The PC Weenies

Background

For many years, I’ve dreamt of owning a Wacom Cintiq. It’s the rockstar equivalent of owning a legendary Fender Strat.

Like many a digital artist, I have been lusting after a device that will let me directly draw on a pressure sensitive screen. I’ve been using Wacom tablets for 15 years – and while they have been excellent – they’ve never been a truly natural way to draw.

Drawing with a tablet takes practice – and even with experience, it’s not a completely seamless process. The reason for that is simple: when using a tablet, there is an inherent disconnect between mark making and observation.

Prior to the Yiynova, the only viable option available to me was the Wacom Cintiq. With prices starting at $1999 for the 22HD model, moving all the way up to $2800 for the 24HD model, the Cintiq was just too expensive for me to consider. Unfortunately, up until recently, there weren’t any alternatives.

Then, about two months ago, I read Ray’s review of the Yiynova MSP19U (retail $569US at Amazon). His review really made an impression on me. Could this device really be good alternative to the Wacom Cintiq?

Determined to learn more, I searched the Internet. And then I re-read Ray’s review. Multiple times. Finally, on December 31st, I pulled the trigger and ordered my Yiynova MSP19U (hereafter referred to as Yiynova 19U, for brevity). I was nervous and excited. But mostly nervous. In my mind, the Yiynova sounded too good to be true.

Would this be a worthwhile purchase? Or would I have just blown close to $600 on a device made by an unfamiliar company? With credit card in hand, I decided to take a bullet for the Internet. ↓ Read the rest of this entry…