The Useful Thread
Out of context: Reply #1348
- Started
- Last post
- 1,672 Responses
- monNom2
If you like a big wacom, and you also using keyboard shortcuts, the ergonomics kind of suck. You end up twisted and reaching with one arm to control your keyboard, and it's hard to work all day like that. My neck and shoulders were always giving me problems from drawing in that posture.
A Cintiq is an (expensive) option, but you are always a bit too close (IMO), your arm/hand obscures part of your work, and keyboard placement is still an issue. For me, I could never feel as fast and fluid drawing on a screen and tapping on tools with my pen. A better position is having the wacom just below your monitor and tilted at an angle like a drafting board.
To achieve that, get yourself one of these "Innovative 7000" heavy duty monitor arms and clip it to the side/front of your desk. This one is nice because it will place the pivot right at desk height, so your wacom is perfectly positioned below your monitor, and not too high.
Screw a piece of plywood to the vesa plate of the monitor arm (sized a little larger than your wacom), then get some adhesive backed velcro to stick the wacom to the plywood. For the keyboard, a small wireless keyboard like you use for a media-server can be stuck up in the top-corner with velcro, and possibly a foam or wood block to get the level right. It's good to have the keyboard sit over the bezel a bit in order to keep the reach low.
I've been using this setup for about 3 years now and it's been a total game changer. No more stress in my neck and shoulders, and I can very easily rotate the wacom into position when i want to use the pen, or away immediately when I'm done with it, and I never need to move stuff off my desk to do it.
- Here's a slightly less janky solution
http://artdesigncore…monNom - This is great!
*steals idea, CNC cuts a load of melamine covered MDF with VESA mounts and velcro*
Seriously, this seems sellable.Nairn - Etsy shop incoming.monNom
- How can you work so close to your monitors?!grafician
- You can adjust depth (and tilt) with this. Wacom is usually 8-10" forward from monitor and I have monitors at arms length with fingers outstretched.monNom
- There's a keyboard tray on this desk to that might be throwing you off.monNom
- just use an iPad while sat on the sofa.shapesalad
- Nice man. Like a DIY 24" Cintiq stand. I've been tinkering with the idea of cutting out my desk front for something similar.fyoucher1
- Here's a slightly less janky solution