Digital Art

Artists are always trying to find new ways to

create and express themselves and one way of doing
this is through the use of technology.

One of the most commonly used technology-

based mediums in art is digital technology.
Digital technology refers to electronic devices
that use binary code combinations to store
and process data. Artworks that employ
digital technology are called digital art.
Common examples of digital are seen in
computer art and multimedia art.
Art using digital technology has been accepted as
valid artistic practices, with galleries all over the
world exhibiting digital art. More and more
contemporary artists use it in their works. Many
artists adapt digital technology in their paintings,
drawings, and sculptures. Digital technology is also
widely used in many contemporary art forms.
TOOLS FOR DIGITAL ART
 The most commonly used tool in digital
art is the computer. It has evolved from the
glorified calculator to the most utilized tool
of the modern age.

Digital Art Tool

 As early as the 1950s, artists used
computers to create images and the first
computer art exhibition was held in New
York titled "Computer-Generated
Pictures."
 Any creative outputs that use computers
are called computer art or digital art. Digital
artists are artists who use the computer to
express their art. Digital artists use two types
of tools-the hardware and the software.
 The hardware are the physical tools used in digital
art that typically include the CPU, monitor, keyboard,
mouse, and printer.
There are also other hardware or
tools that the artist can use to
create a masterpiece such as the
graphic tablet and the stylus.
These tools are high-tech versions
of the pen and paper.
Methods of presenting computer art

1. Soft Copy
2. Hard Copy
● The most commonly used type of printers to reproduce
artworks are inkjet printers. They were first developed in
1976. With the inkjet printers, artists are able to produce high
quality art reproductions of their works called giclee prints.
● The term giclee came from the French term meaning “to
spray."
The software are computer programs that help an artist create
art. These are applications that exist as data in the computer.
Unlike the computer hardware, the software can be copied.
updated, corrupted, and deleted.
One of the most popular computer software used for art applications is
CorelDRAW, which specializes in digital illustration, painting, among
others. Adobe Photoshop is used for image manipulation.

World-famous German photographer Andreas Gursky has been

candid in using such image-manipulating software to modify and improve
his photographs. He believes that with the computer, he is able capture the
details and not be limited by the camera.
Cellular Phones
The cellular phone has become a part of daily lifestyle that
many could not imagine life without it.

Digital Art Tool

The first mobile phone was built by Motorola in the
early 1970s. It was a bulky contraption almost the size
of a shoe box, and was primarily used for calling. In
the 1990s, the digital phone evolved. which allowed
clearer, faster, and more secured signal and services. A
decade later, 3G services again upgraded the speed and
the amount of data that can be sent through the cellular
signal, that allowed for email and internet services.
Digital photography is a type of digital art. Digital
cameras evolved from cameras. Cameras capture
images through the use of light that is imprinted on a
film. This technology was revolutionary at the time and
was one of the reasons many painters started veering
away from painting realistic images.

Digital Art Tool

In 1884, the founder of Kodak developed cameras that
transferred images into film that were called negatives.
In the early twentieth century, colored Photographs
were developed, which flourished throughout the
twentieth century until the invention of digital cameras.
Although popular, the camera has its
disadvantages. Images were captured on a
negative that came in a roll. Each roll had a
maximum of around 36 shots. And these
negatives are then taken to a shop to be
developed, which took at least an hour. it was
only after that the image taken can be seen.
It was expected that when the first digital
camera was introduced to the market in the
1990s, it was readily accepted by the public,
which in turn became the downfall of many
non-digital camera companies like Kodak.
In the late nineteenth century, photographic artists such
as Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) and Edward Steichen
(1879-1973) were instrument in making photography
accepted as a valid art form, equal with that of the other
traditional art forms like painting, drawing, sculpting,
etc. Their works were exhibited in museums.
Digital Cameras
Digital cameras capture and
save images as soft copies that
can be downloaded to a
computer or be printed. Since
the images are saved as
computer files, it is easier to be
viewed, shared, manipulated,
printed, and deleted.

Digital Art Tool

Digital Cameras

Digital cameras can store up to thousands of images

depending on the storage capacity, which is a far cry
from the 36 pictures per roll of the film camera. Most
digital cameras can also record videos and sound. In
today's technology, digital cameras are incorporated in
other devices such as cell phones, computers, pens,
watches, etc.

Digital Art Tool

Digital photography is usually made using one of the
two types of digital cameras.

• Point-and-shoot camera
• Digital Single-lens Reflex (DSLR)

Digital Art Tool

Point-and-shoot camera
It is straightforward, you point
the camera to where you want to
take a photo and click. Due to its
simplicity, it is the camera used
by most people. It is lightweight
and easy to carry.

Digital Art Tool

Digital Single-lens Reflex (DSLR) Camera

It is the combination of the processes of the

analog film camera and digital photography.
Light enters through the lens and reflected to a
mirror that is captured by an image sensor. This
is the go-to digital camera of many professionals
and even amateurs since it gives the
photographer better control of the focus, light
sensitivity, and shutter speed of the camera

Digital Art Tool

DSLR cameras also have a vast array of lenses and other
accessories that help in capturing the perfect shot. DSLR
cameras produce brighter and clearer images since it has a
bigger sensor. These advantages over the point-and-shoot
camera come at a price. DSLR cameras and accessories are
very expensive costing hundreds and thousands of pesos.
They are also bulky along with the different accessories and
equipment like the lenses, tripods, etc.

Digital Art Tool

Video Games or Console
Video games are an avenue to showcase digital
art, specifically video game art. Video games
are not only a source of entertainment but are
also art forms as well. It is interactive and
uses new technology.
Video Games or Console
Video games vary from the simplest single
player game to the very realistic real-time
multiplayer games. Video games can come as
free apps than can be downloaded, while some
are purchased costing thousand pesos.
● The earliest example of video games was made as
early as the 1940s, which was a simulated shooting
game. It was followed by other games such as
Tennis for Two and Tic-Tac-Toe. Video games
gained popularity with games like Pong and Space
Invaders in the 1970s.
 Tennis for Two Tic-Tac-Toe

Space Invaders Pong

● Video games can be played using different platforms. It can
be played using the computer that is called a PC game or it
can be played using a game console. Game console is a
device that can be connected to a television. Examples of
game consoles are PlayStation and Xbox. It can also be
played using a handheld device that is specifically made for
games like the PSP and the Game Boy.
● The arcade games are gaming consoles designed
specifically for a single game. It is housed in a
decorative container that includes monitors,
speakers, and other features to enhance the gaming
experience. But with newer technology, some
games can be played using cell phones, tablets, and
most recently, through virtual reality goggles.
Art in video games is not just seen in the artistic aspects of video game
design. Some artists modify existing games or create games for their
assemblages, installations, and performances art. One of these artists is
Cory Arcangel who is known for modifying Nintendo game cartridges
and using it for his art. His artwork called Super Mario Clouds
(2002) featured an altered version of Super Mario Bros where the
graphics were removed except for the blue background and the white
clouds scrolling from right to left. His video game art was exhibited in
different museums all over the world.
Since digital art is interactive, it evolves and
branches out into different aspects and forms
depending on how the audience or viewers respond
to it. A good example of this concept is the internet
meme. Internet meme is defined as a movement,
catchphrase, idea, or medium that is spread from one
person through the internet.
In the internet age, cultural boundaries are not as
limiting and memes are often images wherein
internet users using the same pictures, give different
and often humorous captions.

Internet memes have been used in marketing

products and oftentimes as a social commentary.