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Overview of Digital Art
Digital art is an artistic work that used digital technology to creates more creative art. It is purely computer-generated such as scanned photographs or images are drawn using graphics software using tablets or computers. Digital art is widely used in mainstream media in advertising and film making to create an animated effect. Digital art is like any other art. It just is created using different tools & techniques than the more traditional art. Art is not about what type of tools used to make it. It is about the feeling, creativity, or emotion of the artist. Photography is a medium through which photographers click. Likewise, a computer is just a medium or tool through which an artist can show his art. There is some free software for digital art widely used to learn digital art for beginners.
The first term digital art used in early 1980 when computer engineers derived a paint program. Harold Cohen is the first person who uses this paint program. This paint program is called AARON. AARON is a machine designed to make big drawings on sheets of paper placed on the floor.
Digital art can be divided into three different categories :
- Digital Painting
- Digital Photography
- Dark Room
As per the Digital Fine Arts Society of New Mexico, There are various types of Digital art :
Digital Photography
In Digital Photography, artists used a digital camera or conventional camera to clicks the photo. This photo can be manipulated by image editing or special effects software to create more creative designs.
Photo Painting
Photo-painting combines Photography and Painting. Artists used image editing or paint software to give an extra unique feature to photograph.
Digital painting
In 2D, the artist creates 2D images on the computer, using some painting tools that include natural media styles. Some of the times it is called “Natural Media.” In 3D, The artist uses 3D modeling software such as Catia 3D sculpt in virtual space.
Free Software For Digital Art :
Krita
Krita is one of the most used & free applications for all artists. It is designed for Windows, Linux, and mac. This application doesn’t limit the size of the virtual canvas, but it depends on the performance of the PC. It is one of the most used free software for digital art used by especially beginners.
Pros
- Up-To-Date UI
- Improved Open GL
- HDR supported
Cons
- Inconvenient text tool
- Lack of image retouching tool.
Rebelle
Rebelle is another highly versatile & most used drawing & painting application. It is designed for creative working on watercolor, acrylic & dry media artwork. Those apps used real color blending, wet diffusion & drying techniques.
Pros
- Authentic painting experience
- Free trial
Cons
- Limited brushes
Artweaver Free
Artweaver is another free software used to create a realistic digital drawing by taking input from a mouse or stylus from a PC & applying ultra-realistic brush effects. It is for all creative artists, but it is useful for children.
Pros
- Realistic media
- Support layers
- Child Friendly
Microsoft Paint 3D
Microsoft paint 3 D is like our traditional Microsoft paint. It is an art software used for making & painting 3D models. You can choose a finish for your shape like matte, glossy or polished.
Pros
- Convert drawing to 3D model
- Wide paint effect
Cons
- 3D effects are basic
Clip Studio Paint
Clip studio paint is one of the most popular professional application for PC. It is useful to create illustrations, animations & comics.
Pros
- Brushes are customized
- Excellent vector tools
- Great coloring option
Cons
- No audio support
- The text tool doesn’t impress.
Sketchbook
Sketchbook is one of the best software to create drawings or images which are in our mind. Digital artists are using them very much.
Pros
- Smooth and Intuitive interface
- Robust creative tools
Cons
- Some features like widening the canvas are too costly.
