Have you ever heard the question posed, “Is digital art a real form of art?” I belong to a local art gallery in my South Carolina Lowcountry town. Artists from all over the United States- architects, photographers, illustrators, potters, etc.- retire here and sell their creations. Illustrators and painters complain about the digital artists regularly. Why is that? They say that using software tools rather than mastering brush strokes and color blending is cheating. I never had an opinion until I took Computer Graphics (Illustrator) and Computer Imagery (Photoshop) classes this year.
My Adobe Illustrator Class
an illustration of Prince, by Quincey Sutton
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor and design program developed and marketed by Adobe. Originally designed for the Apple Macintosh, the development of Adobe Illustrator began in 1985.
The Computer Graphics class (Adobe Illustrator) was difficult. I spent hours on each assignment and had to kill myself to make a B. It is a skill, if not an art, that would take many hours to master. It didn’t help that I was transitioning from a Windows desktop to my first Mac laptop.
One look at my city and the Society6 Downtown Pittsburgh answers the question, Is digital art a real form of art? My dog’s head is floating on its body, the gradient in the sky goes from right to left instead of beginning at the top of the picture and going downward, and one of my doors doesn’t quite meet the bottom of my building.
I spent at least one two-hour session per week during the first three weeks meeting with the instructor virtually, just trying to get a handle on what I needed to do. I’ve always been an A student, and also have a teaching degree, so it was humbling. I received a big dose of what it feels like to try your hardest and yet still stink at something.
The photos above showcase my awfulness at creating a mesh. If you don’t know what a mesh is, and if you’ve never tried to make one, consider yourself lucky. I made a D on this project.
My favorite project in the Adobe Illustrator class was the robot. My teacher wasn’t exactly impressed, but I sure was. I used the radial gradient tool, placed objects behind and in front of other objects, created a pattern on the wall, and sort of made the easel look like it was sitting on the carpet. In my mind, I was killing it.
Photoshop Class
For this assignment, we chose a picture and then created a watercolor version of the picture using layers and brushes. This is my favorite so far.
Create gorgeous photos, rich graphics, and incredible art with Photoshop
When I was taking the Illustrator course, I read that over 90-99 percent of digital artists prefer Photoshop over Illustrator. Now that I am taking the Photoshop course, I can see why. If I were going to create an illustrated book cover, for example, I would take my own picture using real people or whatever subject matter pertained to the book. Next, I would edit the picture using layers in Photoshop until I was happy with the end result. If you tried to do something similar on Illustrator, it would be like reinventing the wheel.
Maybe I prefer Photoshop over Illustrator because I’ve always enjoyed taking photos, editing them, and placing them in my blog and on social media.
Is Digital Art a Real Form of Art?
So, is digital art a real form of art? I think it is. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself. Learning a new form of art was difficult and placed me out of my comfort zone, but I am so glad that I did.
Subscribe to Love My Little Cottage here to receive blog posts and newsletters by email.
Read Our Day Trip to the Sistine Chapel Exhibition in Charleston
Blessings,
Kristie
Janine says
That was really interesting, Kristi! Ehen you asked the question at the top I said, “No, it’s cheating,” but now I can also see your point! I’m glad I’m not a judge 😀
Kristie Schubert says
Well, art and what is and isn’t art is subjective. I think digital art is something that takes time to master. Luckily, a customer who would buy one of my paintings is not the same customer who would buy a digital art poster.
Elena Wiggins says
I have only recently learned more about digital art since my friend wrote and illustrated her own children’s book using a similar (if not the same) digital art program. It is so fascinating how much time and detail goes into creating digital art. It is definitely a different overall outcome/look than conventional art, but it is an art form it itself! It looks like you learned a lot in that class!
Linking from Katherine’s Corner link-up. Happy Easter!
Kristie Schubert says
Yes, I did learn a lot, and I am so glad I took those classes. It does take a long time to master Photoshop and Illustrator- so in my opinion, digital art is definitely art!
Sandra W Magle says
Wow, I remember when a form of adobe was included with Apple and I had so much fun screwing around with photos. Sadly that computer was replaced in 2013 and the ap was no longer included in with your photo program. The expense now is a bit more than the average person might want to bite…but it was really a lovely ap—and easy to use. ! Great explanations and examples, enjoyed your post, Sandi
Kristie Schubert says
You’re right, Sandra, Photoshop is pretty expensive. Luckily, I get to use it for free as a student.
Pam says
This article was fascinating to read, Kristie! And, I love your creations. I do think digital art is a real form of art, just different skills involved in the creativity. I’m impressed with your skill and perseverance! My brain doesn’t like Photoshop, and I don’t find it fun for me, so I am always impressed by those who use it well. (I edit my photos in Lightroom, which my brain seems to find simpler!) Great post!
Kristie Schubert says
Hey Pam, Yes, I’m still trying to master Photoshop. I like it more than Illustrator.
Pam says
P.S. I’ll be featuring this at Thursday Favorite Things today. 🙂 Thanks for sharing it with us.
Kristie Schubert says
Yay! I’ll definitely pop in to see the feature.