Heard a guy at a con say 'digital art isn't real art' and it got me thinking

I was at a small comic con in Portland last weekend, waiting in line for a print, and the guy behind me was talking to his friend. He said, 'All this digital stuff, it's just pushing buttons. It's not real art like painting or sculpture.' I've been doing digital illustration for about five years now, mostly on an iPad Pro with Procreate, and that comment stuck with me all day. It's not the first time I've heard something like that, but it made me realize I don't have a good, simple way to explain the work that goes into it. I don't just push a button; I'm still drawing every line, picking every color, and building up layers just like I would with physical media. The tool is different, but the skill and the vision feel the same to me. How do you guys handle comments like that, or explain your process to people who don't get it?

3 comments

3 Comments

paige_ellis5926d ago

You said you're still drawing every line, but isn't there a big difference when you can just hit undo? That seems like it changes the skill.

blair62626d ago

Totally get what you mean about undo changing things. It lets you try risky lines without the same fear of messing up the whole piece. But you still gotta have the eye and the hand control to make the final line look right, you know? The skill shifts from being perfect first try to knowing which line to keep.

the_rowan11d ago

Look at it like having a safety net for tightrope walking. You still need the balance to walk the line, but the net lets you try a flip. The real trick is knowing which flip actually looked good.