The popularity of digital art is increasing every year as the required technology becomes more and more available to everyone. Once the domain of graphic designers or artists like Andy Warhol it is now becoming a common way of creating artwork. No other medium would allow you to erase 100 times, without damaging your canvas in the slightest.
This article will explain the different styles of digital art and discuss each category in detail to help clear up some of the confusion. Anyone new to digital art will no doubt have come across terms like ‘vector’, ‘pixel’ or ‘mixed media’ art, but may not have been able to access a clear explanation. As is always the case with art, there is always some interpretation and the way I have chosen to classify art styles may not be right for everyone.
Digital art can be divided into 5 main styles, Mixed Media, Vector, Fractal, Digital Painting and Pixel:
Mixed media or integrated art
Since the arrival of Photoshop in the 90’s, mixed media or integrated art has spread to the masses. Mixed media is exactly what its name suggests; It is the fusion of many artistic styles such as painting, photography, drawing and digital. Using programs like Photoshop, artists can combine these art forms with amazing results. A popular mixed media style is “pop art”, led by Andy Warhol’s portrait styles which consist of using a computer program to add bright colors to the image and often aligning multiple panels to form blocks of 4 o 9 images in different colors. . Mixed media is often seen in digital abstract art.
vector art
One of the most popular digital art techniques, a better term might be “vector-based art,” meaning art created with a vector-based program like Illustrator, Freehand, or Corel Draw. The artist uses vector drawing software and creates the image entirely in a virtual environment. The style makes use of shapes that are outlined and can be filled with various colors and patterns; this generally produces a graphic or harder-edged look. Characteristic flat colors and clean lines are easy to spot and quickly catch the eye, making them popular with advertisers looking to grab the public’s attention.
fractal art
Fractal art has been around for a while, but lately it’s making a comeback. Examples of fractals can be found in the natural world; however, in terms of digital art, it is art created entirely using mathematical formulas; they are infinite in their ability to be seen in ever greater detail. The closer you look, the more detail there is, as you zoom into the image. Fractal art is usually created using fractal generation software, the program has three main phases: setting the appropriate fractal software parameters, running the possibly lengthy calculation, and evaluating the product.
digital paint
Digital painting is an art form in which traditional painting techniques such as watercolor, oil, impasto, etc. are applied. using digital software. Digital painting is unlike many other forms of digital art in that it is created without using a stencil or computer-generated model. The artist uses painting techniques to create the digital painting directly on the computer. The digital art software program uses traditional techniques such as brush strokes and color blending to mimic physical media. Available styles are increasingly diversified, but include pastels, watercolors, oils, charcoals, and acrylics, to name just a few.
pixel art
Amongst all these innovative forms of digital art, Pixel art, a revival of old-school pixel techniques, proudly celebrates the humble beginnings of computer art. It’s a retro digital art style that’s making a comeback. When viewed, most people immediately remember their old Commodore 64 or Atari graphics; in fact, these old computers and video games use pixel technology. Pixel art is drawn pixel by pixel in detail, usually using a very limited color palette and primitive computer graphics tools. One of the most popular programs is Microsoft Paint, this program has not been updated for years, however it is a perfectly adequate tool for creating pixel art.