Wacom Cintiq 27QHD
Just when you thought the Wacom Cintiq couldn’t get any bigger, just when you thought that 24 inches was simply too big of a drawing surface, Wacom releases the Cintiq 27QHD. And it’s glorious with its 2,560 by 1,440 resolution and proclaimed 97 percent AdobeRGB gamut.
I thought that this was going to be more screen than a normal artist could handle, but I was incorrect. I quickly fell into the groove and was quite at home, especially for painting- and drawing-based software like Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk’s SketchBookPro, BlackInk (one of my faves), and animation programs such as ToonBoom Harmony and SmithMicro’s Anime Studio.
The Pro Pen has its 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity and an ammo kit of nibs — including a few that are made of felt — that convey the softer, tactile feel of pen on paper. It has a great response with little discernable lag.
The most innovative part of the new tablet is that Wacom has removed the Express Keys from the surface of the tablet, and put them into a handheld remote control. This provides for a clean, one piece of glass over the top of the entire device. The large bezel provides room to place the remote anywhere that feels comfortable for your work style, and it has some metal in it, which gives the magnetic back of the remote somewhere to stick. I love this change.
Overall, I don’t think I can work without it — especially for illustrating and traditional animation. Todd Sheridan Perry is a visual-effects supervisor and digital artist who has worked on features including The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Speed Racer, 2012, Final Destination 5 and Avengers: Age of Ultron. You can reach him at todd@ teaspoonvfx.com.
Reissued on disc for the first time since Sony’s separate volume releases in 2009, Mill Creek’s complete collection offers all 50 episodes of the 2003 Astro Boy update. Based on the classic by Osamu Tezuka, the action-adventure series centered on the titular atomic-powered robot who becomes a reluctant superhero, fighting for humans and robots alike.
Critics praised the series for combining the light-hearted playfulness of the 1960s original with the more dramatic sci-fi themes of the 1980s version. Produced by Tezuka Produc- (John Roberts) ends up singing at her high school reunion, and the kids (Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal) set a trap for Santa.
Among the many highlights of the 2013-14 season is the show’s first Primetime Emmy-winning episode, “Mazel-Tina,” wherein Tina crashes Tammy’s bat mitzvah when her family is hired to cater it, and ends up the more deeply buried gems from the vault like Three Little Bops accompanied by special features It Hopped One Night: The Story Behind One Froggy Evening, Wagnarian Wabbit: The Making of What’s Opera, Doc?, Merrie Melodies: Carl Stalling and Cartoon Music and a Looney Tunes Sing-Along, this collection is “a symphony of fun” as promised.
The shorts collection contains A gapore and ILM, the pop music-fueled adventure inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream pitches a colorful cast of fairies, elves, goblins and imps into a battle over a powerful love potion.
Directed by Gary Rydstrom, who handled Disney’s English dubs of From Up on Poppy Hill and The Wind Rises, Strange Magic features the voices of Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood, Elijah Kelley, Meredith Anne Bull, Sam Palladio, Kristin Chenoweth and Alfred Molina. The DVD also holds bonus features “Magical Mash Up” (outtakes, tests and melodies) and “Creating the Magic” behind-the-scenes with cast and filmmakers. [Release date: May 19]