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A major challenge to the
visual artist has always been one of how to transform ideas
into a work of art in a way that best conveys the intended
message. In many cases, the success of this process is directly
controlled by the medium chosen, whether it is paint, stone,
or bits and bytes. As these production processes vary, so
does a medium's ability to express the thoughts and ideas
of the artist. Artworks created in different mediums come
into being in different ways, affecting the train of thought
and the flow of ideas. The speed of creation, the physicality
of the act, and the adherence to (or avoidance of) process,
all play an important role in what the finished piece looks
like.
Speed of Creation
Central to the creative
process are the reactions an artist has to the artwork in
progress; looking at what he has done thus far, and evaluating
it next to his original intentions. While involved in the
creative process, the artist sorts through all sorts of
visual information, combining images, making color choices,
and deciding which combinations most effectively communicate
the intended message. The medium itself offers inherent
choices, which are created and acted upon at different speeds.
Mediums that reveal themselves quickly, such as drawing,
are often used in the preliminary process of creation, due
to drawing's capacity to keep up with the flow of information
in the initial creative stages. As the creative process
continues, the artist moves on more substantial mediums,
leaving paper and pencil behind. The digital medium offers
the ability to begin in rough conceptual terms, much as
you would with pen and pencil, moving things around until
a direction suggests itself. It then allows for further
refinement, indulging further image development, not to
mention the addition of sound, animation, or other forms
of information as desired. The information is completely
flexible, moving through stages of further refinement, allowing
itself to be modified, added to, and transformed while always
allowing the artist to revert to former stages, or to go
back to any point in the process and start over.
In addition to the speed of idea development, sketching
is important for conventional artists because they need
to have a decent idea where a piece is going before getting
into it too deeply.
A sculptor or painter who changes gears in midstream could
find that they have wasted a great deal of time and money,
which could have been avoided had they planned the project
in more detail. While spontaneity is still important to
their work, it must be balanced with the more pragmatic
aspects of their craft.
The digital medium provides a degree of speed and flexibility
that other mediums can't keep up with, allowing the artist
to connect with the work quickly and intuitively, without
feeling that he has to slow down and wait for the execution.
Copy, paste, save the work and work on a copy. This is a
very liberating aspect of digital art. It should make us
take risks and push the image further...after all, we can
always go back to a previous state at any point. This ability
allows the digital artist to delve deeper into the many
facets of his subject, which should result in a clearer
and more articulate work.
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