Digital Art Vs Traditional Art 2024

Ever since the beginning of time, people have been trying to express their ideas and emotions in many different ways. Some of us are more creative than others and are more successful in drawing, painting, composing, writing, and so on. As it is to be expected, as our skills developed so did the art.

Over the course of time, digital art has developed and nowadays, it is used in advertising commercial products. However, some people would say that when compared to traditional art, this one could not be considered to ‘the real one. Due to this reason, in this article, we are going to discuss both of these, and talk about some of their main features.

What is the difference?

Before we begin with the list of all the features, we have to try to define both of these. Firstly, most people would define digital art as the one that is created using technology. Basically, anything that you can create using technology is considered to be digital art (digital illustrations, painting, sculptures, animations, etc.) On the other hand, traditional art is created with tools such as pencils, watercolor, paint, clay, chalk, and so on.

Features of Digital Art

Now that we have provided you with some general definition, let’s talk about some basic features of this type of art.

• Flexibility

First of all, some people might say that flexibility is the biggest benefit of digital art. What does this exactly mean? Simply, you can use as many tools as you want. Start with a regular brush and then move to the watercolor one. Sketch on different layers and give your work more depth. Delete the entire work and start over, or erase a small area and change it and improve it. Don’t forget about the ability to use undo/redo buttons. Oftentimes, these are lifesavers since they allow you to remove a mistake with a simple click on the button.

• Variety of tools

Let’s be honest, when it comes to the number of tools an artist can use, digital art is always going to win over the traditional one. These simply cannot be compared. When it comes to these tools, you have so many different ones at your disposal.

First, you can simply flip the canvas to find and correct some small flaws. Yes, this is a trick traditional artists used by placing a mirror behind them and observing the work from another perspective, but you can do this with a simple click.

Next, you can resize the canvas. Sometimes when you start drawing you cannot visualize the entire work which is why sometime you might end up need more blank space. Digital art tools can solve this problem easily by resizing the entire canvas or on the other hand, changing the proportions of the drawing.

We are not even going to mention how easy it is to draw a perfect circle or any other shape and create asymmetric composition. In addition, we cannot forget about the tool that allows you to blur some parts of the picture and draw attention to a certain area. Also, if you are not happy with colors or brightness, it is something that you can easily change by using filters.

• It is cost-effective

Even though buying the device and software can be quite pricey, when compared with traditional art, the digital one is cheaper in the long run. Why? Well simply because you won’t ever have to buy supplies such as colors that can run out quickly or change pencils and brushes. If you invest in the right device, you will be able to use it for years to come.

Features of Traditional Art

Now, let’s talk about this type of art. For some people, this is the only ‘true art’, because the digital one looks, well, too ‘digital’.

• It is timeless

Many people would say that paintings created this way are timeless. Clearly, some would argue that this could be told for digital ones too. There is just something special in standing in a museum watching a masterpiece on the wall, not being able to take your eyes off of it. In addition, we are introduced to this type of art from a young age, so it comes as no surprise why people are more familiar with it. If you want to revisit some of your favorite paintings, click here.

• Unique imperfections

As already explained, it is really easy to create perfect digital work. However, when it comes to traditional style, achieving this simply cannot occur. It doesn’t matter how good is the technique or how skillful the artist is, mistakes are bound to happen. The trick is that these are the thing that makes those pieces so special.

• One of a kind work

Another important feature is that each and every one of these pieces is unique and no one can make a perfect copy. Yes, these pieces can be scanned and distributed, but that is not the same thing. This is the main reason why the work of famous painters is so valuable.

• It is tangible

Moreover, another benefit is that you can touch and feel the texture of pieces of traditional art. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about a painting, a drawing or a sculpture, it is something that you can hold and feel its weight.

What’s more, sometimes painters do not even use brushes and other tools, but they opt for their fingers when designing some small, unique details.

This is simply not possible when it comes to digital art because, well, they are all in digital form on your computer.

Finally, there is one downside when it comes to traditional art, and to some people, it is an important one. You cannot create a masterpiece without leaving a mess behind. This is especially true if you want to create an oil painting. As you can assume, colors can end up everywhere besides the canvas, the floor, and your clothes. Plus, after you are done, you have to thoroughly clean everything, from yourself to brushes and palette and to put the paints away and this can take some time.

Conclusion

To sum up, in this article, we have discussed some main features of both digital and traditional art. As you can see, these are very different which is why it is understandable why people prefer one over the other. In the end, it all comes down to one’s personal preference and skills.