Wacom has done it again. The Inkling, set for release in Mid-September, is a new product that “bridges the gap between traditional, freehand sketching and digital development.”

How does it do this you ask? Well, the Inkling is a digital sketch pen. It has the look and feel of a normal ball point pen but with the added ability to capture your hand drawn sketch as a digital file. Your work can instantly become vector art as you draw!

What makes the Inkling so innovative and versatile is that you can sketch on ANY paper ANYwhere! You are not required to carry around a digital sketch pad or connect to your computer while you are drawing. The Inkling comes with a receiver that can store hundreds of sketches and easily transfer them to your PC or Mac. Simply clip the receiver onto your paper or sketch pad (remember to turn it on) and draw away. Of course the technology isn’t perfect, you need to keep a clear line of sight between the pen and the receiver. You must keep your fingers away from the tip of the pen and the pen a short distance away from the receiver for the technology to work correctly. View a video of how to use the Inkling

Another unique aspect of the Inkling is that you have the ability to create new layers. With the push of a button you can create a new layer that will be recorded and transferred with the rest of your digital information and sketches when you connect to your computer.

According to YouTube there have already been some complaints against this unreleased product. There is no feature to “erase”. However, one YouTube user commented that you could simply draw in pencil and trace the information you want to digitally capture with the Inkling Pen instead of drawing the original sketch with the digital pen. Don’t forget, you will have the opportunity to clean up and edit your digital art once is has been transferred onto your computer and exported into the proper program, be it Photoshop, Illustrator or the like.

I personally am excited to try out this new product. I never was very good at using the Wacom tablet, a product that allows you to draw while connected to your computer. I have a feeling the Inkling will allow for a more natural flow when hand sketching as opposed to the tablet.