People are becoming more and more dependent on technology and AI. This can be both good and bad for artists. Digital artists can find their work being replaced by AI, but can also find a surge in people using digital art. Traditional artists are becoming less common and are being replaced by digital artists, but can also be comforted in knowing that AI will never replace them.
For digital artists, their creativity is able to push the limits of traditional art.
“I really like pushing the lighting, pushing like the colors, the saturation of the colors, and messing with it until it looks right, or until I feel like it looks good,” junior Lyla Kelly said.
However, the undo button is a bit of a controversy. It can make experimentation possible, but the downside of this is that it can be hard to stop undoing and redoing.
“Being a digital artist means that it’s a lot easier to be a bit of a perfectionist with things, because, again, you can just keep deleting and deleting and deleting or trying to make everything look perfect, and you can just keep doing that,” senior Faye Barnes said.
To avoid this feeling of relying on the undo button, Kelly tries to keep a balance between traditional and digital art.
“The leniency of digital art is wonderful, but the reason I feel like you should start with traditional art is because it’s a harsh master. It’s pencil and paper, [which] I feel is fundamental to learning to draw,” Kelly said.
For any starting artist, Kelly suggests traditional art can be a good way to go. It allows for you to learn a basis of how to draw and it transfers to digital art well.
“Pros [of traditional art] would definitely be foundational skills building things like common vocabulary with the elements and principles of Art and Design,” art teacher Ms. Regina Iannello said.
Some artists, however, are fearing that their art may be replaced by AI.
“What I think is missing, is [that] with AI, it’s not art, it’s imaging,” Kelly said. “And because of that, people have begun to focus more on conceptual art. But what’s really important is being able to take that step in creating.”
When starting art, it’s important to figure out which art form is best for you.
“I am a big proponent of trying a little bit of everything and seeing what you like before you make any rash decisions,” Iannello said. “You may think you don’t like graphic design or digital art, but unless you’ve really tried it and explored it in depth, it’s kind of hard to say if you [don’t] even know what it entails.”
For artists, the beginning can be tough. The hardest part of art is often getting started and having the motivation to keep going.
“Keep trying. There’s a lot of advice out there [to] just keep practicing, and it really is just going down to keep practicing. But more than that, take a break if you need to,” Kelly said.
No matter which art form you choose, taking the first step is the most important.
“Don’t get mad at yourself if the vision in your head isn’t what’s on paper, because what’s important is that there’s something on paper at all,” Kelly said. “It’s taking that step to putting something onto the paper, and being able to do that is what makes you an artist.”
