Cintiq 12wx + SmudgeGuard = Love

So for our design company, Dismantled, we decided our first big purchase would be a Cintiq 12wx for me. I of course had no objections to this since I've been wanting one since Wacom first unveiled them.

While i waited for it to arrive (it came about a week after we ordered it...the wait almost killed me) i browsed a few reviews. I was looking over the comments section of one of them, when i saw someone mention SmudgeGuard and how great a product it was. I Googled it and found this.

After looking over the site a bit i decided to buy one. The creator of the SmudgeGuard, Jeannie Lit, was incredibly nice and responded personally to the purchase. I received the guard in about 3 days which meant i had about 4 days to just wear it around the house and look cool before my Cintiq arrived.

When the Cintiq finally arrived i hooked it all up, put on my SmudgeGuard and decided to break it in with some sketching. Needless to say, it was incredible.

The size of 12wx is perfect for me. I haven't been spoiled by the bigger sized Cintiqs so the screen really didn't seem that small to me. Like all the reviews mention, it comes with a lot of cords but that wasn't really a big issue for me. I had the whole thing spread out on my bed with the Cintiq resting in my lap like a sketchbook and seriously it felt like i WAS drawing in a sketchbook. The texture of the screen is incredibly smooth and with the SmudgeGuard your hand just glides across it.

I don't know what other artists do, but i personally don't think i could work on the Cintiq without the SmudgeGuard, that's how great it is. It's incredibly comfortable and it keeps your screen free of the oils of your hand. This is a huge thing because any oil that gets on the screen creates a bit of resistance whenever the pen hits it. The guard also keeps your hand cool while it's resting on the screen (The Cintiq's screen gets a little warm while you use it...nothing serious but with the guard on you are never bothered by it).

The main thing i love about the Cintiq is how light and portable it is. Most of the reviews i read said how great it was for taking on business trips, but not to the coffee shop for some sketching. I totally disagree with that. I used a laptop backpack, arranged and stuffed the cords (gently) into the pockets, put the Cintiq in the main part, and threw in a tiny adapter that allows me to plug two cords into one outlet(so i didn't have to unlpug the lamp at Caribou).

When i got there i took out the Cintiq and my laptop (which i also got to fit in the bag and it still wasn't that heavy or squashed), unzipped a few of the pockets, plugged it into the wacom box, and the wall outlet, and was up and running in about 5 minutes. All of the cords were still tucked neatly in the backpack pockets the way i had it set up so there weren't cords all over the place. After a few hours, it took less than 5 minutes to pack it all up and leave.

Ok this is getting to be too long so i'll finish this up. If you are a professional artist/designer, find a way to get a 12wx. They are totally worth it and the time this thing saves is unbelievable. I can't imagine working without one now and i've only had it for a little over a week.