Life in the city is starting to kick in for me. The place is starting to feel like home, especially now that there's an actual dining table in the living room. Sure, eating in front of the TV is slacker-ish and cool and very gamer-webcomic-ish, but there's something about actually setting up a table and having a decent dinner. Also, checking webcomics on my laptop while eating breakfast in the living room highly convenient.

But as the title would suggest, that's not what this journal is about. Two weeks ago, I went to Amsterdam to visit my friend ~CabalcoTech, I combined this with a business trip to a store that sells graphic design supplies. Against all my expectations, the store is literally in the deep center of the city, right between the coffee shops, pubs and gift shops.
But there was something special about this store, you see, they let you try out the Wacom Cintiq 12WX and 21UX. What's a Cintiq, you may ask? And why would I travel to Amsterdam while I live in a major city myself? Well, the Cintiq is basically a monitor that's also a tablet, which means that you can draw directly on the screen.

I wanted to own one ever since I discovered their existence. But they are quite expensive and thus not something that I would order online between coding a website and drawing a new comic. During the past few years, my business has reeled in enough money to justify such an investment, and thus I decided that this is where I make the plunge.

Unfortunately, I left a little late, but it was a full parking garage and the rather awkward public transit that made me arrive near closing time. Fortunately, the store owner was kind enough (and aware of the huge sale he could make) to let me in and test the Cintiqs.

I was instantly sold.

There are some minor setbacks to drawing directly on the screen, but they're issues that you'll have no problem to get used to. The lag that some people experience is nonexistent in my opinion, and once calibrated, there's very little offset. The touch bars on both ends of the screen are very convenient and the quick keys are very easy to configure for each application you use. One of the most convenient things I did was to program the secondary button on the stylus to perform undos, making undos as easy as a reflex
The 12WX is nice and all, but it pales in comparison to the 21UX. The major setback of the 12WX is that it supports a resolution of 1280x728 (or something in that range). Panels and windows eat your drawing space like popcorn. The 21UX has a resolution of 1600x1200, still, a bit on the low side for today's standards, but it really gets the job done.

So I made the purchase right on the spot and had a Cintiq 21UX delivered back home (because you really don't want to roam the streets of Amsterdam carrying a 10Kg Cintiq).

After that, I went to ~CabalcoTech's place, which would be less of a problem if my phone has less trouble receiving a GPS signal. Fortunately, once I found a familiar street, I had little trouble finding the place, which is just on the outskirts of the city's tourist section. Talked some, ate something at his neighbor's restaurant (which is literally next door) and I took the bus back to the public car park rather late, which is a good sign.

Now, to serve the citizens of the Internet, and to contribute to the community spirit of DeviantART (I guess), I will present you pictures of the unboxing of the Cintiq, complete with annotations. Just click hear!!

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