A controversial topic that still lingers in the art community and among artists today is whether digital art is “real” art. When digital art was relatively new, most of it was used in professional design, and it was only some time later that hobbyists and individual artists started incorporating digital art into their everyday lives. That’s when digital art caught some of the traditional artists’ attention. Their argument is that using a computer to draw is considered “cheating,” and that it doesn’t require any effort. Therefore, digital art is not considered real art. 

Of course, not all artists had the same opinion on the subject. Some traditional artists accepted and validated digital art, while others even thought you said, “Computer, draw me a cow,” and a cow suddenly appeared on your computer screen. Some digital artists even thought that what they did themselves wasn’t real art. And while it is true that digital art has features that make it easier to do certain things, (eg. a gradient in traditional art could take more than half an hour, while in most digital drawing software there’s a “gradient” tool) that doesn’t make it any less valuable nor does it mean it takes no effort whatsoever to finish a piece of artwork. In the end, even though it’s definitely possible to find a job in traditional art, digital art might have more career options available when looking for a job that revolves around art. 

There are also types of artists who are mainly digital but don’t want to lose their traditional skills, (and vice versa) so they use both methods and switch whenever they want to. Some art teachers and traditional artists themselves said that they don’t hate digital art, and that they just prefer the tactics and feeling of traditional art better, and that’s completely fine too. In the end, both traditional and digital methods are valid forms of art that take time, effort, and practice as well, even if in different mediums.