What is your Graphics Workstation setup?

Drawing and illustration is not my day job and I am new to graphics software so my setup is very modest so far. I will be self-illustrating two books I am contracted to write. I was wondering how you setup your graphics workstations and if I need to buy more hardware. My main system is a tower PC Windows 7 with a Wacom Intuos Pen & Touch medium tablet, illuminated keyboard on a sliding undershelf, 23" wide screen monitor, wired laser mouse for precision, running full versions of Xara P&GD9 and Autodesk Sketchbook Pro 6.2.

The portable system is a Microsoft Surface2Pro Windows 8.1 with keyboard/cover, WiFi Arc mouse (Surface edition), Pro Pen stylus (stock), running full versions of Xara P&GD9 and Sketchbook 6.2, not used at this location but in other rooms or out of the house. Below that is a Boogie Board LCD tablet for quick sketches (does not record/upload but is very handy for ideas on the go).

Not shown: Canon PowerShot Elph 130IS WiFi digital camera (can upload photos to both computers using WiFi). And coffee, lots of coffee.
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Whatever works is the best set up.

I know a lot of people who work with two monitors. And tablets vs a mouse.

I have a Dell XPS 8500, 24GB RAM (probably way too much), a 24 inch Dell Ultra Sharp monitor that can display over 1 billion colors vs 24-bit 16.7 million colors. Windows 8.1 (recently updated from Window 8). No tablet, just a mouse. But I can't draw worth a damn anyway so a table would not do much for what I do.

The question you need to ask yourself is when you work, is there anything missing, or does everything more or less work to your demands?

You can spend a lifetime chasing the perfect system and never come close. Or you can learn to work with what you have and be happy.

My greatest wish at this point is for the software I use to create my stereogram images would come out with a 64-bit version because where I could really use my extended memory is rendering poster sized images.

But for the most part, I'm a happy camper.

By far the biggest bang for my buck has been Xara Photo & Graphic Designer (now 9) and Autodesk Sketchbook 6.2, followed by my Wacom INTUOS Pen & Touch tablet. I highly recommend this $199 tablet (medium size) and it will change the way you do work, since drawing with a mouse has limitations. Once adjusted to your liking, the precision and touch sensitivity are a huge advantage. The Canon Elph 130IS is also a huge upgrade from my old digital camera, and is so small I can take it anywhere.

The Microsoft Surface2Pro is a fascinating device but expensive and not perfect. I frees you from being confined to your desk as you can work from the couch or in a cross town cafe. Most of my creative ideas come about outside the office. It can run full versions of my graphics software, update me on multiple email accounts, and do Internet researching. The mouse, keyboard, and MS Office are not included and add to the already steep price. Only the more expensive Pro and 2Pro versions are good for pen input. The form factor is extremely portable but a little cramped for drawing once multiple tool boxes are opened. The Pro Pen would not work in Xara until I downloaded and installed Wacom Feel drivers.

The biggest problem with the Surface2Pro for drawing is pen/cursor misalignment issues. The cursor does not always fall under NIB which varies depending on screen location. I practice this by drawing tiny dots and then drawing tight circles around the dots looking at the stylus tip. If it is off, the circle will be off center from the dot. Also the cursor chases the stylus which is distracting and on the far right hand edge of the screen the circle will become a horizontally stretched ellipse and on the far left hand edge the cursor is 3-4 mm to the left of the stylus tip. In the below example I did not notice this misalignment when airbrushing (a broad and vague tool). But when it came to drawing the water droplet highlights and retracing the edges I could readily see that the alignment was off. When I lay the Surface2Pro flat and rotate it like a piece of paper for best wrist stroke, the misalignment is way off, so I had to resort to staring at the cursor (which is unnatural and sometimes hidden by the stylus). Calibrating (deep in Control Panel) did not solve it, nor did intentionally off-center cheating on the calibration. My theory is that the magnets that Microsoft uses to attach the Pen and keyboard are not shielded enough and are causing field distortion.

Here are some work around fixes: Users on the Internet have found that resetting the calibration to the factory setting (an option in Control Panel) works better than calibrating manually, which is true for me. If I must rotate the device, I look at the cursor, not the stylus tip. I keep my tool boxes to the sides and draw in the center 3/4 of the screen. In Sketchbook Pro I turn off the cross hair cursor (tiny dot cursor remains which is less distracting than the chasing cross hair cursor). I use the Wacom tablet for intense precision line work. The Surface2Pro is not perfect for drawing and may be a generation or two away from being ideal, but it is still fun as hell to use it away from the office and do still do some precise work. The drawing below was done entirely on the Surface2Pro using Sketchbook Pro. The detail touchups were tedious due to the misalignment issues, but still manageable.
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I made a new addition to my graphics hardware setup today. I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition WiFi 32GB tablet running Autodesk Sketchbook Pro for Android. It is 1/3 the thickness and 1/2 the weight of my Surface2Pro system. The Samsung stylus is much thinner than a pencil and seemed too dainty and light, but in actual practice it works great. The nib to screen indexing is very good and superior to the Surface2Pro. When I draw with it I can just draw like usual and not have to stare at the cursor like I have to with the Surface2Pro. Here is my first attempt with the 10.1 2014 edition on the day of purchase sketching an eye using air brush, pencil for iris detail, noisy brush for skin texture, and noisy brush for clumpy mascara. I could not wait for the pending 12.2 version and am glad I did not. I had no problems with errant palm detection and could use the entire screen, so it did not seem too small at any time. The 10.1 is easy to hold with one hand when surfing the web on the couch, but I heard that the 12.2 is a tad too big for this. This eye sketch was easy to draw and very, very fun I might add. It is also superb for surfing the web, watching Youtube videos (Xara tutorials), reading documents, and reading email. I loaded up my life's work of images and writings via the micro USB cable and have plenty of room to spare. The stylus slots into the tablet and does not fall off like the magnetically attached Pro Pen on the Surface2Pro. The advantage of the Surface2Pro is that it is a full on computer running full versions of MS Office, Xara P&GD9, and Sketchbook Pro, with an optional keyboard and mouse, so it is great for creating all kinds of content and documents. I recommend both, but the Samsung has a fun factor that makes it a joy to draw and paint digital art.
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99% of my work has been produced on a Laptop.
And for the past 3 years, on a MacBook.

So. It's Laptop and a Touchpad.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gwpriester

Whatever works is the best set up.

I know a lot of people who work with two monitors. And tablets vs a mouse.

I have a Dell XPS 8500, 24GB RAM (probably way too much), a 24 inch Dell Ultra Sharp monitor that can display over 1 billion colors vs 24-bit 16.7 million colors. Windows 8.1 (recently updated from Window 8). No tablet, just a mouse. But I can't draw worth a damn anyway so a table would not do much for what I do.

The question you need to ask yourself is when you work, is there anything missing, or does everything more or less work to your demands?

You can spend a lifetime chasing the perfect system and never come close. Or you can learn to work with what you have and be happy.

My greatest wish at this point is for the software I use to create my stereogram images would come out with a 64-bit version because where I could really use my extended memory is rendering poster sized images.

But for the most part, I'm a happy camper.

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Wowww, 24GB RAM, amaaazing.

Could you email me that AND the 24" UltraSharp monitor please, I'll bake you a cake in return :-)

Grenou (Who's setup is very modest, a CyberPower systems PC (tick the boxes on line) 4GB RAM (see what I mean..) 2 monitors : 22" + 20"- no tablet, uninstalled that, didn't like it at all and a glass of wine after 6pm)

Is Xara P&GD9 ram hungry? After I draw a thousand lines or so with my photo etching technique it bogs down and I have to convert lines to shapes and add shapes. I have 32-bit Windows 7 that has a memory limitation. Is Xara 64-bit capable? That is can Xara use massive amounts of ram on a 64-bit system?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WildRice

Is Xara P&GD9 ram hungry? After I draw a thousand lines or so with my photo etching technique it bogs down and I have to convert lines to shapes and add shapes. I have 32-bit Windows 7 that has a memory limitation. Is Xara 64-bit capable? That is can Xara use massive amounts of ram on a 64-bit system?

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As it comes out of the same stable as XDPX9, it ought to be 64-bit capable. Sadly, it isn't: http://www.xara.com/us/press-center/...r-pro/compare/.

Acorn