Art is not a new thing and is with us for many years. In the earlier years of mankind, our ancestors used to draw on walls with stones, bones, etc. But with time, it evolved and artists started drawing what they have visualized on canvas with pens, colors, etc. Now, it has evolved further and is done on electronic gadgets.
Currently, there are two kinds of art, Digital Art and Traditional Art, that are used worldwide. You may find major difference between Digital Art and Traditional Art as both of them are done in different ways. That’s why here we will tell you about the similarities of traditional art and digital art along with their differences.
However, it is always debatable which kind of art is better as many professionals consider Digital Art unethical.
Introduction To Digital Art And Traditional Art?
Before finding out the similarities and differences of painting and digital art, let’s have a brief overview to their background:
What is Traditional Art?
Traditional Art is the ordinary form of drawing in which people imprint their imaginations on canvas. This kind of drawing mainly requires tools like pens, pencils, paint colors, etc. For doing this kind of art, an artist needs to have some unique skills, mainly inherited from his ancestors.
What is Digital Art?
It is the newest form of art that has modernized the way of drawing. In this, the work is mainly done on electronic gadgets like smartphones, PC, tablets, etc. Additionally, for drawing digitally, you need to have access to the best program to create digital art.
So, now let’s dig a bit deep into this article to compare and contrast traditional art with digital art.
What Are The Similarities And Difference Between Traditional Art And Digital Art?
Here, we will compare and contrast digital art and non digital art. Now, let’s head toward it one by one:
What Is The Similarities Of Traditional Art And Digital Art
There aren’t lots of things in common between these kinds of Arts. However, primarily there are two similarities of Traditional Art and Digital Art:
- Purpose of Drawing: Nothing is done without a purpose and the same is with Art. Every good artist tries to convey a message to his target audience through his drawings. So, whether you draw digitally or through traditional means, your output should serve a purpose.
- Requirement of Skill: Digital tools have made drawing way easier than ever before. But it doesn’t mean that anyone can start drawing professionally. Whether you draw digitally or traditionally, there is a minimum set of artistic knowledge that you should have for drawing professionally.
These are the two major similarities that we have found between Traditional Art and Digital Art.
Difference between Digital Art and Traditional Art
There are lots of areas where you will find these two forms of Art separating their ways. And in this Digital Art vs Traditional Art debate, we have mentioned those noteworthy points:
Kinds of Tools
In Traditional Art, the work is done physically by the Artist. For this, he requires some solid tools like canvas, pen/pencil, brushes, colors, etc. Whereas in Digital Art, you don’t need any of them. You only need to have a Smartphone/Tablet/PC with digital drawing software installed in it. Clip Studio Paint is one of the best digital art software that you can use. Currently, by using the Clip Studio Paint discount code you can get it at very low prices.
Ease of Drawing
It is very easy to start working with Digital Art and it also doesn’t require too much-drawing knowledge as all the work is done on software. Many software comes with AI (Artificial Intelligence) that automatically fills the color. Besides, some software also provides preset templates that can ease the work to great extent.
When it comes to Traditional Art, it is very time-consuming as compared to Digital Art. A user also needs to have full concentration for drawing perfectly.
Chances of Duplicating the Work
It is very easy to duplicate digital Art. Anyone can duplicate your entire project or create a new copy of it in just one click.
This is not possible in the case of Traditional Art. The only way to create a duplicate copy of your project is by imprinting your project in the form of a new drawing.
This shows that Traditional Art is safe as it is really very hard to steal someone’s work.
Skill Requirement and Enhancement
Drawing traditionally requires too much skill and knowledge. So, if you are a newbie then Traditional Art is not your cup of tea. While drawing traditionally, an Artist may also face some challenging situations which eventually can help in improving their skills. So, in this way, it also helps in enhancing your work.
On the other side, you don’t require much knowledge for drawing with digital means. It also limits your overall skill development.
Possibility of Removing Error
It is one of the foremost differences between Traditional Art and Digital Art. In Traditional Art, there is no scope to undo mistakes. If you have made a mistake then there is very little chance of correcting it. In some instances, you may even have to restart your entire project due to a minor mistake.
On the flip side, Digital Art is much more flexible than Traditional art. With just one click, you can undo any mistake that you have made.
Drawing with Perfection
When it comes to perfection, you will find Digital Art better than Traditional Art. In Traditional Art, all the work is done manually by the artist. So, there is a possibility that you may find some sought of imperfection in the end result.
However, in Digital Art, all the work is done with software. This helps draw accurate lines and shapes and helps in obtaining an absolute result.
Realisticity of Art
This is one of the most important factors where Digital Art lacks and many professionals also considered it to be unethical. It doesn’t matter how beautifully you draw, but in the end, your work will be considered unrealistic if it is done through digital means.
In the case of Traditional Art, you won’t face such kind of criticism. It is purely considered to be real and a sign of hard work.
Cost Involved
There are huge costs linked to both of these kinds of arts, although you will find Traditional Art a bit expensive.
For doing Digital Art, you will have to make an initial investment for purchasing a hardware device and Digital Art software. However, once you have purchased them, you can create as many arts as you want up to a specified time, without incurring any further expense.
On the other hand, Traditional art doesn’t require any initial investment. However, you need to incur expenses every time you start a new project on colors, canvas, pencils, brushes, pens, etc.
Storage and Transportation
This is the last but not least difference between Digital Art and Traditional Art. In Traditional Art, the final output is present in the physical form. This makes it a bit difficult for storing or transporting it. Additionally, transporting it may also lead to some expenses.
On the flip side, all your work is present in digital form, so you don’t have to worry about storing it. Additionally, you can transport it from one place to another either by sharing it through the internet or by carrying it on hard disks.
Pros and Cons of Traditional Art vs Digital Art
In the previous section, we discussed the major difference that you may find between Traditional Art and Digital Art. However, before making any perception about them, you should know about the advantages and disadvantages of Digital Art and Traditional Art.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Traditional Art
In many aspects, Traditional Art seemed to be lagging behind Digital Art. It also has some major advantages and disadvantages:
| Pros | Cons |
| Realistic | Comparatively Expensive |
| Helps in improving skills | Hard to store/transport |
| Less chance of duplicating the work | Time-consuming |
| Don’t require electricity | Importable |
Advantages and Disadvantages of Digital Art
As everything isn’t perfect, and the same is with Digital Art. It also has both positive and negative points and here we have outlined the same.
| Pros | Cons |
| Involves low costs | Considered unrealistic or unethical |
| Can be done in less time | Work can be duplicated |
| Helps in drawing with perfection | Cannot work in the case of power failure |
| Easy to store and transport | |
| Easily undo errors |
Which is better: Traditional Art or Digital Art?
Here, we discussed all the major difference between Digital Art and Traditional Art and found that both of them differ in various aspects. However, that doesn’t mean that Digital Art is an alternative to Traditional Art. Both these Arts have their own importance, value, and usability. In place of using any one of them, you can use both of them together for enhancing your work.
No, both these forms of art are very different. Traditional art is focused on creating antique paintings whereas Digital Art is mainly used for commercial purposes.
There is no doubt that art has evolved a lot and is presently done through electronic means. But this doesn’t mean that Digital Art will replace the traditional one. It has its own value and is done by a large number of Artists.
Yes, it is easy to draw Digitally as compared to drawing Traditionally.
As mentioned earlier, both of these artists have their own purposes. If you want to create antique paintings then you should go for Traditional Art. However, for commercial usage, you should opt for Digital Art.