Why choose Digital Art?

An art can be created digitally and traditionally. Traditional art has been existing for a

long time, and it is used by many. But, as time passes by, art has evolved and adapted itself

with the advancement in technology, giving way to digital art, which is a computer-generated

work with the use of an application or program. Some people would say that the only difference

between digital art and traditional art is the tools that are used. However, the way art is

accomplished is different. Creating visual art digitally is preferable to traditional visual artistic

representation because of efficiency, convenience, and often it is less expensive.

Creating visual art traditionally has a lack of efficiency. There is a limitation in traditional

visual art, which is materials, such as paints and papers. While in digital art, all of the materials

are unlimited. Some things are only possible to accomplish in digital art. According to Digital

artis, Chris labrooy, “I think with digital art you can maybe explore, and test more ideas without

having to worry about budgets, prototypes, storage of prototypes, etc.” In other words, with

digital art, it allows you to keep experimenting with things without having to worry about running

out and wasting out materials, which is impossible to do in traditional art. Moreover, in digital art,

all the tools that you need are on the side of the screen, and it is well organized. While in

traditional art, when the tools get jumbled, it becomes harder for you to find the right tool. Also,

there is no mess involved when creating art digitally, which allows you to produce more. While

creating visual art traditionally gets dirty sometimes because you are using real paint and

physical tools. For example, in painting, sometimes the paint gets spatter into your clothes or

the paint spills. As a result, with digital art, it allows to be more productive. Also, digital art is

more convenient.

It is easier to get started when creating art digitally than traditionally. Carrying around the

art materials is not convenient at all. Imagine walking around the city carrying a canvas, paints,

sketchbooks, and a bag full of materials such as brushes and pencils. It is a hassle. While in
digital art, you only need two things or sometimes just one, such as a pen, tablet, and even a

phone. Moreover, you can paint digitally everywhere. When painting an art using traditional

mediums, an artist needs a good source of water to keep the brushes from drying and also

when using a watercolor. Finding a good source of water when painting in other places is

troublesome. For example, you found a subject to paint, but you do not have water to use.

Although some places have public restrooms, it is not comfortable going back forth to the

restrooms just to get a cup of water. While painting art digitally does not need water because an

artist is not using physical tools like paintbrushes, so you do not have to worry about brushes

getting dried up. In traditional painting, getting the right mix of color is important, but it is not

easy. For example, in my art class, I was struggling to get the color that I wanted because I

have to put in the right amount of each paint. If you mess up, you have to mix it into a new

container again. While in digital art, there is no need to mix paint. For example, you just have to

type the name of the color that you like, and you will get the color immediately. According to

Digital artist, Shelley Hanna, “Digital painting makes it easier to figure out the values of color if

you have your subject uploaded as a reference photo, and you can sample potions of an image

to get a color.” In other words, just by using a mouse or your finger, you will be able to select

and get a sample color from your subject accurately. In digital art, there is no fear of making

mistakes. For example, if you drew one eye too big, you can just select it and change it.

Moreover, the undo button makes it easier to get rid of the mistakes without leaving any traces.

While in traditional art, you cannot go back and fix mistakes. For example, you accidentally used

the wrong paint, and in some chances, you can still fix it by painting over the top of the paint.

However, it is time-consuming because you have to wait for the paint to dry, and it will just ruin

the painting. Digital art is often less expensive too.

Traditional art materials are quite expensive. In digital art, some drawing tablets are

cheap, and they will last longer than you thought. The price of a cheap drawing tablet is $79.99

at best buy. Moreover, there is free digital art software that people can find on the internet, such
as Inkscape, which I am currently using. However, people can buy traditional art materials at a

low price, but they are not as good as the expensive ones. Even if they are, they will run out of

them, and they have to buy a new one again. For example, most of the materials are

consumable, which means that they have to replenish them for every couple of projects. The

price of one tube of high-quality oil paint is around $120, which is more expensive than one

drawing tablet. Moreover, one tube of oil paint is not the only thing that is needed. Imagine how

expensive it would be if people would buy all the necessary materials.

For the most part, it does not matter if it is digital or traditional because they have the

same purpose, they both produce art. However, it is advantageous to create visual art digitally,

because it allows you to finish a project for a short period of time unlike in traditional that takes a

lot of time to finish some projects. In addition, it does not require a lot work, which is sometimes

inconvenient for some traditional artist. Lastly, it saves you money, because nobody wants to

spend a lot of money, especially for the people who just starting out. Digital art will not replace

traditional art, though it is usually better with technology. Musical artist, J.D. Jarvis says, “Digital

is not here to put an end to anything. Rather it is here to expand all things, to combine and to

make more things attainable.”