It's a long one, sorry, but your advice is required once again...Arty peeps.

The dreaded birthday has once again snuck upon me like a ninja in the night...and once again my relatives are prodding and poking and asking me what I want.

I tell them the honest truth...a dvd would be fine. I will be happy with it, very happy, I love dvds, could be cheap second hand one I couldn't give a shit so long as its something I don't already own. (I already have two Matrix's and two of The Grudge)

A nice print or poster would be welcomed too, or any cheap random tat from that funky souvenir/decorative ornament shop down the road. (windchimes/dreamcatchers/big ass wooden carvings etc)

A trip around toysRus is always fun or Hobbycraft for some supplies or Borders for that Ghostrider graphic novel I've got my eye on!

But...no. That's not an option.

You see...I'm not a girly girl and my relatives, to their great credit, have been trying to turn me into a girly girl for the past decade and so far they have failed. They refuse to get me these things, because they "Aren't useful!" "You have too many dvd's already!" "I'm NOT buying you a naked african woodcarving forget it! *scoff*" "Don't you think you are too old for toys?!!!" "How can you READ that?! Its gross!"

I do not need more make-up, I do not need more jewelry (I already have a beautiful necklace from ~ellygator which my granny bought for my 21st), I do not want new clothes or shoes until the clothes or shoes I'm wearing... fall apart.

My parents want to get me something I need, something useful, something art related. Okay, but I'm a digital artist...for digital art you need decent equipment... decent equipment is fucking expensive.

With my own savings and negotiated contributions from the family. I can now afford to get myself the equipment, but I better make damn sure its the right equipment, and my decision making sucks ass.

Which brings me to the point of this journal.

Painting at home has become a frustrating chore and no longer provides me any joy.

My toshiba is falling apart, you cant see the letters on the keys anymore, there is a permanent fingerprint on the touchpad, a black bruise on the top right of the screen, it overheats to the point where my thighs are actually cooking, and has a nasty habit of crashing while I'm using photoshop. Its is- for lack of a better word- fucked.

I need a new computer.

My wacom intuos 3, is even older than the Tosh, I was 18 when I got it and now it has a crater of scratches, dents and cracks in the centre. My pen keeps catching on it. It stutters in the lower right hand corner and sometimes turns off...it is... knackered.

I need a new tablet.
-

Question 1

Mac laptop (small and practical ^^) or imac (big and pleasurable O_O)?

An imac is big and beautiful and can play high def dvd's, games and generally get a lot of use. A laptop can be carted around easier (take on hols etc) but loses its magnificence for painting/dvds/games.

-

Question 3

C) New wacom intuos3 (same as the old) or D) big ass cintiq12WX?

I dreamed of having a cintiq but I have never seen one in action, any of you seen one or have one? Would you recommend it?


Your thoughts would be appreciated.