Digital Art vs. Traditional

[MistressLegato]

I figured we could TALK about art here, too so I thought I'd bring up a topic that's been bothering me for a LONG time.

I am a traditional artist.  I have created a few pieces in Illustrator, but it isn't my forte'.  I do watercolours and ink and it takes an incredible amount of patience just as CG does.

So WHY is it that people say stupid things like "Oh, I'd like this sooo much better if it were CG'd!"  "I wish you had coloured this in PhotoShop."

EXCUSE me?!  Who has the right to tell anyone else how to do their art?!  it really pisses me OFF!  And when you enter contests an the person who had the crappiest art, but they did it on the computer, so they win.  What's with that?!  I spent THIRTY THREE hours on a poster for a contest months ago
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/13799681/
and you'll never guess why I lost the contest.  Because a popular artist made a stick figure art on the computer.

It's so frustrating!  It just feels like rather than judging art for art anymore, people judge it by medium and it's not right!

It always feels like as soon as I enter anything with tradtitional art somebody makes a rude comment about my choice of colouring!

Anybody else have this problem?!

[Ronime]

well, i think traditional is perhaps the best looking, digital is just cheaper, thats why i go for that, but proof that anything can be done traditionally, this other dA artist also, like you, does all traditionally...

http://pu-sama.deviantart.com/

dont hurt me because shes a popular one >.< best example i could find of how awesome traditioanl could me >.>;

[TomtheFanboy]

I only promote digital artistry because I work the phones for aleading *ahem* phot-editing software company.

I have this webcomic that'd be updating regularly with my little doodles if I had a means to get the stuff from the page to the screen. The reason all of my con pics are so poor is because they are the scans put on the photocd I got from the film developer. It's just plain easier to do stuff in the computer. Now if you are a serious digital artist you can pull of spectacular effects but you should be forced to brand all your works with the logo of whatever software you used.

I personally like all the drawings in my archive more than the paintshop stickmen.

[antibishie]

...personally speaking I couldn't care whether something was made digitally, painstakingly painted with a fine-tipped brush or carved out of cheese.  If I like it I like it.  *shrugs*  That's really an arguement that can be traced back probably to Caveman Earl prefering to chew the dark orange clay to make his cave paintings while Caveman Joe prefered the more red-ish clay.

Anime fans are probably pretty likely to prefer shiny pictures... thus a preference for digital works.  Show the same pictures to some of the art dealers downtown and chances are they might not like either.  The point is just that some people like one thing, some like the other.  Tastes vary.

...though I will add that it really shouldn't matter how long it takes to produce a piece unless the process of creating the piece is part of the piece itself, at which point you begin to get into preformance art and it more or less all goes over my head.  *laughs*

[Derek]

yeah alot of artists have their own concept and how they like to do things, which makes them unique of course. i personally cant draw for the life of me so i use photoshop . i find (this is only my thoughts) that physically drawn art requires more skill and talent. i have a friend who draws and uses both hand and photoshop to bring color to her piece.

you should consider learning up on photoshop, for fun atleast. more skills the better eh? as for losing the contest - its just a contest, not a test that decides how much your art is worth.

[EvilMonkey]

I think some of the best work I've seen is a combination of traditional and digital techniques.  They go through and draw out everything by hand, and then they do some of the extreme detail work digitally.  Works best if you spend the money on a Wacom tablet though.

[oishiidesuyo]

hmm. i actually find digital art quite hard to do. i can't work with the tablet - it just doesn't turn out the same as with a pencil. But I think both deserve some credit.
but i do appreciate traditional art very much. you really see their .. 'heart and soul' in it.

[NWOtaku]

I think some of the best work I've seen is a combination of traditional and digital techniques.

I have to agree w/ evil monkey. Of all the art work I have collected a blend of both produces what I cherish the most in FAN ART.

BUT ......

As a novice artist I was asked several questions when I started;

1. Can you draw a circle 'freehand' well?
2. If you use software X, all the shapes, curves, and lines are perfect ... so does that make something hand drawn imperfect?
3. Are 4 hours spent on the computer creating a similar piece equal to 8+ of drawing.


As an old fashioned photographer I enjoyed working many long hours creating a perfect color balance w/ just the right light for my prints (no PC used, ever) . I have great respect  for anyone who can draw,skecth and paint from memory or a picture and add their own artistic flare.

[MistressLegato]

@ Derek
I already know how to use PhotoShop and Illustrator.  It isn't my pref. but I can do it and well.

http://www.deviantart.com/view/15029331/
But it isn't my favourite way to deal with art.  I'm better suited to
http://www.deviantart.com/view/16041996/

My point is that I'm getting so fed up with some people inthe art world acting like if it isn't digital art it sucks!  It's so frustrating!

Art is art, you know?

And I know it was "just a contest," but still, 33 hours is a LOT of time to put into a piece of work.

[Derek]

ah yeah you're very fluent in the digital arts i see. (great pieces by the way)

i haven't lurked around the art scene at devianart so i cant say the same about your perception of how every one thinks the same way. but, i agree completely that art is art. i believe that hand drawn art is better then digital art. like what oishiidesuyo said, you put your heart and soul into it. atleast most of the time. it just doesnt have the same connection with digital art, or atleast thats how i feel on certain levels when i create pieces.

im sorry that you lost to someone who has more control over the devian population, specially when you put nearly a day and a half of your life into it. maybe next time you should spend a fraction of the time/effort and just create some eye candy and see what happens.

since you seem the only one interested in an art chat, i'd be open to talk to you over msn - my addy is [Moderator: redacted by request]

[sassy_lassy]

I know what you are talking about Miss Legato.

I would love to draw on the computer if I wasn't broke and could buy a tablet.  But instead I draw everything out by hand and ink it. Then color it on the computer.  I can tell you it's so painstaking to color in Photoshop with a mouse. x_x'  

Anyways, to answer.  When people on Deviantart are flipping through devart thumbnails, the digitally colored ones show up the most.  So their eye automatically goes to that.  Also Digital is meant for the computer most of the time. So digital art rightfully looks better on a computer then in hand.

I have been trying to get better in traditonal art lately but it's really hard for me x.x'  Plus like someone mentioned I like the shiny look that digital art allows.

Another point is that digital art that is done well automatically looks more proffesional then traditional art. Mostly because posters for anime are done digitally.  Then there are video games and such which is all digital.  One just has to face that in the anime-world digital is usually better.  And if you do traditionally in anime you have to be amazingly good. (like some of the copic pieces that the author for Naruto did.)

If you only like traditional art, anime is usually not the best genre to go into.  

You're right art is art, but inside that art is split up into many different categories that have different preferences.  It's just like music is music.

[MistressLegato]

I know what you are talking about Miss Legato.

I would love to draw on the computer if I wasn't broke and could buy a tablet.  But instead I draw everything out by hand and ink it. Then color it on the computer.  I can tell you it's so painstaking to color in Photoshop with a mouse. x_x'  

Anyways, to answer.  When people on Deviantart are flipping through devart thumbnails, the digitally colored ones show up the most.  So their eye automatically goes to that.  Also Digital is meant for the computer most of the time. So digital art rightfully looks better on a computer then in hand.

I have been trying to get better in traditonal art lately but it's really hard for me x.x'  Plus like someone mentioned I like the shiny look that digital art allows.

Another point is that digital art that is done well automatically looks more proffesional then traditional art. Mostly because posters for anime are done digitally.  Then there are video games and such which is all digital.  One just has to face that in the anime-world digital is usually better.  And if you do traditionally in anime you have to be amazingly good. (like some of the copic pieces that the author for Naruto did.)

If you only like traditional art, anime is usually not the best genre to go into.  

You're right art is art, but inside that art is split up into many different categories that have different preferences.  It's just like music is music.

I was of the impression that generally, anime is created by painting cels.  Is it done digitally nowadays?  

Manga and most artbooks by manga artists are done in traditional media, so I don't really see how anime isn't a place for traditional artists, honestly.

I'm not going to say that either way is the best, but I just want art to be judged on how it looks, not what it is made out of, ya know?  It gets very tiresome.

[EvilMonkey]

Anime used to be done all traditionally, but now it's become cheaper to produce most of it digitally.  There are still some hand-drawn aspects to each series, but the coloring and some bnackground work is done digitally.  That's why it's impossible to get cels from some series, because there weren't any made for some of the newer ones.

[MikaRin375]

Yeah I do orginal art....I sometime do digital art but its pretty rare when I do.......well for the computerized art all I do is scan it then edit it with adobe and color it in...and yeah

[otakusan]

i like both, however traditional is a lot harder than digital becasue you have to work harder at it.  I try to do a good mix of both.  But animation wise im still up in the air, because i love cell painting, but i also like anime done using paint on the comp.  Like flcl and fma.
over all i like em both i guess

[MistressLegato]

Interesting, thanks for telling me, EvilMonkey.  No wonder you can't find cels for some things.

Trigun was done traditionally.  Look how niiiice it looks!  Some of the newer stuff may be done on comp, but it doesn't always looks better, but I am fond of the brightness of the colours!

[sassy_lassy]

Painting Cels is a different traditional art then watercoloring painting or pencil shading.  It's an irregular one usually done just for animation purpose I do believe.

Anime isn't the place for traditional artists now-a-days. Manga can be though.  A traditional artist would be great in Manga, but just okay in Anime.  

How art is made makes the way it look different. So therefore both of those factors have to come in when analyzing art.

To just neutrilize (so that I can show both sides) Trigun, Saiyuki was done in digital art. It looks just as nice, if not better. Plus digital art makes resolution of art appear better.

Oh well *shrug*

[Anonymous]

i much prefer 'traditional' art. personally, i am not talented in drawing, painting, etc. i have an art show every year at a local gallery, but it consists of installations (such as spiritual altars), conceptual pieces, multimedia works, e.g., photos of and/or by me, collage, etc., illustrating poetry i or loved ones have written. i imagine that there are photographers who feel akin to the initial post in this thread: that traditional means of developing and altering photographs have been largely edged out by the promulgation of digital modalities.

it is much the same in the music world. there are analog purists but it is largely digitized now.

please know that within kumoricon, there is enormous respect for traditional artistry of various forms.

among the ways this is seen is that this year, what was last year's Beta Station--a room dedicated to Fan Fiction all con long-- is now the Fan Creation Station, -- a room dedicated to both Fan Art and Fan Creation all week long.

we will be holding art contests as well as fanfic contests. the categories announced in advance for the art contest are: best original character(s), scene, and/or universe;  and best canon-derived character(s), scene, and/or universe. there will also be spontaneous, themed contests introduced throughout the con. moreover, we are having our first manga contest. (as much or as little of a complete storyline as one wants to turn in.)

there are almost no rules; we want to be as inclusive as possible. both non-digital and digital art will be accepted. if there are a large number of digital entries, i will render that a separate category, so that there are not concerns about judging between "apples and oranges" or whatnot.

in addition to my personal judge's choice awards, there will be awards by peer acclaim; stop by and vote, whether you are one of the contestants or not!

paper, pens, pencils, markers and crayons will be available for those who want to just make art to relax, to illustrate their own or others' fanfics, or to enter any of the contests.

hope to see you there, and thanks for bringing up a frustration many share about the lack of outlets for non-digital art!

please feel free to offer any feedback, contest / activity suggestions, or even volunteer!

fondly,
rem
fan fiction programming coordinator/ fan creation station facilitator.

[RemSaverem]

oops! yes that really was me, i didn't know i wasn't logged in!

[pajee]

I know this is an old topic but I'd like to add my insight.

As a traditional and digital "artist"  (guh I hate that word) they're both difficult in different ways.  I believe traditional artists tend to look down on digital artists because they think "digital is easier."  It's not really true.  Yes, digital may be more efficient and convient, but if the talent's not there, well, it's not there.

Someone posed the question of "can you draw a circle digitally by hand?"  And I will say, Yes.  Anyone who's spent enough time with the medium they're using will learn to master it.

Personally, I like the satisfaction of drawing pencil on paper.  However, when it comes to coloring, I am prone to use the digital medium because I lack the traditional supplies and I can correct mistakes digitally.

[Shadow]

I couldn't agree with you more MistressLegato. I constantly feel that traditional art is being overlooked nowadays. Personally, I prefer traditional art over digital art. I feel that there's just more satisfaction in drawing with pencils, colored pencils, ect. than just using a fancy program to do the job for you. It's just not the same. I believe that traditional artists should be recognized more for their work, instead of constantly being overlooked. With traditional art, you can see that the artist put their heart and soul into their work. I also believe that it takes more talent to actually be able to color and draw pictures by hand rather than doing it all on a computer.

Maybe I have this all wrong, but those are just my opinions. Being a traditional artist myself, I feel as though my artwork doesn't stand out much on deviantART, and that I'm always being overlooked because my pictures aren't "flashy" or "bright". Quite frankly, I'm glad that I'm not the only one who has noticed this.