Wacom Cintiq – Page 3

Monster Painting

Posted onNovember 14, 2012November 14, 2012

Soft Airbrushing a Monster in Photoshop

Monster Painting in Photoshop using Airbrush

After all the sexy drawings and painting, I felt I needed to get some contrast in my sketches. Once in awhile, I just have a need to paint something different, something more manly, and more powerful. I had a rough image in my head and I just got on my Cintiq 22HD and started painting. On the upper left image is what I started with. I was thinking of some kind of dragon demon. Then I wasn’t sure what to do with the body so by default, it ended up being more humanoid. The upper right image is close to the final black and white painting. The bottom image is the final painting with some color. I quickly added color by using a color layer blending mode over the black and white painting.

Click on the final image for larger view.
Until next time, -Wei

Slim Keyboard for the Wacom Cintiq 22HD

Posted onOctober 10, 2012November 20, 2012

I’ve been using this GMYLE Super Slim USB 2 Keyboard with my Wacom Cintiq 22HD for a couple of weeks and it is working out great. The Cintiq comes with Express Keys which are useful but I don’t think it can replace a keyboard. I suppose the 16 programmable Express Keys would be sufficient for some. But for me, I use a lot of shortcut keys, not only in Photoshop, but in my 3D packages (Maya and Max) as well. I’m surprised I don’t get keys mixed up more often. Seriously, I don’t need to add a set of keys for the same functions when I can have another keyboard next to my Cintiq. If you’re looking for a Keyboard for your Cintiq, you might want to consider this one.

GMYLE Super Slim Keyboard

Cintiq 22HD GMYLE Slim Keyboard Mac Comparison This is a great little keyboard. It measures about 11 inches by 5 inches. Just compact enough for it to sit next to my Cintiq without me having to reach out too far for it. Looking at the image on the right, you’re probably thinking, “Hey, that looks like a Mac keyboard!” Yes, its design is very close to the Mac keyboard. In the image, the bottom one is the iMac keyboard, and the top one is the GMYLE keyboard. Obviously it’s a rip off from the iMac keyboard. I’m surprised that something this similar in design to the iMac can make it to the market, given how closely Apple guards their designs.

I still use the Express Keys as I find it more comfortable to rest my left hand on the Cintiq Express Keys (I’m right-handed). One thing I can’t stand is having my arms out too far to either side–it’s just uncomfortable. The Express Keys are great for general navigation in Photoshop–basically Ctrl, Shift, Alt, and Spacebar. Other than that, I use the keyboard.

The Cintiq 22HD has a USB port on the left side so it is perfect for accessories like this. Anyhow, this super slim compact keyboard (about $15 total) is working out great so far.

My Cintiq 22HD Review on Computer Arts Magazine

Posted onSeptember 25, 2012October 16, 2012

My reviews of the Wacom Cintiq 22HD caught the eyes of the editor of the Computer Arts (French Edition) Magazine. In the September issue, they featured my reviews. I can’t read French so I’m not exactly sure what their review saids, but they’ve quote me here and there. They were also nice enough to showcase some of my artworks that was created on the Cintiq 22HD.

The whole article is composed of a couple of spread pages. I love the way they’ve laid out the page. The Wonder Woman painting fits in nicely.

For more on the Cintiq, check out my related posts. If you’re considering whether to get the new Wacom Cintiq or not, then you need to read my posts. It’ll give you a review from an artist point of view. It’s much more useful than technical specs from a sales person or a programmer=). -Wei

Soft Airbrushing on the Cintiq 22HD

Posted onSeptember 6, 2012October 16, 2012

I did couple of soft airbrushing paintings on the Cintiq 22HD. Part of the reason was to test the sensitivity on the Cintiq. It feels the same as the Wacom Intous tablets but the results I get on the Cintiq is softer because of greater hand control.

For these paintings, I used the aribrush in Photoshop with an airbrush opacity at about 25% with a flow of about 30%. With that low opacity flow, you can slowly build up the form with multiple strokes. Just think of it as if you’re using a real airbrush, where going too dark is a big no no since you can’t go lighter.

Pretty Girl’s Face and the Mummy

On the girl’s face, it took me about an hour to do. Starting with pure black on the airbrush, I slowly painted in the darks. Then using pure white to bring out the highlights. My goal was to create all the different shades of grey by varying the pressure of the stylus. I was successful at that, but I did end up doing some corrections by apply the backgroud grey to fix certain areas that I went too dark on.

For the Mummy’s face, it was a lot messier and I went back and forth more. The details made it difficult to get it correct on the first try. This was referenced from one of Basil Gogos’ monster sketches.

In conclusion, I think this soft airbrushing technique works great with the Cintiq. The stylus is sensitive enough where you can build up smooth areas with multiple strokes and still keep your stroke lines blended. I like the result and I’ll be doing more of these types of paintings. The process goes fast enough that I’ll be able to do a video on this technique soon.

Cintiq 22HD Review
Cintiq 22HD Video Review
Cintiq 22HD Stylus Sensitivity Video Review

Wonder Woman and Witchblade Paintings on the Cintiq 22HD

Posted onSeptember 4, 2012October 16, 2012

Following my Black Widow painting for my wife’s friend, I had a couple of request to paint them as superheroes as well. Since the subject matter was what I wanted to paint, I ended up doing a couple of commissions on it. I painted them on the Wacom Cintiq 22HD.

Wonder Woman and Witchblade Paintings

For this Wonder Woman and Witchblade paintings, the process was similar. I started with their portrait and then I would find a suitable pose for them my reference library. Rarely does the reference matches exactly what I want it to be. But that’s okay because what I’m after are lighting references. I’ll try to figure out the lighting based on any pose changes from the reference. I use to be horrible at this but with practice, I can see that I’m getting better at making things up. Still feels awkward but it’s getting there.

With the Witchblade painting, the portrait was from a flash photo, resulting in flat lighting. I had to change it to what you see here, with the lighting from the side. That was the trickiest part. I’m calling this Witchblade because it was referenced from that character. I played around with it and did my own costume. It’s closer to the Japanese version of Witchblade, Takeru.

If you’re interested in such a painting for yourself, I am open to commissions. It’s not something I’ve done a lot in the past, but now that I’m getting back to painting, I’m more open to the idea. Sexy ladies only. Just contact me.

Tag: Wacom Cintiq