Digital art vs. traditional art: which you should choose?

Since the beginning of time, man has used different tools to recreate and display emotions. Rocks, clay, and paint have been used to deliver ideas and thoughts to the world. Now, as the world has gone digital, digital tools to create art are the new norm. 

There is a debate going on about the two ways to create art i.e. traditional and digital. Traditional art or digital art, both have their fans in the world. While they represent one bigger purpose, the creation of art, both differ in their operations. 

Some people think of digital art as fast and easy while others think of traditional art as ancient. So, which of the two should you choose?

What is the difference between digital and traditional art?

Traditional and digital art are both created in different mediums. While digital artists use technology and devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones to create art, traditional art comes into being through a physical medium such as paint, paper, clay, rocks, or any other form. 

Advantages of traditional and digital art

Starting with traditional art, we are going to compare digital art and traditional art based on their advantages.

Traditional art advantages

Here are some advantages of traditional art:

Personal form of art- you start learning about traditional art from an early age. From the time you start to draw an apple using color pencils, you are trying to create art. It is a personal form of art as your drawing skills or painting skills get better over time with practice.

The beauty of imperfections– humans make mistakes only to learn from them. While painting, if a mistake happens, you cannot undo it. You have to cover the mistakes using your creativity. Imperfections happen in art when a human touch is involved and that’s the beauty of it.

One of a kind– if you try to recreate a painting of your own the same as before, you cannot do it. If you cannot do it, no one can. Every stroke of brush leads to a final product that is unique and cannot be recreated.

Treat for senses– the physical form of art has a unique texture, weight, feel, and look. You can touch it and feel the connection with the ingredients of it. 

Digital art advantages

Some of the advantages of digital art are as follows:

• Flexible- digital art gives you the ability to undo your mistakes. You can use multiple brushes and mediums at the same time. You can make changes to a piece that has already been drawn.
• Tools for every purpose- canvas flip, canvas resize, canvas rotation, shape, copy and paste, are the different tools that let you do magic with your art.
• Easier protection- digital art can be copied to external hard drives. You can make multiple copies and store them on different devices. It is protected from environmental factors and accidental destruction.
• Career opportunities- we live in a digital world. Every business, company and website utilizes art. It is a perfect way for you to show your skills and get hired. You can also sell your art online for pretty good prices.

Disadvantages of traditional and digital art

Here are the disadvantages of digital and traditional art.

Traditional art:

• It takes a lot of time to create a single piece of art.
• Mistakes cannot be undone. You either have to restart or cover them up.
• Equipment and material to draw or paint are costly.
• Prone to environmental destruction.

Digital art:

• No original copy exists.
• The ability to undo your mistakes gives you little room to learn.
• Multiple exact copies of the original can be made.
• It lacks the physical texture, feel, and touch.

So, which should you choose?

While deciding which one to choose, there is no form of art superior to the other. Traditional ways to create art were trending because digital flexibility was not an option back then. It is your perception of the two that matters. If you are inclined towards technology, digital art is the best option for you. Also, countless career opportunities in digital art-making are waiting for you to avail.

If you are more of a paint and brush guy, then traditional art is the right option for you. You can create original pieces that cannot be recreated by anyone in the world. You can also sell your art to different art galleries or start a gallery of your own.