# I want to save up for a Cintiq Companion but...



## kura-ou (Apr 22, 2015)

It requires a lot of credit...which I don't have...because when I was younger, I made horrible decisions and am still paying it off on top of helping out my parents with groceries  (not counting the current textbook funding trouble I'm in ATM ;;

I keep thinking that if I am this financially unstable, I shouldn't want to save up for one, but it's become increasingly difficult to do any commission work on my 5-year laptop. It overheats and freezes within 2 minutes and the battery is basically drained and unusable, so I can't just take the laptop itself and a power plug with it  I've gotten it opened and cleaned, and have a secondary fan on the bottom, but it doesn't help. Usually, I would opt to save up for parts, but I think it'll be more expensive in addition to knowing nothing about installing computer hardware.

I don't know what to do right now because all the funding that comes from anything art-related usually goes towards textbooks, groceries or bills. And a cintiq requires a credit card, which I can't do because I have very bad credit. I'd like to think that there is some hope so that I can complete my commissions faster and have a tablet PC to bring with me to class when I'm stuck 6 hrs every other day in-between classes, but I don't think that's possible. 

I don't know where to start to saving up for a cintiq companion 2 because adoptable/commissions usually only range from $10-$50 each or if I even deserve to want to own one because "I'm not popular" and it seems like something only pros use 

It would honestly be nice to be able to draw directly on a screen and be more productive with art and coursework (because it's both a cintiq and tablet PC). And I've owned 3 other Wacom products before and have only been disappointed with one: the Creative Stylus (ONE, which wasted $100 ><).

If anyone could give me either financial advice or just computer or art advice, I would be very grateful. Thank you for your time.


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## Charrio (Apr 22, 2015)

Well first off, not only Popufurs use them. 
It's a legitimate tool for a serious artist and a hefty investment, you better 
damn well be sure art is something you want to do or this is just a bad investment. 

Textbooks and bills should always come first, what good does a tablet do if your on the streets?
If you can somehow swing it without crippling yourself in debt, go for it but I'd think about first. 

Me personally I just use my PC and an old WACOM Graphire4, over a decade old but still works fine. 
It's the mobility you want and understandable if out so much like you seem, I'd love one too to be 
honest but like I said, BILLS come first.


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## Mikazuki Marazhu (Apr 22, 2015)

Those things go cheaper as years go by. Save up and wait. Why not go with the regular drawing tablet without the display? I know it's challenging but it's a good thing right? It should sharpen your skills.


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## kura-ou (Apr 22, 2015)

Charrio said:


> Well first off, not only Popufurs use them.
> It's a legitimate tool for a serious artist and a hefty investment, you better
> damn well be sure art is something you want to do or this is just a bad investment.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the reassurance ^^
I like drawing to the point where it hurts if I can't draw for a day due to uni coursework...but I don't think that's a good thing ;;

One reason why I want to move from my Intuos is that I find it much easier to draw directly like I would with a pencil and paper, plus, my laptop is basically almost dead, and the Intuos is too heavy to bring with me anyway (in addition to th dead laptop, which is almost 6 lbs).

But yes, you're right. Necessities come first. The bulk of my funds to to bills and groceries (it was only these past few months that I needed funds for textbooks)


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## kura-ou (Apr 22, 2015)

> Those things go cheaper as years go by. Save up and wait. Why not go  with the regular drawing tablet without the display? I know it's  challenging but it's a good thing right? It should sharpen your skills.



I wish ;u; It seems like the cintiqs never sale for less than $800 and the one I need is almost $2k. I'll keep saving up somehow in-between, but my main problem afterwards is with the credit. 5 years ago, I was finally able to buy an Intuos only because it was sold on Overstock and didn't require credit. In the U.S., they don't offer a payment plan or a student discount like they do in Europe or Australia.

As for the improvement bit, I'm still working on that, too. It's taken me 8 years to get kind of used to digital art, but I've wanted a Cintiq Companion for a while mainly to have a tablet PC and increase my productivity.

It's never fun having a long list of commissions when half were very underpriced and the other half was reasonably-priced but you can't work on any because you need money for necessities and work on adoptables instead because they don't require as much CPU usage and can help with textbooks ;;;; I just feel so horrible


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## Taralack (Apr 23, 2015)

They offer payment plans for the Companion in Australia? I must look into this..

That said, I'm not sure if the Companion is a 100% PC replacement. I would recommend instead of getting a Companion, keeping your Intuos and getting a new laptop instead.


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## kura-ou (Apr 23, 2015)

Taralack said:


> They offer payment plans for the Companion in Australia? I must look into this..
> 
> That said, I'm not sure if the Companion is a 100% PC replacement. I would recommend instead of getting a Companion, keeping your Intuos and getting a new laptop instead.



I *think* they do based on what this person told me: http://kura-ou.deviantart.com/journal/poll/5067905/

(but I'm not entirely sure ^^; I know that the European branch offers student discounts, though *SOB*)

I do have a family PC that I share, but I'm stuck at the university for 6 hours at a time because I have a huge gap and have to bus to/from school anyway, so that's why I opted to try saving up for a CC2 instead of a heavier laptop (I just need the basics for schoolwork and 2048 pressure sensitivity for commissions)


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## Victor-933 (Apr 23, 2015)

You could look into a Tablet PC, although I don't know if the older models would have the kind of pressure sensitivity you're after. I use a ten-year-old HP TC1100 I paid $150 for as my drawing tablet, but it's a pretty damn good laptop for that price too. Runs a little warm but I've never had it enter thermal shutdown, even when playing Doom 3 (which it for some ridiculous reason will run even though it doesn't meet the minimum requirements).


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## kura-ou (Apr 24, 2015)

Victor-933 said:


> You could look into a Tablet PC, although I don't know if the older models would have the kind of pressure sensitivity you're after. I use a ten-year-old HP TC1100 I paid $150 for as my drawing tablet, but it's a pretty damn good laptop for that price too. Runs a little warm but I've never had it enter thermal shutdown, even when playing Doom 3 (which it for some ridiculous reason will run even though it doesn't meet the minimum requirements).



Thank you for your input ^^

Although, I'm not sure if I want to invest in another type of tablet PC... Eventually, after I graduate in a few months, I do want to start saving up towards both a Cintiq Companion because it seems like the one with the most pressure sensitivity and durability (after my 1st laptop and a few PCs over the years, I've gotten really picky and just want something good quality to last). I've used both an XP-PEN tablet and a Bamboo Create Pen and Touch tablet, but they didn't have as much pressure sensitivity as I needed for my work (maybe it's a settings issue, but both tablets eventually got worn out and my 5-year Intuos is still going strong if I don't factor in the USB cable issues that make it stop working sometimes).

But wow, I still think it's awesome that your HP TC1100 can run Doom 3--I'm sure that not even my laptop or the family PC can do that, and they're not too old OAO You must take good care of your things ;u;


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## Crunchy_Bat (Apr 24, 2015)

Bahaha oh my god, It is impossible for me to feel sympathetic for you as I am also saving for the milestone goal of acquiring a cintique. It does not require a credit card, just a shit ton of money. My advice is to do what I am, work your ass off and save, a cintique is a luxury item not a necessity, an artist equiped with an intuous can do great things, and I feel great with my gen 3 dinosaur. Of course every one wants a cintique, they are beautiful and you dont have to be a pro to own one, just dedicated. Have you thought of getting a second job? That would be a good way to make up for the money that is going towards your life expenditures. I'm a full time student and work full time and draw for FA.  If you want saving advice, get as many jobs as you can and never go out to the movies, or to the bars. Learn to cook so you don't waste money on eating out, look for government support programs that can pay for groceries. Spend less, do more. Be glad you aren't starving. Good luck with the first world problem of owning a 1500 dollar cintique.


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## kura-ou (Apr 24, 2015)

Crunchy_Bat said:


> Bahaha oh my god, It is impossible for me to feel sympathetic for you as I am also saving for the milestone goal of acquiring a cintique. It does not require a credit card, just a shit ton of money. My advice is to do what I am, work your ass off and save, a cintique is a luxury item not a necessity, an artist equiped with an intuous can do great things, and I feel great with my gen 3 dinosaur. Of course every one wants a cintique, they are beautiful and you dont have to be a pro to own one, just dedicated. Have you thought of getting a second job? That would be a good way to make up for the money that is going towards your life expenditures. I'm a full time student and work full time and draw for FA. I was homeless at age 18, and rebuilt my life from scratch. If you want saving advice, get as many jobs as you can and never go out to the movies, or to the bars. Learn to cook so you don't waste money on eating out, look for government support programs that can pay for groceries. Spend less, do more. Be glad you aren't starving. Good luck with the first world problem of owning a 1500 dollar cintique.



OAO PLEASE TELL ME WHERE YOU FOUND THIS, O GREAT FELLOW ARTIST. (Seriously, I keep bugging Wacom and they told me that they only take credit card, no cash or even monthly payments ;;; Maybe I'm just unlucky)

But yes, you're right in the sense that it is a luxury item. I've wanted to own one for a while, but bills and other necessities always got in the way (although, I don't drink or even go to the movies, being a NEET and all ;; Thank you for telling me otherwise, however, and for being such a strong, hard-working person with so much advice to give to others.

I'll take your words to heart and wish you the best of luck in your journey to own that dream Cintiq, too ^^


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## Centradragon (Apr 26, 2015)

How can you be a NEET when you're being educated AND you're employed (you mentioned you take commissions, and I think that counts as being self-employed). 

You seem to get want and need confused in a lot of your comments. 2048 pressure points isnt really a need -- I work on half that and you wouldn't be able to tell. On a bumpy bus ride home, you'd do just as well buying a nice sketchbook for $20 and working on things that way. Take it from me -- I owned a tablet PC during school specifically for train rides home, and the ride is often so bumpy you can't use it effectively. They're not that powerful or upgradable. The companion is kind of garbage for specs and value, and you're hearing this from a Mac user.


As for bad credit -- talk to your bank about how to fix it. If you have no credit, see if your parents can cosign a small card for you to buy tiny things on (a pack of gum once a month, etc) that you pay off and don't buy big things on. If you still can't get credit, save up your money and put it on a preloaded Visa. You have to pay a $5 fee to load money, but it functions just as well. 

Though really, if you have poor credit you should really focus on that, rather than a want.


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## RTDragon (Apr 26, 2015)

The fact that your DA poll turns me right off since you asked for a tablet that's for professionals and looking at your art you seem to mostly draw anime inspired stuff. (Actually in fact draw other things besides just anime)  I really would suggest to use what you have and pay the bills A cintiq tablet is not important you should be more worried about working off your debt and gain credit. A lot of artists do well with intuos and even bamboo tablets. Heck i got my bamboo in 2013 and still use it. As well as a Graphire 4 i've used since 2005 to 2012 that's eight years and i still have it. Plus i do traditional artwork.


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## Zuriak (Apr 26, 2015)

Honestly a Monoprice of Huion tablet would be affordable in comparison to a Waacom product. Won't be as fancy, but it will absolutely get the job done.

But I agree with the above poster: Use what you have now and work your way to a better laptop when you can.


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## squiddysquiddysquiddy (Apr 26, 2015)

I own a Cintiq 21UX.  I've had it since I bought it for $2000 my senior year of highschool.  I didn't deserve it then, I still don't deserve it now.

But boy is it nice.

Anyways seeing as you have your history of bad financial decisions, I'm probably going to be unable to convince you that you don't need one, especially since you've already convinced yourself that you're going to get one already.  So I'm sorry you feel the need to spend money you don't have on the shiny new toy you want because it's better than the perfectly good tool you already own.

I'm sure others here will be more than happy to continue to tell you that you "should probably get one".  I'm saying don't.


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## kura-ou (Apr 27, 2015)

Centradragon said:


> How can you be a NEET when you're being educated AND you're employed (you mentioned you take commissions, and I think that counts as being self-employed).
> 
> You seem to get want and need confused in a lot of your comments. 2048 pressure points isnt really a need -- I work on half that and you wouldn't be able to tell. On a bumpy bus ride home, you'd do just as well buying a nice sketchbook for $20 and working on things that way. Take it from me -- I owned a tablet PC during school specifically for train rides home, and the ride is often so bumpy you can't use it effectively. They're not that powerful or upgradable. The companion is kind of garbage for specs and value, and you're hearing this from a Mac user.
> 
> ...



Omigosh...I woke up to see your advice and you're one of my greatest inspirations before I got onto FA. Thank you so much for your helpful advice!

(Thank you for the encouragement, too...especially since my family doesn't really support the biology and art route I'm on, so seeing your comment really gave me more confidence.)

And wow, I never would have known... O-O You work with 1024? All these years of following your work and I never would have known ;;; 

(I guess I should rethink the pressure sensitivity....)

I apologize for wording things wrong, though ^^;;; I usually have a 4 hour trip to and back from uni, but there's a 6-hr gap in-between classes where I'm left to either study for these 3 difficult classes or doodle what I can for commission drafts. I can understand the necessity of a good sketchbook, though. The stress doodles really help ;;; 

It's hard-core that you tried doodling on the train with a tablet PC O^O (I'm sure that even your doodles turned out amazing!)

Haha, I'm a Mac user, too, no worries XD *yay for things that last long*

But wow...you have me rethinking the tablet PC specs now ;;; I'm going to sleep more on this, but you and and many others are right: it's best to get the debt out of the way first.

Thank you so much for all the art advice, encouragement and credit advice, too! Everything you said really gave me an in-depth perspective. I'll keep working harder to fix all these unnecessary problems I have *^* 

I hope that you have a wonderful week, too!


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## Centradragon (Apr 27, 2015)

No problem! (And thank you!) After re-reading, my comment seems a bit curt... apologies of I came off as cold. Glad you could glean some use out of it, though!

My parents weren't 100% on-board with my major either, but eventually they did accept it and they're proud of me now (apparently I'm adulting correctly, whoo!). I hope your parents will come around soon... don't give up!


Yeah, I have an old 9x12" Intuos 3 (1024) I use at home, and for years I used a Bamboo Fun Medium (512) when I traveled. I also own an Intuos Pro (Large), and I use a different Intuos Pro (Medium) at work (both of which would be the 2048 kind). Honestly I don't notice much difference between any of them, pressure-wise... maybe it's a "your mileage may vary" sort of thing, but I found that I just preferred larger tablets to smaller ones. You can also always play around with how sensitive the pen is, so you can find your "ideal" pressure settings that way. 


I really do recommend asking your bank about your debt, and how to manage it correctly â€” one of my banks has a whole department of free financial advisors, and I take advantage of them whenever I need to! Whatever your bank, I bet they have something similar.


And waiting isn't a bad thing â€” by the time your debt is gone, a much better computer/companion would have been released. One thing at a time!


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## kura-ou (Apr 28, 2015)

RTDragon said:


> The fact that your DA poll turns me right off since you asked for a tablet that's for professionals and looking at your art you seem to mostly draw anime inspired stuff. (Actually in fact draw other things besides just anime)  I really would suggest to use what you have and pay the bills A cintiq tablet is not important you should be more worried about working off your debt and gain credit. A lot of artists do well with intuos and even bamboo tablets. Heck i got my bamboo in 2013 and still use it. As well as a Graphire 4 i've used since 2005 to 2012 that's eight years and i still have it. Plus i do traditional artwork.



Some of my closest friends who make amazing humanoid adoptables, as well as some of the humblest artists I know on dA use Cintiqs. Yes, they draw anime art, and yes, I do, too. Are you just going to hate on it because it's a style? And please don't assume that just because someone draws mostly anime art, that they haven't even attempted drawing other things.












I'm primarily an anime artist because I haven't practiced enough to become comfortable in technical drawing. That doesn't mean that I'm not working towards it. 

Also, I only created that poll to see if other people would notice what real luxury items are (i.e. toilet, bed, clean water, things that the developed world has and many other places don't). Obviously, many artists would long for a cintiq, I want to save up for one, too, but I can't control what other people think. (A few weeks back, a toilet was actually the winner, but now, it's fallen far behind the cintiq, sadly)

For now, I am working towards completing the rest of my commissions. I'm just angry at myself for working so slow on them because I have x time at school where I have no access to a computer or tablet and the amount that I have at home per school day is only about 2-3 hrs before I fall asleep after doing homework or studying--it's a huge workload. I often stress out because I want to work on art, but I can't bring myself to because of the schoolwork. I'm trying to break that horrible habit and balance it somehow.

However, I'm still having second thoughts about 2 commissioners because one lied to others about me stealing his friend's money to ruin my reputation and forced me to close my commissions on the site I was promoting on and 2) I'm not really inspired to finish the other commissioner's commissions (mainly due to design issues). Both of their bulk commissions were cheaply priced because I had such low confidence in myself back then that I charged far below minimum wage per hour for however long it took me to complete each commission.

Now it's become a so-called "endless list". I don't know if I should save up to just refund these people because I would love to work on other commissions from other people who were much more respectful of me as a person (by that, I mean speaking with me civilly about their commission instead of going through lengths to spread libel?)  But I think it's bad to back out of commissions at the same time. I've only ever declined and refunded a commissioner once because she demanded far too much for a simple commission at a time when my family and I were going through very difficult issues (and I couldn't produce art at all).

I don't want to become one of those artists who never gets through their commission list. It's insulting to everyone who placed their confidence in me to produce art for them.

Anyway, I'm sorry for ranting so much. I'm just stressed because of the little free time I get at home ^^; I'm doing the best I can with my Intuos (I just hope that it doesn't die on me...I've taken care of it as long as my laptop, but it had to die first, so I use the family's Mac from time to time at home). Thank you for reading my opening post.


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## kura-ou (Apr 28, 2015)

Zuriak said:


> Honestly a Monoprice of Huion tablet would be affordable in comparison to a Waacom product. Won't be as fancy, but it will absolutely get the job done.
> 
> But I agree with the above poster: Use what you have now and work your way to a better laptop when you can.



If Huion/Monoprice/Ugee made smaller tablet displays, I might have considered it ^^; 19"-21" is far too big for my tiny desk. But yes, I'm working towards dealing with commissions debt/bills at the moment with my Intuos and whatever PC I can get on at home, with what little time I have every day.

Thanks for your suggestion, though


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## Zuriak (Apr 28, 2015)

Honestly the Intuos is a great platform to work off of, but I agree -- a Cintiq Companion would be a very nice and pricey upgrade in comparison. But I'm a man of value: My Monoprice 10x6.25 inch tablet does its share of the work for me, but then again I'm not a hunky-dorey professional. Unless your job prospects require such an interface, or you plan to go into high paying commission or freelance work, the Intuos seems to still be a valid choice and would let you focus on other financial matters. That's purely my opinion; if you're impulsive like myself, then having that new thing is a _must_, but take a step back and really think about if you _need_ it.

All in all, I wish you the best and I hope you get satisfaction out of whichever path you choose!


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## Rydenan (Apr 29, 2015)

Surface Pro 1 (or 2) = Cintiq + built-in laptop, $300.


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## kura-ou (Apr 30, 2015)

squiddysquiddysquiddy said:


> I own a Cintiq 21UX.  I've had it since I bought it for $2000 my senior year of highschool.  I didn't deserve it then, I still don't deserve it now.
> 
> But boy is it nice.
> 
> ...



FYI, we're the same age. You must have worked your butt off for your Cintiq senior year. Me, I was trying to do volunteer work, keep up my grades and try to improve my art back then, which is, also a form of working. It's nice to know that you were able to afford a Cintiq after so much blood, sweat and tears. No need to rub it in someone else's face.

I used an over-priced and poorly made XP-Pen for years before I could afford my Wacom Intuos, but when I got it, I was fortunate enough to be able to make the funds back within a year. 

I'm doing my best to do damage control at the moment, so mocking someone for having a seemingly impossible but unobtainable goal is quite low of you. I don't want a Cintiq because it's "cool," but rather because it's a productive tool. I don't want one based on some misunderstanding that it'll make me a pro artist. For what I can "afford" to do, my Intuos is fine. I've just been stressed over losing time on old commissions, and not having a workable, portable laptop is seriously troubling me week after week when I lose 6 hours of commission time every day.

When you're used to completing 1-3 commissions a week and all of a sudden, that productivity drops because of college courses, their time constraints and the work that goes into studying for every single class, it starts hurting. ESPECIALLY when you're the type who needs to draw to de-stress or to enjoy life. Not getting obligations done in a timely manner might as well invite stomach ulcers to form if I can't progress.

But, I've done enough complaining, I'm just going to work off what I owe, and would thank you kindly for your comment.


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## kura-ou (Apr 30, 2015)

Centradragon said:


> No problem! (And thank you!) After re-reading, my comment seems a bit curt... apologies of I came off as cold. Glad you could glean some use out of it, though!
> 
> My parents weren't 100% on-board with my major either, but eventually they did accept it and they're proud of me now (apparently I'm adulting correctly, whoo!). I hope your parents will come around soon... don't give up!
> 
> ...



(Actually, your comment didn't come off as cold to me at all--it was actually one of the warmest and most helpful in this thread. There's no need to apologize ;u; Thank you so much for giving me another perspective into things and for giving me financial advice. I actually called them and they said they would take care of some fees, which really helps ;u; If I come across more questions, I'll be sure to bug the financial advisors like you suggested XD)

Haha, thank you for sharing your experiences with me U//w//U I'm so happy that your parents are proud of you--you definitely worked hard to prove it to them, and it shows all the way~ It makes me wonder if you get to travel a lot on your awesome job (especially with the amazing environment work you've done, too OAO)--sorry for the random question ;;;

Also, thank you so much for the encouragement--I definitely won't give up (one of my good IRL friends is pushing to become a scientific illustrator, too, so she's inspiring me all around, too). Thanks again for being so uplifting, Centradragon! ^^

Wow, you're an expert on these Wacom tablets O^O I didn't know that they varied so much back then! And thanks for the tip. I only ever played around with my Intuos...I didn't use my Bamboo long enough to tinker with the settings, but I'll be sure to note that if I ever get a spare. Do you normally just use one of your tablets continuously at home, or do you switch them out periodically to "extend their life"?

I'm sorry for asking so many questions, Centradragon ;A;


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## rjbartrop (May 3, 2015)

Some pros love them, some don't, and a lot of pros do just fine without one,  so I'd say a Cintiq falls into the category of nice, but not really essential.  I'd definitely recommend a Wacom Intuos Pro, but you don't need the biggest one.  I used a 4 by 6 inch Wacom Artpad for years before it finally gave up the ghost.  If anything should be a priority, it should be a reliable computer.


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## kura-ou (May 10, 2015)

Zuriak said:


> Honestly the Intuos is a great platform to work off of, but I agree -- a Cintiq Companion would be a very nice and pricey upgrade in comparison. But I'm a man of value: My Monoprice 10x6.25 inch tablet does its share of the work for me, but then again I'm not a hunky-dorey professional. Unless your job prospects require such an interface, or you plan to go into high paying commission or freelance work, the Intuos seems to still be a valid choice and would let you focus on other financial matters. That's purely my opinion; if you're impulsive like myself, then having that new thing is a _must_, but take a step back and really think about if you _need_ it.
> 
> All in all, I wish you the best and I hope you get satisfaction out of whichever path you choose!



I agree with you on the first one ^^

My Intuos was well worth the money I invested in it, considering I had a more inferior XP-Pen years before when I first started digital art. Brands such as Monoprice didn't even exist back then (and one of my art classmates loves his MP and I've heard numerous good things about it--he's even getting our digital arts professor to go on board with investing in them for the classroom >uO)b)

Well...I really do want to keep going with art. I love art, even if I'm a biology major. Drawing makes me the happiest, and I'd really like to finish commissions quicker with the uni schedule I'm on, but it'll most likely just last 3 months--I just have to work hard on coursework and not slack off or get any more pressured than I already am. If I had a Cintiq Companion, it might help, but at the moment, it's not a necessity. 

But considering my laptop really died 2 days ago, I'm really disappointed with myself ^^;;;;; I should have invested in a better laptop or have taken better care of it these 5 years...

But um, thank you so much for the encouragement! I'll keep doing my best *^*)b Life is hard, but I can't let it get me down. I wish you the best with everything, too!


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## Gigglebot (May 10, 2015)

I would start with a secure credit card to build your credit. You basically borrow your own money to build your credit. Ex: For a $300 card you would have to have $450 to put into an account to only be used if you cant pay your card or you close your account. So you don't loose the money. To build your credit it's recommended to not charge over 1/3 of the cards capacity. It wont be enough to buy what you want but if you do this now you'll have the credit to demand great rates!


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## RTDragon (May 10, 2015)

kura-ou said:


> Some of my closest friends who make amazing humanoid adoptables, as well as some of the humblest artists I know on dA use Cintiqs. Yes, they draw anime art, and yes, I do, too. Are you just going to hate on it because it's a style? And please don't assume that just because someone draws mostly anime art, that they haven't even attempted drawing other things.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




It's not the style but it seems most that do anime art don't really learn the basics at how it works. And the fact it's very common to see on DA.
Oh and those are some very nice traditional drawings.


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## Gnarl (May 10, 2015)

I may be a little different here, but I have a cintiq 24 hd and I just love the thing. Of course I am old and my eyes are not what they used to be so I often have to use the zoom in and the large screen to see what I am doing. I do agree with all the others though, pay the bills first! Look for a better paying job and then instead of buying a soda or coffe at school, put the change in a jar and leave it at home. sooner or later it will add up to a dollar and then another and another. It will take time but these tablets are worth every penny. the one you have sounds nice so maybe a new laptop instead? I am not sure if these things will run on a netbook but if they would netbooks are a lot cheaper than a regular laptop. The only difference I can see is no-disc drive and the keyboard is smaller. I know not much help, but hang it there it will get better!


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## RailRide (May 11, 2015)

Rydenan said:


> Surface Pro 1 (or 2) = Cintiq + built-in laptop, $300.



(only because the OP seems to be ignoring your suggestion...I didn't  )

Surface Pro 1 with minimal (solid-state) HDD space (i.e. 64GB), yeah you might swing one for about that much. Won't be able to install much on it though--that figure doesn't account for what the OS takes up.

Surface Pro 2...well I looked into one based upon your suggestion. Might still get one once I've rebuilt my "play money" reserves. One of the Penny Arcade artists uses one and likes it overall.

A SP2 with decent enough SSD space (about 128GB) will run you about $700 and change for a factory refurb (on Amazon no less). More bang for the buck than any Cintiq (which I never gave a second look due to the pricetag), it doesn't need tethering to another computer, it's built better then the Companion (I read some reviews) that the OP seems convinced is the one and only, and it's got the horsepower to host streams with, should I ever become decent at doing all-digital works.

---PCJ


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## kura-ou (May 14, 2015)

Rydenan said:


> Surface Pro 1 (or 2) = Cintiq + built-in laptop, $300.



Thank you for your suggestion ^^

Unfortunately, after looking at several reviews prior to this thread, I'm not sure if the Surface Pro would be for me. A few of my classmates use it mainly for lectures and coursework, but not for drawing because it only has about 256 levels of pressure sensitivity. I've drawn on the iPad with Wacom's so-called 2,024 levels of pressure sensitivity with a Creative Stylus, and it was pretty bad... I ended up wasting $100 on that stylus, and the glass screen of the iPad didn't make it any more of a positive experience  (Which disappointed me because I also spent a lot on art apps ><)

For someone who is fine with doing a lot of documentation, schoolwork, etc and simple lineart and CG on the go, a Surface Pro would be sufficient, especially with the reasonable price tag.

I am grateful for your opinion, and I apologize it took a while to reply to you after older comments in this thread. Unlike what that other person said, I didn't ignore you. It just took time.



rjbartrop said:


> Some pros love them, some don't, and a lot of pros do just fine without one,  so I'd say a Cintiq falls into the category of nice, but not really essential.  I'd definitely recommend a Wacom Intuos Pro, but you don't need the biggest one.  I used a 4 by 6 inch Wacom Artpad for years before it finally gave up the ghost.  If anything should be a priority, it should be a reliable computer.



You're right about that ^^;;; I, um, have been kind of sad because my 5-y.o. laptop died 2 weeks ago... I barely found out that repairing it, buying a new battery and legit OS (it came with a genuine Win 7, but it won't be updated anymore 6 months from now from what I was told by the technician) would go well over $500.

It'd be best to wait until Win 10 comes out, but because one of the family computers is a Mac, I feel like I've been spoiled with its speed and tendency to not get attacked by viruses despite the low level of customization. I guess I can rely on it for now whenever no one is using it, but if I can get into grad school this or next yr after graduating, I'll definitely panic a bit (on top of the commission and convention workload @-@)

A small Intuos definitely seems nice, though, but I wonder if a Huion would do the same... I wish Yiynova had a nice alternative...


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## Yarik (May 19, 2015)

Does anybody have experiences with the Lenovo thinkpad Yoga? It might be an alternative as well. The Surface pro 2 isn't available anymore, so buying one with warranty will be hard. The SP3 has no wacom pen and if you ever plan to paint you'll want the 1k pressure and more. The Lenovo thinkpad  yoga has that, is still available and has a good size. EXCEPT it is rather heavy and serves as a laptop (the keyboard cannot be removed). I'm eyeing the Yoga a lot, but will wait until August to buy one so I can't tell you my experiences soon enough.

My two cents at Huion: HANDS OFF. I wasted 80â‚¬ at that crap. There were positive reviews on tumblr saying it is as good as an wacom tablet but cheaper and is a slap to wacoms face. No. No it is not. I couldn't even run that crappy tablet at all. The drivers are CONSTANTLY crashing. Each time I left Photoshop and opened another window the pressure sensitivity was gone, so I had to restart the computer. Additionally the pen has batteries that move when you change the angle, making it very uncomfortable and heavy to hold. The pen also feels like some 1â‚¬ product and is overall annoying to use. I had better control of my lines using my 2008 Bamboo and its 512 pressure levels than the Huins "2k" one. The tablet surface gets VERY easily scratched and has little resistance, furthermore it is unnecessary large. Of course all of its extra buttons don't work either. At least not on Windows 7. I googled for the driver issues and nobody even tried to get these buttons running for Photoshop as there was no hope for them to work; people were happy when the pressure would stay on for an hour or two, lmao.
But hay hay, you'll always have people praising cheap trash to be as good as western quality. (basically you'll see reviews about the huion saying it is a fine tablet and only has driver issues. ""Only" having driver issues means you never can sit down and just draw, but always have to run through a ton of cursing and super annoying installations. Sometimes a couple times a day.) Wacom cannot be beaten at its artist-tablets right now. The screen tablets of other great companies are worth a look (especially Mircrosoft & lenovo) but these are not focused on art and obviously aren't as neat as the cintiqs, but more affordable when you want a self running portable device with an own operation system. Hobbyists in their young years probably also don't need super awesome pro-tablets.

Also always watch out for what OS your desired companion has. I almost fell for the 1,2kâ‚¬ one until I realized it has ANDROID installed and couldn't take windows. The windows version has almost the doubled price.


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## kura-ou (May 25, 2015)

Gigglebot said:


> I would start with a secure credit card to build your credit. You basically borrow your own money to build your credit. Ex: For a $300 card you would have to have $450 to put into an account to only be used if you cant pay your card or you close your account. So you don't loose the money. To build your credit it's recommended to not charge over 1/3 of the cards capacity. It wont be enough to buy what you want but if you do this now you'll have the credit to demand great rates!



Sadly, at the moment, I'm pretty much broke  I had to pay for textbooks, but that turned out to be a waste, seeing as I could only afford half of them...and if I can pass my 3 upper-division courses, I'll be graduating in 3 weeks (I'm so scared ><)

I hope that once I can work on commissions/adoptable extras again, that I can work towards paying off these current bills and save up to invest in a secured credit card... But at the same time, I wonder if it'd be better to just pay off this single credit I have that's killing me...and then once it's paid off, apply for a bigger credit line and use only 3-30% of it and only pay that one... Would that improve my credit score?



Gnarl said:


> I may be a little different here, but I have a cintiq 24 hd and I just love the thing. Of course I am old and my eyes are not what they used to be so I often have to use the zoom in and the large screen to see what I am doing. I do agree with all the others though, pay the bills first! Look for a better paying job and then instead of buying a soda or coffe at school, put the change in a jar and leave it at home. sooner or later it will add up to a dollar and then another and another. It will take time but these tablets are worth every penny. the one you have sounds nice so maybe a new laptop instead? I am not sure if these things will run on a netbook but if they would netbooks are a lot cheaper than a regular laptop. The only difference I can see is no-disc drive and the keyboard is smaller. I know not much help, but hang it there it will get better!



Thanks for your input 

Oh, if you want to protect your eyes, a few of my friends have recommended prescription glasses from gunnars.com ^^ They filter out the blue light that tends to degrade retinal function. You can also invest in goji berries *A*)b (I have bad eyes myself and can't invest in either yet, but I hope that you can--SAVE YOUR EYES OAO)

Ahhh, that's what I'm doing right now ;u; (well, whatever I can after bills XD Hopefully, it'll be enough after a year or two)

And thanks ^^ The technician that diagnosed my laptop recommended a similar thing, so I'll keep that in mind OuO

Thank you for all your input and encouragement! I hope that you have a wonderful day 



RTDragon said:


> It's not the style but it seems most that do anime art don't really learn the basics at how it works. And the fact it's very common to see on DA.
> Oh and those are some very nice traditional drawings.



Ah, I see. I apologize for getting so heated.

Well, at least it's rare to run into this type of person at least ^^;

Or this... 




(the person going around on dA hoping to get people to lower their prices to a few cents or dollars orzllll)

Sorry for the segue, but I know what you mean ^^;


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## Taralack (May 25, 2015)

Oh man, even their model viewer edits hurt my eyes. Too much goddamn bloom.

PS. If you're replying to multiple people, please use the multi-quote button! Thanks :3


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## kura-ou (May 31, 2015)

Yarik said:


> Does anybody have experiences with the Lenovo thinkpad Yoga? It might be an alternative as well. The Surface pro 2 isn't available anymore, so buying one with warranty will be hard. The SP3 has no wacom pen and if you ever plan to paint you'll want the 1k pressure and more. The Lenovo thinkpad  yoga has that, is still available and has a good size. EXCEPT it is rather heavy and serves as a laptop (the keyboard cannot be removed). I'm eyeing the Yoga a lot, but will wait until August to buy one so I can't tell you my experiences soon enough.
> 
> My two cents at Huion: HANDS OFF. I wasted 80â‚¬ at that crap. There were positive reviews on tumblr saying it is as good as an wacom tablet but cheaper and is a slap to wacoms face. No. No it is not. I couldn't even run that crappy tablet at all. The drivers are CONSTANTLY crashing. Each time I left Photoshop and opened another window the pressure sensitivity was gone, so I had to restart the computer. Additionally the pen has batteries that move when you change the angle, making it very uncomfortable and heavy to hold. The pen also feels like some 1â‚¬ product and is overall annoying to use. I had better control of my lines using my 2008 Bamboo and its 512 pressure levels than the Huins "2k" one. The tablet surface gets VERY easily scratched and has little resistance, furthermore it is unnecessary large. Of course all of its extra buttons don't work either. At least not on Windows 7. I googled for the driver issues and nobody even tried to get these buttons running for Photoshop as there was no hope for them to work; people were happy when the pressure would stay on for an hour or two, lmao.
> But hay hay, you'll always have people praising cheap trash to be as good as western quality. (basically you'll see reviews about the huion saying it is a fine tablet and only has driver issues. ""Only" having driver issues means you never can sit down and just draw, but always have to run through a ton of cursing and super annoying installations. Sometimes a couple times a day.) Wacom cannot be beaten at its artist-tablets right now. The screen tablets of other great companies are worth a look (especially Mircrosoft & lenovo) but these are not focused on art and obviously aren't as neat as the cintiqs, but more affordable when you want a self running portable device with an own operation system. Hobbyists in their young years probably also don't need super awesome pro-tablets.
> ...



Unfortunately, while I've heard of the Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga, I haven't used it myself ;-; A lot of my art classmates are mostly traditional artists (but wow, they can create really amazing things!) But *ahem*, from what I've read:

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-12-5-Inch-Convertible-Touchscreen-20CD0032US/dp/B00FK0BRUC
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-...hybrid-drive-black/8618451.p?id=1219354097142

It looks very durable and flexible despite its weight. The resolution and RAM also seem to be workable for art-related projects, but I'm sorry that I don't know much about it 

Thank you for the warning on Huion XD
TBH, I'm really enticed at the pen pressure sensitivity but I'm thankful that you pointed out its flaws with its drivers and...that dreaded heavy battery T___T;; (on top of having no pen tilt)

I'm honestly waiting for Yiynova to give Wacom a run for their money... I've heard nice things about their tablet monitors and am waiting for their 13.3 model to come out because it looks so similar to a Cintiq at about 45% less of the cost of the HD touch model (but the tablet itself has no touch functionality .__.)

I ALMOST DID THE SAME THING, ACTUALLY...last year, when they had that sale XD But um...I think it's nice that Android is slightly lighter than the Win 8 OS (I may be wrong...), plus, if you already have a good laptop, you can connect it, so there isn't too much of a problem there unless you wanted full-on work on a tablet PC (which...I can sympathize with...REALLY Q__Q). 

I'm kind of sad that the model for the CC2 that I wanted is sold out (again) but I'm kind of happy because maybe they'll restock it when I've finished paying all my bills ^^;; I'm sorry that I got distracted, but I do wish you the best of luck in getting an affordable tablet PC, tablet monitor or Cintiq ;u; It was very nice of you for sharing your views! Please have a good one


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## kura-ou (May 31, 2015)

Taralack said:


> Oh man, even their model viewer edits hurt my eyes. Too much goddamn bloom.
> 
> PS. If you're replying to multiple people, please use the multi-quote button! Thanks :3



What's "bloom" if you don't mind me asking? O^O

THERE'S A MULTI-QUOTE BUTTON?!

I'm so sorry, I had no idea you could do that OAO


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