LeoArtz

Last month I’ve lost my workhorse – Wacom Intuos 2 tablet I’ve been using for 4 or 5 years. I’ve got it from a good old friend of mine and it was quite used back then. Wacom doing great tablets, even my first Intuos A6 I bought 10 years ago is still alive!  It’s so small just like a postcard and I can’t imagine how to draw with it but it’s still works. Althought they lasted for that long I’ve discovered some problems with Intuos 2 Grip Pen which sometimes is getting out of sync and produce wavy lines while you draw straight ones.

There are solutions like replacing the Grip Pen or buying a new tablet however you can just adjust the screw located under the double-click pen button.

First, remove the button and you’ll see 3 holes. Ignore the side holes and take a look at central hole (see the image below). Originally the screw head is set parallel to your pen direction [|], to adjust just rotate it a few degrees clockwise [/] or counter- clockwise [\]. Be careful because it’s very sensitive. You may even lost the control and your tablet wouldn’t “see” the pen if rotated too much. Don’t worry, just rotate it back to original position. Mine worked for 5 months after that adjustment.

Now I’m back on track with brand new Wacom Intuos 4L and I would like to share some impressions. Being a wacom user for 10 years I can say the 4th incarnation of Intuos is really cool. The tablet get rid off of unnecessary buttons, it’s design fits both right hand and left hand users and it’s comfy. There are 2 USB ports on a side and removable cable. The tablet’s working surface fits perfectly widescreen displays as well as two heads setup. The penholder reminds an ink-well so for a visitor your paint sessions would look more like a traditional japanese calligraphy.

The only problem I saw with Intuos 4 is it’s pen nibs. Wacom have designed various nibs to emulate different tools like pencils or brushes. I remember I was drawing with the same nib with Intuos A6 literally for 3 or 4 years straight! Same counts for Intuos 2. And now, after completing just one image my nib is half-eaten. Looks like Wacom is pushing us to buy accessories more often and they aren’t cheap. Oh and while previous series have been manufactured in Japan, Intuos 4 are made in China.

And the final note, all Wacoms are expensive. I’ve paid for my first tablet (Intuos A6) around $200 and it was HUGE amount of  money for me back then. If you’re a pro and making nice figures it’s not a big deal at all. But if you’re aspiring artist or just a beginner you’ve to think twice before getting these black boards with Wacom sign.