Kendriya Vidyalaya Palampur
e-Magazine
Session: 2014-15
Topic: Digital Painting
What is digital painting?
Digital painting is an emerging art form in which traditional painting
techniques (such as watercolor, oils, impasto, etc.) are applied by means of a
computer. Digital painting is a type of digital art but it is not “computergenerated” art, in that it does not involve the computer automatically
generating an image from mathematical models created by the artist. In digital
painting, the artist uses painting techniques to create the image directly on the
computer.
Digital painting is also distinct from digital manipulation of photographs, in
that it is an original construction “ from scratch” . While photographic
elements may be incorporated into digital paintings, they are not the primary
basis or source for them. In some of my images, there are no photographic
elements at all and in other images I may use dozens of distinct photographic
elements.
6 Uses of Digital Painting
1. You can have it as a desktop wallpaper
2. You can hang it on your wall
3. It may come printed on a mug or a locket, or other object you’d use in your daily life
4. Postcards, stamps, other stationary
5. Illustrations for the sci-fi/fantasy/children’s book (or any other book whatsoever)
you’re writing
6. Concept and actual art for your game or movie, or anything whatsoever
Scope of Digital Painting
When Bill Atkinson and, later, Susan Kare began work on what would
eventually become the prototype for all digital painting and image design
program, MacPaint, the function of computers was largely limited to data
processing with sound and graphic potential hardly evolved beyond the thenwatermark setting Commodore PET and first Macintosh releases. In late 1984,
however, Apple was priming the mass-market home computer industry for a
watershed moment: the release of MacPaint and MacWrite. Even then, despite
its--by today's standards--unpolished appearance, slow operation and limited
functionality, it was clear to many in and outside the development community
that Mac Paint signaled a new direction for mass-market computer
technology.
In the years that have followed, computer hardware has witnessed, at times, nearexponential expansion of power and performance and software program have evolved in
kind to make use of expanded power. Digital painting programs like Mac Paint, too, have
evolved in kind. In the 25 years since the release of Mac Paint, digital painting programs
have slowly but surely moved from novelty-like programs used to create simple images, to
indispensable image design suites used by graphic designers, to animators, illustrators and
master artists, becoming credible as a tool and process in both the reactionary and avant
garde poles of the art world.
Today, many artists of all backgrounds--photography, painting, mixed media-have taken to digital painting software programs, incorporating them into
their workflow and creative processes and, in some cases, abandoning "wet"
media altogether in favor of these programs. Using these programs is by no
means a short cut to artistic success, but it can, however, be used to expedite
the conceptualization and creation processes, allowing artists to distill ideas
and commence work without the timely palette and canvas preparation that
wet media require. To suit the needs of digitally-based artists, hardware
developers have also created interfaces, typically called "tablets," to mimic
wet media functionality, offering greater precision, control and detailed effect
than the standard mouse. Most digital painting software programs do not
require tablets, but the tablet greatly expands the software program's
potential for creative use.
Digital Painting by Students
T. Keruthika Class: IV B
Ashwarya Tripathi Class: V A
Shivang Class: III B
T. Keruthika Class: IV B
Prepared By: Mrs. Manju Singh (PRT)
Ms. Anupama