NO.4 memory of my first drawing tablet

I had started digital art a long time ago when I saw a FNAF speedpaint on MS Paint and found out that MS paint was on my moms crusty laptop as well. 

Eventually I got hooked onto drawing on MS paint and watching speedpaints, and eventually I learned that most of these people had those pen tablets. Naturally, I wanted one too.

For years I had wanted a tablet on my own, especially from Wacom since that was the big name. I watched unboxing videos, review videos, all that stuff, but I couldn't muster the courage to ask because it was expensive. Maybe things are different now or elementary-age me couldn't look at the market properly but back then I remembered most of these tablets being hundreds and it was much harder to find these tablets cheap as now. 

Then one day found a (huion?) tablet that was around $20-$30. I got excited seeing that the price was bearable so I asked my mom at the dinner table as a birthday gift. She said yes, and I early waited from that day on.

Then around the end of 4th grade? If I'm remembering correctly, I got a Principal's Award at Honors Day. It was a reward they gave us if we got all A's on our report cards and it came with this little shiny medallion. I didn't think of it much (since I got it frequently) but I still acknowledged it as something worthy. 

Then, I think, a few days after that when my mom picked me up I hopped in the car and she told me she had a surprise for me. She then reached for somewhere in the seat, stretched it back to me, and revealed this big, white, fancy box. 

It was a Wacom Intous! That she got! For $100!!!!!!

I don't remember anything after that besides the fact that I was shocked and ecstatic! I thought she'd never get me such an expensive tablet, a wacom one at that, but here it is! Right in front of me! Even earlier than my birthday!

To be fair, I don't even remember if the award thing was connected to it. I just have a vague memory of the gift being early as a good job for something, but man, that changed my life forever.

It was an amazing tablet too. I had always used it for years and there was not a single problem in that time! It always worked smoothly, it connected easily, there were some things here and there where I had to restart the tablet driver or my laptop, but that was it! It was one of the best gifts ever and honestly that was one of the happiest times of my life. 

To this day, it still works PERFECTLY now. I had switched to a screen/monitor tablet (XP Pen Artist 12) as a Christmas gift when I was 14 so I don't use it anymore, but whenever necessary I do pull it out and it still works like magic. That's what you call pure quality, and I'm so thankful for it.

Now, this actually isn't a memory appreciation blog post, nor a Wacom appreciation blog post, this is a XP Pen Artist 12 hate post.

To anyone wanting to get this tablet as your first screen tablet cause it's a good $200 instead of $300 or $600, don't. 

First of all, I had a Macbook Air at the time I got this tablet. Let me just say, don't get that either. What kind of ridiculous computer would have no USB-C ports or any other ports? A computer at that price? It's ridiculous (thank god I changed). So before I got to actually use it on my Macbook, I had to wait and order a new usb hub (cause the USB converter I already had was one that was only for USB ports and I needed an HDMI port). I wanted to still use it immediately though, so I used my old laptop that's half dead and that was lent to my little brother. There were a mountain of connection issues that came with it, and I could only get it to work half of the time. 

Then the USB hub came, and actually, the connection to the Mac was smoother. The XP Pen Artist 12 itself actually came with these two essential cables, this one 3-in-1 cable that contained a USB cable, a HDMI cable, and this extra cable that is used as a just-in-case where you can use this adapter cable to plug it into a port if your computer doesn't work well with the tablet for whatever technical reasons I don't know about. The second essential cable is the adapter cable that attaches to the 3-in-1. The Mac actually didn't need that adapter cable, so I didn't use it at all. However....

Less than ONE YEAR of owning the tablet, I already had issues. First, there was a lot of weird glitching going on. It was a while ago since I had the mac, so I don't remember the glitches enough to detail it, but the screen was just a lot of colors and sometimes buzzing and such. 

There was also the issue of the tablet turning OFF or not working or flickering a bunch if it's not in a specific position (this is a big one, I'll be referring to it again later) and yes, I did try to use the adapter with my Mac again, but nothing changed (there's a reason for this).

I don't remember if it was during the time I had a Mac or during the time I had my current laptop, but one issue came up that just had me losing it. My memory is really rough and unclear here, so bear with me.

One day, the tablet just wouldn't work. At all. Like it'd turn on right, but it says there's no connection, nor does my device detect the tablet. I do a little bit of searching, then a little bit of testing with this and that, and eventually I was able to come to the conclusion:

The 3-in-1 cable stopped working. Just died. Barely after a year. 

My Wacom, who has had issues little to none for nearly 10 years now, nothing changed with the pen, cable, tablet, nothing. But this cable, DEAD, barely after a year. 

When I tell y'all, I was FURIOUS. 

This wasn't even just a me thing either. I searched it up and apparently this cable issue is REALLY COMMON for this specific tablet. There has to be some sort of issue with the way it was built or something but it just really pisses me off. At that point, I had no choice but to just by it. Luckily, it was only $20, but it was the most annoying $20 ever spent. 

And skipping the filler, I'll just say it came in, I still had my flickering issue (which I thought would be fixed with a brand new cable) and blahblahblah did some testing tried out this or that and turns out,

The adapter cable was dead too. 

In fact, it may have been dead WAY EARLY ON, which is why I had that flickering issue in the first place. 

At this point, my positive impression of this tablet was way gone. I know it's on the cheaper end compared to other screen tablets, but this really just had me losing it. 

To this day, I refused to buy another adapter cable and now with my new laptop there's occasional flickering but no glitches. That turning off/having to reposition the tablet a certain way issue is most prominent though. I've had instances where I pressed one of the side buttons too hard and the tablet moved by a microscopic amount and it would turn off and wouldn't turn back on after retrying 57 different positions. It's an annoying issue, but at most the only problem with the tablet now is that flickering. It could probably be easily solved by buying a replacement adapter cable, which is probably $20, but I don't feel like buying it. 

For the most part, the screen tablet actually still works fine. I did try to use my Intuos again (which, like I have said 50x, still works perfectly!) but it looks like I got too adjusted to using the screen and now drawing with the Intuos feels weird and unstable. I'd probably still be using the XP Pen Artist 12 for a couple more years as long as it doesn't do anything else insane, cause, you know, I don't have a spare $600 for a Wacom screen tablet (even though I love Wacom), but I still wouldn't recommend it to anyone getting their first screen tablet.