The great thing about art is that the definition of the word is so flexible. Art is something that is always evolving and changing in our society. What is and isn't considered art by one person could be completely different from another. Can it be frustrating to talk about art then given the loose definition the term seems to carry? Sure it can. If art was a state of matter, I would call it a liquid; it fits and molds to fit any given container definition and I find it completely fascinating to see how it has evolved and changed over the years.
In this day and age, however, when one thinks of art the first image that seems to come to mind is that of sketches and drawings. At least, that is what first comes to mind when I personally think of the concept of art. My mind explodes in a vision of colors and lines with impressions of figures, objects, or animals that have no clear form or shape. This is something that we can imagine for ourselves, but what we must question is the medium by which these images are conveyed to us. Some artists use pencils, pens, paints while others use chalk, charcoal, or even scissors. However, one big distinction artists today use to separate types of art is the difference between digital and traditional art.
In a technologically advanced era, it is no wonder that digital art is on the rise. I, myself, own two drawing tablets and drawing software that I use regularly to create my art. To me, it is so satisfying to see a work of art come together on something as detached from our reality as a computer screen. Technically, computers are definitely part of our reality and thus the drawings are part of our reality, but this type of art seems so different to us. Perhaps it's the fact that we can't physically touch the art; its lives separated from us like a being on the other side of a window.
Perhaps, also, this is just one of the many benefits that traditional art has over digital. Now, I don't mean that digital art doesn't have its benefits. Drawing art digital is so crucial to our up-and-coming art world; we would not have as many animated movies today if it weren't for the beauty and ease of digital art. In my opinion, digital art is just as beautiful and meaningful as tradition. I suppose I just can't help but have a special connection to traditional art because it was through the traditional that I was introduced to my passion for character creation and design.
I remember sitting in my living room, a chipped and worn wooden pencil clutched in my grip as I poured over my sketchbook. I would spend hours carefully placing outlines and creating a new piece of art. My hands would be absolutely covered in graphite, but I saw that more as a medal than a messy mark. Perhaps that is one thing that I like about traditional art: it is just so completely tangible. You can see the marks of an artist; you can see the graphite smears, the paint splatters, the marker stains that would decorate fingertips like a second skin. It just felt all the more personal and real when you could look down and see the stray marks of the day plastered on your person. In a way, you become like a work of art yourself.
I admire digital art completely for its accomplishments in the animation field and for the amazing pieces that only digital art can pull off. However, I will always have a connection back to the days where I would wear paint splatters and pen marks like badges of the highest honor.
