photoshop. Final tweaks, including additional line work, were completed using a Wacom tablet in Photoshop.

Editorial Illustrations for "Charred Optimism"

April 15, 2016

I created a series of editorial illustrations to enhance an article I wrote for COAX, the superlative digital magazine from Louder Than Ten.

If you think you know what it means to persevere against the odds, allow me to share a story with you that may just reshape your perspective.

This article was written for anyone who is self-employed, running a small business, working in a creative field, or simply striving to follow their passions.

Read Charred Optimism >>