Countdown 5: Digital Artwork vs. Traditional Artwork

In the blue corner we have the all time champion.  Hailing from a time before written language and taking the form of cave paintings then becoming the undisputed master during the Renaissance.  He has served the art-world well for centuries and packs a one-two punch of widespread art-instruction and art-appreciation…  lets hear a big hero’s welcome for the heavyweight, the master of Matisse, the darling of Dali, the Rockwell Rocky: TRADITIONAL ARTWORK!

And in the red corner, the young upstart. Coming to you from the not so distant 1980′s world of desktop publishing.  Rising from the ranks from of clip-art copyboy and ascending to mainstream media workhorse.  Photography, special effects, print design, web designing, and even comic book coloring.  His left hook is stunning visual presence but his weak jaw stems from lack of available instruction.  The scanner smasher, the pixel pusher, the brush tool bruiser: DIGITAL ARTWORK!

Welcome to the Terror of the Terabytes, the Battle for Brushes, the War pitting Traditional Artwork against rival Digital Artwork.  Only one can survive the ultimate match-up and become the victor in this duel of epic proportions.  LETS GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLLLLLLLE!!!

Wait a minute.  Time-out.  Have you noticed whenever something slightly new comes along our human instinct is to invent a clash between new and old, draw a line in the sand, and take sides?  Is this warlike culture of controversy really necessary?  Video killed the radio star.  Airline destroyed travel by train.  And of course most recently, social media is raging a “war on print media”.  A war?  Really?  What about this battle between Traditional Artwork and Digital Artwork?

When I am interviewed, give a digital color presentation, or speak on a panel at a comic book convention this concept of framing a fight between traditional art forms and newer digital methods always surfaces.  Of course the question can be genuine.  Someone has experience doing things the way they have been done for the past fifty years and they want to know why they would want to change.  What’s better about digital artwork?  How can working digitally help me?  Other times the conversation is one based in fear.  Perhaps the person is afraid of change or resentful the skills they have worked so hard to master have fallen out of favor.  That position is easy to understand.  It takes time and dedication to learn something new.  More often than not the framing of a battle between old and new art is created by a non-artist.  An interviewer or discussion moderator, looking to inject some controversy and stir up some chatter, will look for the versus angle.  Pit one side against another, sit back, and watch the clock run out as people busy themselves taking a stand and argue the finer points and merits of each side in the debate.  A debate?  Yes, by this point whatever topic we were all assembled to discuss has devolved from a discussion to a mere debate of A vs. B.  How sad.

There is no heavyweight champion or upstart fighter when it comes to creating artwork.  As creators we do not need to take an offensive or defensive stance about the artwork we are inspired to create. There certainly is no legitimate debate over traditional and digital media. This war metaphor is artificial at best and only serves to spark controversy and posturing.  All the time wasted debating could be spent creating, refining techniques, and inventing new and never before seen artwork. Lets spend our time creating and becoming better creators, instead of fighting false battles.  How do we do that?

Understand the media is not the medium.

I spent my childhood drawing with pencils, crayons, magic markers, anything I could get my hands on.  My nickname in grade school was ‘Marker Happy’ simply because my fingers were often covered in a rainbow of marker colored stains.  When I entered high school and was introduce to drafting tables, t-squares, and the mechanical compass did I put up my hand in protest and shout, “I’m a marker artist.  I will never create anything on graph paper with a mechanical pencil.”?  No, and as a matter of fact that statement would sound rather silly, wouldn’t it?  I understood, as you do, that artwork is what you create and the tools you use will vary depending upon the needs of the project.  Crayons and markers were the natural media to use for the grade school art projects I adored as a child but if your architect submitted plans for your new house on construction paper drawn with marker and glitter pens you probably would not get your building permit.

Why does it matter?  Understanding the relationship between media and medium will help you grow as an artist and avoid being lured into false debate over A vs. B.

Progress does not aim to dismantle tradition but rather builds on established success.

The famous phrase, “necessity, is the mother of invention” was written by Plato over 300 years before christ and they are still true today.  When people at great distances needed a better way to communicate the telegraph was born out of necessity and quickly established as the fastest most economical way to share ideas.  The telephone built upon the established success of the telegraph and provided voice-to-voice communication to the masses.  Mobile phones too built on the established success of the telephone.  Video-chat is now widely available if not yet widely adopted. None of these technologies set out to make the previous standard extinct.  The goal of the creators was to take an established success and make it better. We’ve seen this progress in many areas related to artwork too.  Photography has transitioned from film based to primarily digital based. Some very old photographic technology may even be considered antiquated.  You don’t see many photographers using glass plates and flash powder these days do you?  Does that mean the photographs taken prior to digital photography are invalid?  Hardly!  We’ve all seen the famous LIFE magazine photo, V–J day in Times Square, of the sailor kissing the girl.  This photo is a national treasure, a moment of American History frozen in time. Moving from photography to illustration we observe Rockwell’s paintings are of no less importance because he didn’t use the same technology of da Vinci and likewise the great artist masterpieces being created today will not be any less important because the creators now are not using the technology of Rockwell’s time.  Progress does move forward and it effects the technology we use but does not lessen the importance of the people who have used the technology of the past or the great works hey created.

Why does it matter?  When new tools or techniques arise you will be able to observe them objectively instead of rejecting them out of fear.

Tools can be used to good or ill effect.

One of the earliest tools developed by humankind is the blade.  The blade, in the form of the scythe, was once used to harvest crops.  The blade, in the form of a spear tip, has been used to slay animals to feed the human race.  The blade, in the form of a surgeon’s scalpel can save lives.  The blade, in the form of a bayonet, can end the lives of many.  The blade is not sentient.  The blade knows no right or wrong.  The blade is a dumb tool.  Only in the hands of humankind can the blade be manipulated for one of many purposes.  All of the art instruments invented from charcoal to pastels, the airbrush, to Photoshop are merely tools.  Only in the hands of artist do these tools create artwork deemed by society to be of importance, of entertainment value, of a political nature, for commercial use, etc.  Whether and work created by the artist is loved or loathed it isn’t the fault of the oil paints, pencil, or software the artist used. These tools are not capable of creating anything without human hands.

Why does it matter?  It is not what tools you use but how you use them.

Industry as a lagging indicator.

Large corporations and industries take on a life of their own.  Procedures, hierarchy, and red tape can all stifle creativity and innovation.  Businesses often establish long-term contracts that lock them into doing things a certain way or using a certain technology for years, even decades at a time.  In the early 1990′s colorist were experimenting with various software programs in an attempt to integrate comic book color into the digital workflow created by the desktop publishing revolution.  This experimentation meant taking risk, spending money on hardware and software, and hedging bets that one software package would yield better results than a competing product.  It was safe and easy for many to continue coloring the established way while those willing to try and fail to color digitally then try again took all the risks.  Around the same time Image Comics was formed and this young company had no problem moving quickly to adopt the new digitally colored artwork created by forward thinking colorist.  The established publishers had used digital color on a few special and high profile projects but were in no position to bring digital color to all their monthly comic book titles on short notice.  The ability of Image Comics to move swiftly gave them a competitive edge and the stunning visuals of this new generation of comic books set the bar for other publishers to strive for.  Image Comics established digital color as the future and set the course for the entire industry as to the look and feel of color in modern comic books.

Why does it matter? Early adopter’s of new tools and technologies often have a significant advantage over those who, “wait and see”.

What does any of this have to do with Hi-Fi Color for Comics & Master Digital Color?  As an artist who is classically trained in drawing and painting and who has spent a life working with a variety of media for a variety of mediums I wanted to expel this notion that digital artwork is in anyway a threat to or a replacement for traditional artwork.  A drawing on bristol board serves a certain purpose, as does a painting on canvas, or an illustration created in Adobe Photoshop or a variety of other software tools.  The more tools you have in your personal toolbox the better chance you have of selecting the right tool for the job at hand.  You and I may be comfortable with traditional art tools and techniques but there is no reason to shun or shy away from any of the digital tools available to us today and in the future.  There are so many ways to complete an illustration or other creative project we shouldn’t limit ourselves to A vs. B but rather the best way to get from A to B.

Everyday I work on projects that combine handcrafted traditionally drawn artwork with colors created using digital tools, as are the lettering, the design, and many of the printing aspects.  In the end the fan reading the comic book rarely knows the ins and outs of its creation, they only know they love the story and cherish the illustrations.  Think about some of your favorite works of art. A painting, sculpture, maybe famous movie poster or turn of the century advertisement.  Would they be any less impressive if you discovered they had been created in some other  fashion The tools and techniques we use will continually change.  You and I will continue to pursue creative ways to master these new tools and techniques.  We will utilize websites, books, videos, classes and all the art-instruction methods at our disposal.  On our journey we will discover new tips and tricks for stunning results and in the end you and I will strive to create something with a lasting legacy.  A thought provoking visual image like da Vinci, Rockwell, and other greats created will continue to live in the consciousness of humanity long after the tools and technology that created it fall to progress.  And maybe if you and I are lucky someone 50 years from now will use one of our illustrations as an example of why the tools of their time are less important than what artist do with them.

Brian is a comic book colorist, founder of Hi-Fi colour design, and co-author of Hi-Fi Color for Comics and the upcoming sequel Master Digital Color.

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