Digital Art & Its Endless Possibilities

17th August 2020

Have you ever heard of digital art? The chances are you’ve probably seen it but might not have even realised! Jemma, a member of our e-marketing team, has a particular skill in this medium and produces pet portraits outside of work. Read on to find out why she loves working with digital art, and if you’d like to see more of her work you can find her Facebook page here and her website here.

digital art on a tablet

What is Digital Art?

When you think of art, traditional media such as pencil drawings and paintings are some of the first forms of art that come to mind. However, according to a widely trusted dictionary in the English language, the Oxford Dictionary defines the word ‘art’ as: ‘The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.’

Endless Creative Possibilities

In today’s digital jungle, art created in a digital format is becoming more widely used and accepted. In spite of this, many opinions still suggest that anything created in a digital format is considered less creative – this is not the case! Actually, creating artwork in a digital form provides endless possibilities for creativity. Along with the Adobe Suite, there are hundreds of apps for creating digital art.

iPad’s Procreate App

A great example of available applications is iPad’s award-winning Procreate app. Designed to utilise the Apple pencil and compatible Apple tablets, Procreate offers a unique digital drawing experience with the combined benefits of both digital and traditional art tools. A key element that makes the software so popular is the familiar experience of using pens, pencils or paint, with the ability to undo, create, move and delete layers, as well as providing a platform to create and share artwork, quicker and easier than more traditional methods.

Digital drawing of a cat

The responsiveness of the Apple pencil with the app creates a ‘natural’ experience, much like ‘pen to paper’ and the wide variety of over 130 Procreate brushes, as well as the ability to create and add your own brushes, means creative outcomes often have more possibilities than traditional media. What’s more, using the Procreate app on the iPad with the Apple pencil provides a more flexible, portable and easier platform for creating artwork.

Digital drawing of a cockerpoo

Layers, Filters & Special Effects

Similarly to Adobe applications, Procreate provides the platform to work in layers. This allows you to manipulate effects, move and group layers, blend, and so much more. In addition, a number of extra functions make simple tasks even easier and quicker, such as, ‘QuickShape’ which allows you to draw a line or shape perfectly. The app also offers a number of high-quality adjustments so you can seamlessly edit each layer or a completed piece of artwork with cinema quality filters and special effects.

Finally, Procreate offers a smart feature which allows you to record a high-definition time-lapse video of every artwork you create, so you can share the creative process. The nature of the software means every style of art is possible. Procreate is often used for abstract ‘paint’ style artwork, realistic art, as well as animations and calligraphy. The possibilities with creating art digitally are endless.