Digital art, artistic work or practice made with digital technology, has grown in prominence in modern days. Compared to traditional methods of art, digital NFT art offers many possibilities of interpretations and styles to explore the creativity as well as imagination of an artist.
As of 2021, digital media has generated revenues of US$85.6 billion in the U.S. market according to the site Statista. A majority of the content we consume in the digital media market is made by talented digital artists from around the world. In this article, we explore the various digital artists, what they do and how to become one.
Who is a digital artist?
A digital artist is someone who works with computer software to create artistic works such as illustrations, concept art, animation, sculptures, book covers and more.
What does a digital artist do?
They use computer software such as Adobe Photoshop, GIMP or Procreate to create various types of digital art.
A digital artist also uses various hardware tools such as pen tablets like the Wacom or computer tablets like the iPad Pro to create their digital art. Oftentimes, they will work with a client to create a piece of digital art based on their commissions.
Digital artists often work in various media industries such as film, television, advertising and video games to create illustrations, visual effects or animation.
Various digital artists these days are exploring the generative arts as well as going stronger on NFT digital arts.
How to become a digital artist?
There are various types of digital arts. Firstly, you would need to determine what your interests are when it comes to digital art. Once you have determined the artistic style you want to pursue, you will need to familiarize yourself with an appropriate computer program along with the hardware in order to learn the basics about them.
If you have already learned the basics along with the computer program of your choice, it is recommended that you be consistent. Know that you will be spending a lot of time practicing.
These are some of the software programs that you can use to start your exploration of digital art.
Best software for digital artist
Adobe Photoshop is used by a large number of digital artists as their primary tool. It has brushes, a powerful management layer and supports a variety of devices and tablets.
In terms of free alternatives, GIMP is one of the best. However, it lacks a lot of features that are often used for convenience and variety.
To create digital art swiftly and easily on an iPad Pro, Procreate is the program for you. Note that Procreate also works on PC. Procreate is low-cost and you can work with giant canvases as well as a lot of layers without the need for a bulky computer and pen tablet if you so choose.
ArtRage is an alternative to Procreate, however, it does not support cross-platform, meaning you will not be able to use this program on PC. ArtRage supports many artistic styles including watercolor paintings and you can even use it on a Samsung S Pen and Android.
Krita is a free and open-source program that makes it stand out from other PC programs that support Windows, Linux and macOS. Krita features a variety of layers, brushes and is loaded with other features.
How much does a digital artist make?
Digital artist can find themselves working on comics, book covers, marketing materials and more. Digital art is scalable, editable and has a high demand for use everywhere. Hence it very much depends on the quality of art and the type of client. In a world that’s enriched with people who have an eye for creativity, it’s never hard to seel digital art at significantly profitable prices!
According to the site Glassdoor, a digital artist makes an estimate of £23,030 per year in the UK. While in the US, the average salary of a digital artist is $67,688.
Famous digital artists
Below are a few examples of famous digital artists to reference and perhaps give you some inspiration.
Alayna Danner
Formerly known as Alayna Lemmer, Alayna Danner is a freelance illustrator and concept artist based in Seattle, Washington. She works mainly on video games, board games and CCGs (Collectable Card Games).
You may have seen some of her work in Magic: The Gathering cards, Dungeons & Dragons books, book covers, board games, card games, magazine covers and interior illustrations.
Mandy Jurgens
Mandy Jurgens is a digital artist who specializes in portraits and character renditions using Adobe Photoshop and Procreate. Her art focuses on reflecting the sunlight in her paintings and mixing around her favourite colours and tone such as yellows and purples.
Ricardo Ow
Based in Vancouver, Canada, Ricardo Ow began his career as a 3D artist and is now focusing on illustration. He has worked on various AAA video games, mobile games, concept art, illustrations for tabletop games and T-shirt designs.
Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell is an artist who has worked on various projects such as Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Peter Rabbit and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2. He specializes in 3D and traditional art and is now a freelance concept artist.
Sara Ludy
Sara Ludy’s art is done in the form of video, digital paintings, websites, animations and audio-visual experiences. She has recently begun to explore digital artistry in the world of virtual reality.
Aistė Stancikaitė
Based in Berlin, Germany, Aistė Stancikaitė combines pencil drawings and digital art to transform her drawings into animations or add a little sparkle of intrigue into her still images.
Nik Ainley
Nik Ainley is a digital illustrator from the UK who has worked with big-name clients such as Starbucks, National Geographic and Nike. He produces his images in both 2D and 3D software and enjoys combining the two to achieve various effects.
Alberto Seveso
Alberto Seveso was born in Milan, raised in Sardinia and is currently based in Bristol, UK. His work has been featured on various magazines, blogs and books like: Huffington Post, GQ Magazine, Photoshop Creative and many more.
Erik Johansson
Erik Johansson is a photographer and visual artist from Sweden based in Prague, Czech Republic. He uses computer-generated imagery to blend a combination of photos he has taken himself to create pictures otherwise impossible to capture with a camera.
Tom Cross
A freelance artist in the UK, Tom Cross was an airbrush artist for a major Formula 1 team and is now pursuing his passion for creating and designing characters with digital art. Tom’s artwork features character designs of creatures and environments typically found in fantasy and nature.
Finnian MacManus
Finnian MacManus has worked on many top films such as The Lion King(2019 film), Star Wars: Rogue One, Transformers: The Last Knight and many more as a concept artist. He is a Creative Director and Concept artist that works on films, AAA Games and TV.
Dang My Linh
Based in the USA, Dang My Linh is a Vietnamese concept artist that works on character portraits and landscape design.
Małgorzata Kmieć
Małgorzata Kmieć is a freelance artist based in Berlin that specialises in character portraits with a unique and colorful style.
Lim Chuan Shin
Lim Chuan Shin is a successful freelance illustrator and concept artist from Malaysia. Lim regularly creates fantasy and science fiction book covers as well as concept artwork for game companies.
Dan Volbert
A concept designer, Dan Volbert has worked in the Feature Film, Feature Animation, Television and Advertising industry for the past 17 years. Dan is currently the lead artist at Cooperativa Creativa.
Jeszika Le Vye
Jeszika Le Vye is one of the founders and owners of Boneshaker Press where she co-manages Encounters with the Imaginary. Jeszika’s digital artwork explores the themes of psychology and philosophy.
David Villegas
David Villegas, also known by his alias Deiv Calviz, is a concept artist and illustrator based in the Philippines. David’s artwork is centered around hyper-realism and stylistic illustrations. He has contributed to projects such as The Last of Us, Sims 4, Uncharted 4 and League of Legends.
Digital artists on Instagram
Sean Charmatz
Sean Charmatz is an animator, writer, artist and storyboard director. He has many years on the television show Spongebob Squarepants and has also worked with companies like Disney and Dreamworks.
Rachel Walpole
Rachel Walpole is a concept artist and professional illustrator. You can find her works such as concept art, illustrations, sketches and animated storyboards on her website and instagram.
Stephen Mcmennamy
Born in Atlanta, GA USA, Stephen Mcmennamy is an artist that likes to blend, warp and manipulate reality by combining images or objects to create an entirely new piece of art. He is currently a Creative Director and Digital Creator.
Jason Naylor
As an artist , designer and author, Jason Naylor’s artwork focuses on both the traditional and digital artform. Jason focuses on spreading creativity, positivity and kindness.
Irina French
Irina French is a freelance digital artist and illustrator based in the UK. She mainly focuses on character illustrations and has had her art featured in a number of ImagineFX magazine articles.
David McLeod
Australian native, David McLeod is a CGI (computer-generated imagery) specialized digital artist. He creates still and moving images driven by curiosity and has worked with various clients such as Apple, Nike, Adobe, Calvin Klein and many more.
Alyn Spiller
Alyn Spiller is a freelance concept artist and illustrator that has been in the digital art industry for many years. Alyn specializes in environmental artwork and has worked for clients such as Cryptozoic Entertainment and Fantasy Flight Games.
Heraldo Ortega
Born in Chile, Heraldo Ortega is a graphic designer and illustrator. Heraldo creates his art using traditional media but now uses computer programs such as Photoshop and Procreate to bring his creations into life.
Also read: 10 generative art collections and the artists behind them
Conclusion
As the technology advances, so does our ability to advance in new methods to express our creativity and create wondrous works of art. Various forms of digital media are consumed everyday and the works of these respected artists are appreciated immensely. Hopefully, this article will inspire and help aspiring on the path to create visual masterpieces for more of us to enjoy.
This article is part of our comprehensive write up on Digital Art.
