Traditional VS Digital Art

Are you an artist who prefers to use the classic art materials such as HB lead and color pencils, markers, acrylic paints, canvases and sketchpads? Or have you become more associated with pen tablets and computerized painting and editing? Which has become more effective and sufficient when integrating your creative juices. There has been an ongoing debate on whether it is best to stick with the traditional way of expressing art or to grow affiliated with the digitized mode of the new era of technology. In this report, I will be sharing my own experiences and insights on the relevance of both art styles, and will give my own conclusion regarding the matter.

image by chukadrawer (deviant art)

From my first to third year in high school, I have had only pencils, pens and paper to use as art materials. I would fill up my sketchpads, scratch papers, and even the last leaves of my school notebooks with doodles and illustrations. It was the sort of art mode I preferred the most since materials where cheap and, after years of self-practice and being enrolled in art sessions in the Up Vargas Museum, is something I have grown familiar with. So, yes, I would use the traditional way of drawing any day.

From my many learning experiences, it was only at my senior year that I was exposed to digital painting. In support of my passion in becoming an animation artist, my parents have given me an iPad 4 in order to be more familiar with technology for art. Installed within the Apple device was a painting program with a large number of options such as brushes, color swatches, and canvas sizes. I was simply amazed at how convenient the program was for my capacity to create an artwork. Then, in the middle of my freshman year in college, I was able to get my first pen tablet. And, yes, it was even more sufficient compared to the iPad, which had a smaller screen compared to what the computer connected to the pen tablet had.

So from my experiences with both modes, I found that it was more efficient to apply an element from one to the other, and vice versa. It was slightly awkward when I started out with the iPad 4, but because of my background in drawing on paper, I was able to apply my knowledge on the digital screen and make it look better. And in the output that I was unable to express traditional, I was able to achieve through Photoshop and other programs designed specifically for editing and painting in the computer.

In my research and personal insights, here is what I have put together. Traditional art has been the first steps to learning various forms of art. Whether it was about digital painting and 3D rendering, fashion design, interior design, architecture, crafting, sculpting, and many more, they all started from pencil andpaper. But as technological advancements escalate in our period, drawing on a digital screen or tablet has become the new trend in the art industry. With it, we are able open new doors to design and expression of characters, concepts, architecture, and stories. Artists who specialize in the field of digital art made high-quality graphics and movement for animations, movies, games, and other forms of entertainment and communication possible. 

So was there really a need to discuss whether traditional art is better than digital? And vice versa? When it comes down to it, digital art originated from the skill to draw and paint the traditional way, and traditional art has improved ten times through digital editing and sketching. The two modes of art styles complement each other, existing to advance and improve artists’ methods and skills. Thus, both traditional and digital art are relevant forms to learn as an artist of this era.

References and sources of media:

Traditional vs. Digital Arts by Rafiq Elmansy -  http://www.graphicmania.net/traditional-vs-digital-arts/

How to mix Traditional and digital Media by Creative Bloq Staff - http://www.creativebloq.com/digital-art/how-mix-traditional-and-digital-media-101413234

Digital vs Traditional Painting Methods for Fine Arts by HisHalfElf -  https://www.boltonfineart.com/digital-art-vs-traditional-art/

video by Mad Munchkin @ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2kNIf1z9G8

image by chukadrawer @ DeviantArt: http://chukadrawer.deviantart.com/art/traditional-art-vs-digital-art-181779589