Digital artist

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With the advent of readily available computer technology, a new generation of digital artists has emerged that uses computer graphics software, digital photography technology and computer assisted painting to create innovative art, or that incorporates digital technology in the final piece, process, or subject.

The innovation is not only in the technology, but in the collaborative aspects of their work. Digital media lends itself to sharing and augumenting by a creative effort similar to the open source movement, and the creative commons in which users can collaborate in a project to create unique pieces of art.

Nicola Simpson in an article that appeared in Varsity Online^[1], argues that the validity of using a computer as a means for the creation of art has been criticized, with some arguing that computers can turn equations into ‘art' with a few clicks of the mouse and that it has become almost impossible to apply an objective criteria of quality to computer art because it is assumed to be essentially a homogenizing tool. Simpson writes:

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It all comes down to one question: is one method of art-making better than another? The necessity for artists to develop drawing skills has been, and still is, given much emphasis; as a result of this, there is still a stigma attached to something which passes itself off as art, but has not been drawn, painted, or chiselled by hand. Digital art has provided the most volatile fuel for such a debate in contemporary society, largely as it is considered to be a ‘low' form of art, and in the eyes of today's traditional artists, keyboard and monitor are simply not sufficient to be a ‘real' artist's tools.

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Digital artists have a definitive edge over traditional “analog” artists because of the electronic tools they have at their disposal. This does not mean however that the digital artists are any more talented than traditional artists. The digital artist can make mistakes in a project piece and with a single keystroke can erase his mistake. Contrast this to a traditional artist who may make a mistake and could very well take a great deal of time to recover; a misplaced color on a portrait may cause a re-flood of many colors to blend as there is no ‘erase function’ he may use to backtrack.