I would rather be writing about Net and gaming trends and such, but folks have started to ask about my presence on here, so first things first. I am still on FA and continue to follow you guys and others as always. A number of new folks have watched me of late, including some whose work I grew up looking at or reading, and that has been an honor and wonderful to see happening. I apologize to all concerned that I have not been posting much that is new so far this year.

I want so much to start posting again, and indeed, I have actually been working nearly every week of the year on several works of new art, all of which are slated to eventually appear here when they are completed. I think some of them are among the better works I have done and I look forward to sharing them with you. It's the finishing of new works that takes a while though. Something always seems to keep coming up back in real life that can contribute to a delay, and making progress in one's work requires messy experimentation that takes a while to clean up and prepare for final posting. I'm not one to post sketches or unfinished works, but that may have to change if delays continue to pile up, as I want to continue to entertain people with my work.

And my more recent experiments have yielded interesting and fun results that I think you may enjoy. I have recently started using the Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T for making art, instead of my usual Wacom Cintiq 12WX. And the move to a different art tool has really been a revelation for me. I'm not sure which new element, such as the higher resolution, the sharper contrast and color, or the light and wireless approach, has made the most difference, but I have found myself enjoying drawing digitally as I never have before. I don't normally enjoy drawing, I just force myself to do it, so that's a big shift for me.

As some of you may recall from earlier comments on here, I have long lamented the lack of alternatives to Wacom's tools, as it seemed time for less heavy and wired solutions. Although the new device uses Wacom technology it has its own approach to how wonderfully low-weight it is, while also having a larger and better screen than the Wacom tablet. It's true that it can't achieve the speeds in more demanding software such as Photoshop that a Wacom attached to a desktop PC can. But when drawing in Sai, it's just a wonderful experience, though perhaps not a perfect one for everyone.

There are certainly some quirks, and the tablet needs to have its touch feature turned off to help you concentrate on the stylus when drawing. Not a big deal, but there are some other quirks that are less easily solved. None of them have been deal breakers for me, but others may feel differently as how one works on art is different for everyone and we all have different sensitivities.

For someone like me though, who grew up learning how to draw on the backs of tiny post-it notes and still really needs a small and light surface to draw on, this device has really hit the sweet spot after years of disappointments with the whole tablet PC concept, let alone using one as an art tool. I think the brilliant Samsung screen really helps, as the view at 1080 P leaves the experience feeling more like natural drawing than what one usually gets out of a display tablet, especially when coupled with the strong contrast and color. One can fool about without every pixel standing out in the wrong ways and with a nice liquid feel to the overall experience.

Admittedly, part of the delays for posting new art this year have been due to how, after enjoying experimenting with one new drawing idea, I find myself overly anxious to move onto the next exciting concept, leaving the last one unfinished or uncolored. This is because each new drawing is so much fun to work on. I have started more projects in the past several weeks than I have in years. This is more like it, far as how the art process should be. Now, if I could only get things done in completed form faster, I would be working more like the artists I look up to.

I will post finished works soon though, it will just have to be a trickle before the flood. But new art is certainly on the way and you may be surprised by the small and large changes being made in some parts of my approach. I hope you will stay tuned to see what results will show up.

Rave