Digital Illustration Media Study
- Caroline Harding
- Nov 16, 2023
- 10 min read
History of Digital Art Software:
Starting off, computers were exclusively used for processing numerical data. Those computers, many the size of a large room, only accepted numerical instructions and only output numerical data. In 1975 a company called MITS released the Altare 8800 and coined the phrase “Personal Computer” to describe computers designed for individuals (Computer History Museum, n.d.). Personal computers were immediately popular and all that was needed to push them over the top was the software applications designed to run on them. The personal computer had several advantages over the larger and more powerful computer systems that came before them. One of those advantages was that software applications could be chosen by the user to suit their individual needs. A personal computer used by an accountant and one used by an artist would undoubtedly host very different applications.
One company that was early on the personal scene was Adobe Systems Incorporated. Founded in silicon valley in 1982 Adobe created specialized software called PostScript that gave printers the ability to print text and graphics with great precision (SVHA, 2008). In 1987 Adobe released an application called Illustrator which was one of the first applications designed to support digital drawing. Illustrator was extremely popular with artists because it utilized vector graphics as opposed to raster graphics. Vector graphics are based on computer algorithms and scale from any size to another with no loss of resolution and no pixelation. Using specialized peripherals such as digitizer tablets artists could draw directly on the application and save it for future use or display.
(1) Computer History Museum. (n.d.). Timeline of computer history. Retrieved from https://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/computers/
(2) The Silicon Valley Historical Association [SVHA]. (2008). Adobe Corporation. Retrieved from https://www.siliconvalleyhistorical.org/adobe-corporation-history
Known Brands and Programs:
As mentioned above one of the powerhouse companies associated generally with digital art is Adobe. Adobe provides a couple of vector-based programs such as Illustrator and Fresco. Some alternative competitor programs vector include Affinity Designer, CorelDRAW, Sketch, Amadine, Inkscape, and Vecteezy to name a few.
What brands/programs I am testing:
Adobe Illustrator - $20.99/per Month
Other necessary or helpful materials and resources:
When working with this software, it is necessary to have the appropriate technology to run the program. These technologies include having a computer or iPad. The average cost of a laptop can range from $600 - $1,000. Meanwhile, iPads can range from $350 - $800. When using a laptop or desktop another helpful tool, while not necessary, is a drawing tablet. This can be helpful to create more precise and fluid lines while also helping prevent carpal tunnel caused by using the trackpad to draw. Drawing tablets can range from simple drawing pads for $30 to more complete screens that can cost up to $3,000.
Another helpful resource is a printer. While digital material can be saved, uploaded, and shared online, artists and students can also print out their work to display and showcase it in person. A baseline colored printer can cost around $80, but a higher quality printer can cost around $400. Additional costs associated with printers that need to be considered include buying papers and inks.
Lastly, other traditional materials can be used in connection with digital media. For example, a photo or scan of a traditionally created artwork can be incorporated into the work itself. Alternatively, a digital drawing can be printed out to be combined with traditional media. Additionally, many different digital media programs can be used in conjunction with each other to create interesting works.
Brand Tests:
Adobe:
Notes:Pros:
Industry-standard vector editor
Helpful tutorials and guides posted by the company themselves
A popular program that results in lots of tutorials created that specifically address how to do things within the software
Strong help and support team
Semi user-friendly considering the difficulty of vector-based drawing programs
iPad app available
Cons:
Expensive monthly subscription
Software Takes up a significant amount of space
Limited option for saving files
The software requires user training
Restrictive editing software
Other Brands:
I was unable to actually test out other products besides adobe illustrator due to time constraints, but I found two videos by a professional photographer and designer, Joseph Cristina, who discusses alternatives to Adobe illustrator. He has had previous experience with Adobe products, but eventually cut ties with the program due to the cost of maintaining their subscription. In these videos, he goes over the alternatives (many of which are free) to this specific program discussing the pros and cons he found working with each.
Techniques/Abilities:
Pen Tool Study
One prominent tool that is used in illustrator is the pen tool. However, this tool is not as intuitive to use for beginners which can cause some frustration among individuals who do not understand how to use it properly. The link listed above leads to a website that creates a game out of teaching people how to use this tool. I found this site incredibly helpful in familiarizing myself with this tool. Additionally, because of how this practice is structured as a game, I found it really enjoyable to play around with this tool and even found it hard to stop playing.
Fonts, Words, and Logos
Notes:
One of the things that illustrator is frequently used for is to create logos for different companies. This ties back to the benefits of vector-based programs regarding the ability to scale things indefinitely without ending up with a pixilated image. For this study, I took three different words; macaroni, popsicle, and pug, and I tried to create the words into their own font/logo design. For the word macaroni, I started out from scratch using basic shapes to construct a macaroni-like shape that could be used to form letters to spell out the whole word. For popsicle and pug, I started out with fonts that I then translated into an outline of paths so that I could manipulate them to create my desired shapes. I played around with different shapes, layering, opacity, and gradients to create my final designs.
Drawing
Notes:
Firstly, I was unable to film my process for this video due to how long it took me to complete this drawing coupled with a lack of memory storage available. I started out this study with a painting that I had previously created for the base of this project. I took a picture of this painting and translated it into adobe illustrator as my background. I then went over each different section with the pen tool to create each different section of color. After making final adjustments for color and alignment of shapes, this was my final piece. Adobe illustrator is not as commonly associated with creating expressive drawings, but as I learned through this study, this program can be used to create works of art just like any other material can.
Emojis (OLD ARTWORK/STUDENT WORK)
Notes:
This is an old artwork that I pulled up from when I took a digital art 1 class in my 11th-grade year in high school (I was 16 years old). We were tasked with designing 6 different emojis in adobe illustrator. For this project, I mostly relied on using the pen tool and filling in shapes with blocks of color. However, I do remember not being able to easily freehand designs with the pen tool. My teacher recommended that I draw out my designs on paper and then take a photo of them to transfer into the program to use as the base layer to help me know where to guide my lines. This tip was incredibly helpful and helped me start to bridge the gap between traditional and digital art by understanding how the two can connect and be used in conjunction.
Patterns
Notes:
One interesting ability of illustrator is that you can create your own patterns. I wanted to explore this ability in this study because it is a unique and useful function when creating art. I created three different patterns, one based on creating a continuous never-ending design, one based on transforming a drawing into a pattern, and one based on constructed shapes. In all three patterns, I explored different ways of creating the pattern including taking something and then transforming it into a pattern, only creating the pattern inside the pattern formatting section, and something in between the two. I also experimented with different ways to aline the designs in the pattern formation tool and how to overlap elements. There are endless different ways to create different patterns and I could see this tool being incredibly helpful for creating texture or creating objects like wrapping paper.
3D Shapes
Notes:
This is another study that I was not able to film the progress of because of time constraints and memory storage issues. However, I included a link to a video that I used as a tutorial to guide me through making some of these complex shapes. It was very interesting to play around and create these different shapes. I found it particularly fascinating because whenever I think about illustrators I think about fairly flat designs and drawings, so I was shocked to learn that adobe illustrator can also be used to create three-dimensional shapes. I found it fun to play around with different objects by transforming planar surfaces while focusing on lighting, beveling, and perspective to create 3D objects with a unique look.
Artist Example: Loe Lee
Loe Lee is a Chinese-American contemporary artist who describes herself as an illustrator, designer, and muralist (Lee, n.d.). She uses digital drawing tools like Adobe to create playful images that showcase varying textures, color and light values, and scale. She was encouraged to draw from an early age by her father who immigrated to the US from Hong Kong. However, it was not until after she graduated from Parsons School of Design branding with a degree in design/strategy that she took up drawing again in her free time (May, 2021). Lee has since then created works for major campaigns including Coca-Cola and murals in public spaces such as New York’s Chinatown (Lee, n.d.). She describes her artistic goal as, “to tie together everyday life with a little bit of magic” (Lee, 2021, para. 4).
"The Fighter" By Loe Lee (Digital Media)
“Hope in NYC: Chinatown” (2020) By Loe Lee (Photography and Digital Media)
Book Work Gif By Loe Lee (Digital Media)
Lee, L. (2021). @BYLOELEE. Retrieved from https://www.ballpitmag.com/portfolio/byloelee
Lee, L. (n.d.). Loe Lee. Retrieved from https://www.laurenelizabethlee.com/
May, T. (2021). Loe Lee is a Chinese-American illustrator, designer, and muralist whose whimsical images tell short stories with a bit of splash of magic. Retrieved from https://www.creativeboom.com/inspiration/loe-lee/
Safety Measures:
While there is ongoing debate regarding the use of electronic software for young children, it can be used to increase access and enhance learning (NAEYC, 2012). While there are no toxic substances involved when using digital software to create art, there may be concerns regarding prolonged use of an electronic screen with regards to eye strain and eye safety. However, recent research suggests that while the blue light emitted from screens may cause sleep disturbances if used in the evening or at night (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020), there is very little evidence that even prolonged screen time increased the risk of damage to the eyes (Downie, et al., 2018; Harvard Health Publishing, 2020). That said, the prolonged use of digital devices and screens is fairly recent, and the long-term effects may not be known (Downie, et al., 2018).
The National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC] and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College. (2012). Technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/ps_technology.pdf
Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School. (2020). Blue light has a dark side. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side
Harvard Health Publishing. Harvard Medical School. (2019). Will blue light from electronic devices increase my risk of macular degeneration and blindness? Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/will-blue-light-from-electronic-devices-increase-my-risk-of-macular-degeneration-and-blindness-2019040816365
Downie, L. E., Busija, L., & Keller, P. R. (2018). Artificial, blue-light filtering lenses in the eye for protecting the macula (back of the eye) after cataract surgery. Cochrane Library. Retrieved from https://www.cochrane.org/CD011977/EYES_artificial-blue-light-filtering-lenses-eye-protecting-macula-back-eye-after-cataract-surgery
Possible Applications for Students of Different Ages:
With children's increased access to technology, there has been a correlated rise in students' interest in the digital realm as means for creating art. Increased awareness and interest in this medium mean that kids in today's climate would likely be more adaptable to working with digital art than children even ten years ago would have been. It is worthy to note that some of these programs that rely heavily on keyboard skills may not be suitable for younger children who lack the skills to successfully navigate such a space. Additionally, these mediums are constantly updated and new features are added making the software easier to use and more user-friendly. However, when discussing vector-based programs like illustrator, can be much more complex and unintuitive for beginner artists. After conducting this study, I believe that a program like adobe illustrator would work best with high school students. Certain tools such as the pen tool are not intuitive to use and take a lot of time to learn how to use. This can cause confusion and frustration for younger students who will struggle to create works of art. Additionally, this tool is most known for being able to make logos and other designs that can be used for commercial means, something that I believe most younger students would not be interested in exploring. While I do believe this material can be explored with high school students, I would not have this software be their first exposure to digital art. Rather, I would introduce them to a more initiative software such as photoshop or procreate and then transition to illustrator after students had started to get the hang of the digital format. One thing that I found extremely helpful when conducting this study was all of the various online tutorials that walk you through creating different things. I believe that these tutorials can be extremely helpful for student learning.
Comfort level going forward:
Digital Media is not my preferred choice of medium, but I do possess some fundamental skills from my previous high school introduction classes that I was able to apply here. I specifically chose illustrator because while I have a general idea of how it works, I have always struggled with working with vector-based programs. Having completed this study, I feel a lot more refreshed with the medium and significantly more confident in my skills with this material. I do still worry about possibly teaching a class with this software because I still feel like a lot of my knowledge is still surface-level and shaky. I am particularly worried that a student will accidentally click on something in the program or want to create something and ask for my help with their work and I will not know how to help them. It helps to know that there are a lot of tutorials online about creating certain effects of troubleshooting issues that I can rely on or point my students towards. However, I can't help but feel like I would be a poor teacher for not being able to help them with something that I am supposed to be very knowledgeable about. I think that only continuing to push myself to explore more in the digital realm as well as possibly taking more classes on the subject, will help me feel more prepared to working this medium.
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