What is Digital Art? A simple explainer for a complex subject

Art is usually defined as the application of human skill towards a creative endeavour. This is typically visual but can be auditory and can also be without both, believe it or not. While ‘Art’ is a broad term that encompasses a lot of diverse things, we are here to focus on one in particular – Digital Art.

If you break both those words down separately ‘Digital’ will usually refer to technology or things to do with creation of technology while ‘Art’ as we have previously defined is the creative expression of an individual achieved through various means. ‘Digital Art’ refers to art that has been achieved using or with the help of technology.

For example – a painter may take the help of technology to create a traditional piece of artwork or use the technology itself to create a piece of art. In both cases, it would be right to consider the resulting ‘Art’ as ‘Digital Art’ since technology was used in the creation of these assets.

There are some murkier cases where the needle could fall either way such as using technology to restore old traditional art. Taken as a whole, any art that is accomplished through the help of technology is considered digital.

The term ‘Digital Art’ has evolved over time with internet conventions. When it first started it was called Computer Art, then Cyber-Art before finally settling on Digital Art. Now that term is on its way out as well with more popular term ‘New media’ gaining momentum since it encompasses the whole entertainment medium. Having said that there are different types of Digital Art.

One of these is Digital Paintings. They are called that because they focus heavily on traditional painting techniques like oil painting but done using technology with the help of special tablets or computer setups. This is not to be confused with Digital Photography which means taking real life photos captured though various means (traditional camera, satellite imaging etc.) and then modifying them using technology to create new expression.

With the help of 3D-printing, you can blur the line between a traditional sculpture and one that is a mixture of both styles. Art that can be interacted with is unsurprisingly called ‘interactive act’. An example of this would be an installation of phones connected with each other and using technology to run videos on their screens, all synced to create various patterns. Art can also be made using Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). These are typically meant to be experienced through a headset.

Software art is a term used to describe art created through using specific software. This can range from ASCII Art (art made using computer coding) to full blown traditional style paintings. Mixed Media is another popular term these days, it means art created from the coalescence of various diverse branches of art combined to form a unique vision.

In one word – Very. The catch here is you must be good at what you do. Ever since the wide exposure of the internet, the art industry has seen a meteoric rise in interest, but the amount of art present online has also increased. To cut through the stiff competition, you must be good at what you do.

If you do ‘git gud’, you may soon find yourself among that top pantheon of digital artists whose works routinely fetch millions at auctions. It is a long and winding road to get there though, so you may want to stick to that day job until you figure things out.