How I became a Digital Artist

The term ‘Digital Art’ sounds way cooler than conventional art, and honestly, I feel it’s not just the term but also the medium itself. As a kid, I’d draw portraits and to my surprise be extremely proud of them, but with time I completely lost my touch with the conventional way, and to an extent, I even had great trouble drawing schemas and figures for my science periods, which did NOT bother me at all.

At the tender age of 15, during my vacations, I came across a computer-aided design (CAD) software. Being an innovative human being (some may argue otherwise), I used this platform to create all sorts of mechanical designs and various pieces of machinery. I worked incessantly day and night for years, learning, discovering, and creating until eventually, I had enough. I was done looking at these bland, lifeless blueprints, 3D models, and simulations that were saturated with just one color, grey!

I wanted to use my modeling skills to create an artistic piece of art. I was obsessed with bringing life to my creation, I craved colors. I wanted to resign as a self-proclaimed 3D modeler with a 3-year field experience and become an artist, more appropriately a Digital Artist. 

Having a solid understanding of how CAD software works helped me out extensively, as within a few days of tinkering I was able to make my first digital art. I was proud, and my eyes thanked me for showing it beautiful combinations of colors. I was glad

It no longer was mere innovative machine-like designs, but an art replete with human expressions and emotions. I predominantly focused on recreating a certain scenery from my dreams or real-life instances that were memories until I was able to transform them into visual imagery. Sometimes, it was some sort of an escape from some emotions as recreating them digitally gave me relief. Yes, this tech-oriented guy had just metamorphosed into a Digital Artist, and nobody can say otherwise! I lacked the ability to create and express myself through art in a conventional way but I did find another method better suited for me. 

I use Blender to create my artwork, for those conventional artists, Blender is a computer graphics software toolset used for creating animated films, visual effects, art, 3D printed models, motion graphics, interactive 3D applications, virtual reality, and computer games. Yes, that’s plenty more than what your palette offers. We as digital artists can virtually create anything that we can imagine and that’s the beauty of it. Our limitations are truly confined to only our imagination. 

It provides great control and precision which other conventional methods lack, one may even say that digital art is too perfect as human errors in conventional art forms is one aspect that makes art to a certain extent relatable. Why can’t art be perfect? Why can’t it have human errors? For instance, most of my digital art is like a captured picture through a camera. To my eyes they are perfect and that’s how I interpret it.

 

With this simple technique, I have the ability to create my artworks in 3D and then rendering them in 2D. Doesn’t that sound amazing? In other words, it’s like clicking a picture of a 3D object in the real world, except here one with appropriate skills can create a perfect 3D representation of what he pictures and simply render a 2D image at whatever angle he pleases. Sounds perfect for people like me who are skilled with CAD software and want to create art.

I really nudge those out there with a similar story like mine to consider this form. It’ll simply make you happy. On the flip side, it does not have to be those stereotypical artworks, it can literally be anything you want. I think that’s one thing I really don’t have to spend time elaborating on as these days the idea of art has pushed boundaries and gained several facets to itself.

Powerful computers aren’t only for industrial and technological purposes, we as artists can also use them to create art, and bridge the gap between art and technology. In doing so, it could give rise to art forms that have never been heard of such as, new media art and interactive art. They sound cool, right? But for now, I guess I’ll stick around the digital art platform for a little longer, and be called a digital Artist.