Technology has brought digital art to the fore. There are many benefits with this modern version of portrait compared to the traditional art form of sketching or painting on canvas. The biggest advantage of this latest digital creative technique is flexibility and shareability with a custom digital portrait.
What is the key difference between a traditional portrait and a custom digital portrait?
The main difference between the two portrait forms is that traditional art uses conventional mediums that have been around for centuries and developed over time. It uses manual drawing, sketching, and painting practices and a range of materials and utensils. Conversely, digital art only makes use of technologies to produce different forms of art.
How are these two types of portraits usually created?
Traditional portraits are more labor-intensive. It requires the artist to have a designed area or studio and each portrait can take a considerable amount of time to complete. Whether it’s done on paper or canvas, the artist needs an arsenal of tools from paintbrushes, pencils, palettes, pastels, oils, and easels.
A digital artist simply needs a good computer, a digital pen or mouse, and a design graphics software application. These software packages do require skill and artistic ability to illustrate a digital face portrait based on a photograph. It can also take a lot of time to complete but there’s no big setup or washing up to get the project done.
Comparing advantages, and disadvantages of traditional portrait and custom digital portrait
Each art form comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, and it all comes down to personal taste. But there are notable benefits with digital portraits in that they can be easily shared with multiple people instantaneously. Here we compare custom digital portraits with traditional portraits.
Advantages of Traditional Art
- Original artwork is created. It is physically available as a unique piece of art and usually considered to have more value than a digital file.
- Being a completely manual process that starts from scratch, any imperfections are viewed as authentic additions that add value.
Disadvantages of Traditional Art
- Any mistakes are difficult to remove or cover up. The artist either has to embrace them or start the portrait over.
- It is hard to reproduce the art for sharing.
- You need expensive equipment and materials depending on the type of portrait you’re creating.
- It can be a long process to complete.
Advantages of Digital Art
- It is easy to start a portrait at any time of the day. Simply switch the computer on and get going.
- The greatest benefit is the Undo function. Artists can experiment with different styles and colors without having to recreate a completely new portrait.
- Changes can be easily applied to suit the client’s preferences. Nothing is permanent and anything can be altered at a moment’s notice.
- Very easy to reproduce. All you need to do is save the file and email it or post it to social media or print it.
- You never have to stock up on equipment or materials. Once you have a computer and software package and the necessary handheld device, you don’t need anything else afterward.
Disadvantages of Digital Art
- There is no original copy. A digital portrait can be printed on textured or canvas paper to simulate a traditional portrait, but it may not always have the same effect.
Why is a custom digital portrait more preferable today than a traditional one?
There are very few disadvantages to digital art as it is a highly creative, yet simpler approach to creating digital portraits. Some people may see technology as a threat to traditional artmaking, but studies show that digital tools increase artistic development and creativity.
With custom digital portraits there is increased access, flexibility, convenience, and instant shareability. Portraits can be put online within seconds and easily shared with anyone anywhere in the world. The exploration and creativity possibilities are unlimited.
What can digital portrait artists do for you?
Digital artists are highly skilled and creative professionals. They are able to design incredible graphics, animations, enhance photographs to any style imaginable, and mimic traditional art forms.
There are many variants when it comes to digital art. If you’re looking for a unique version for your photos, a digital artist can use a photo to recreate it using different illustration styles. These include caricatures, cartoons, retro, fantasy, anime, and more.
Check the AI art creation tool, Botto a decentralized artist that generates art based on community feedback.