Digital illustration is the technique of using a computer to produce original art. Digital illustrators use a combination of illustration software and image editing software to create computer art. Digital illustration is not just image manipulation with software; it is the very creation of a new art with digital tools.
There is usually some degree of pressure sensitivity with graphics tablets, giving users more flexibility in how they draw.
An artist may use a graphics tablet or mouse to create digital art. A graphics tablet is an input device that plugs into your computer and has a graphics tablet, or pad, with a pen attached. The artist uses the pen to draw on the tablet. The resulting image is saved to the computer, where it can be enhanced and refined. Some artists use a mouse for digital illustration, but many find that they can control images better with a pen than with a mouse. Graphics tablets also typically have some degree of pressure sensitivity, giving artists more flexibility in how they draw.
Graphics tablets can allow users to mimic drawing with a pen, for example by creating thick lines by pressing down on the pen.
The software used for digital illustration can be vector-based or raster-based. Vector-based software draws paths: shapes and lines based on mathematical principles. The paths you draw are fully scalable. Making them larger or smaller does not affect or “blur” them like raster or bitmap software does. Raster-based, or bitmap, software creates images from pixels, which are small rectangles that make up an image on a screen. Since each pixel can contain bits from different parts of an image, the image gets blurrier as it grows larger, so there is a limit to how much a raster-based image can be scaled. Drawing software is generally vector-based, while image-editing software is raster-based.
Someone who wants to become a digital illustrator usually needs to be very familiar with vector and raster based software. There aren’t many vector-based software packages out there; Adobe® Illustrator® is by far the most widely used by professionals. There are many raster-based applications, but many illustrators prefer Adobe® Photoshop®. A digital illustrator may or may not have a background in traditional art, but will usually have a background in design.
Digital illustration is used in almost all areas of graphic design and illustration. It is widely used in web design and software design, as well as in the creation of posters, t-shirts, computer animations, and advertisements. Digital illustration is often combined with traditional illustration, especially in books and comics, to produce a truly unique artistic style.
