What is digital art? The future of digital art, and some corel painter tips.

I originally wanted to write an article on the definition of digital art, and now I finally made myself write it. Digital art is art created with the help of a computer. This can be done in many different ways. A picture can be modelled in 3D and rendered, or art painted in the traditional sense with the aid of a tablet, or even a simple mouse (I really hope everyone reading this are sitting on a tablet though hehe). Pictures can also entirely be generated of the computer like with a program called “Apophysis”. This program can also help you with creativity in Corel Painter, if you are struggling on getting inspiration. It basically automatically creates shapes of colors with a click of a button. I have used it myself many times before painting pictures in corel painter.

With the computer's position in the life of all modern people, it has increasingly become more and more common to make digital art. 3D-graphics is conventionally used in many film productions. Digital photo editing has become standard in soon all said activities that process photographs. Vector graphic is standard for everyone logos and similar graphical design, and digital paintings occupy also an increasingly significant role in the society.

Digital request of pictures can be divided into three main categories. Pixel based graphic, Vector graphic and 3D-graphic.

Pixel based graphic builds on that the pictures are to be presented in a large number of pixel units, were all the pixels make up the picture with color information and everything. Most used software for pixel based graphic is of course Adobe Photoshop, but luckily Corel Painter has become a large competitor now.

Vector based graphic is that the images are made from mathematical calculations. This is a loss free kind of information, were the pictures can be peeled and translated without loss of information. That is why this type of technology is ideal for graphical design and logo creation. The most used software for this purpose is Adobe Illustrator.

3D-graphic builds on that the pictures are created as three-dimensional items that are stored with the aid of mathematical calculations. These pictures are usually made up from polygons or nurbs. Pretended light sources shine afterwards up on the objects you make, and the computer calculates how the items would be visible from someone’s obvious angle. 3D-graphic can today be done hugely realistic, and is used often within film and the compute game industry. I have played around with probably the most used graphic program of them all “3d studio max”, and I have to say it’s a lot of fun. I recommend everyone to at least try it once in your life. Very fun program but also extremely complicated and not for everyone. Remember it could be a cool idea to make something in a 3d program, and take it into a picture in corel painter and make something stunning!

Although the digital art already today is dominating within all practical applications: graphical design, commercial photo, film industry, gaming industry, and also illustration, it still hasn’t been fully accepted as adequate art form, in the traditional art world. This can to a large extent depend on inadequate understanding for the medium, common is the faith that it is the computer that do the entire job and that the creativity is undermined of the technology. The computer is however only a tool among others, brushes, carbons, clay. However I truly believe it’s only a matter of time, before it becomes a fully accepted art form around the world, from the group of people that today represents traditional art. Keep working on becoming a specialist on corel painter and you will become successful whatever your goals are.