Is Digital Painting Real Art? Thoughts From An Oil Painter.

Graphic title slide showing a hand holding a stylus and a painting in vibrant colors of a portrait of a woman. Text reads Is Digital Art Real Art?

Digital painting – is real art or not? I’ve struggled with this question ever since I picked up a tablet and started painting digitally. Through the years, I’ve created art by making real, tangible pieces with paint on canvas that I can hold in my hands. Real art could only be made with real art supplies – not pixels, right?

After having done both traditional and digital painting, I think the answer is that as far as talent and creating a work of art in today’s world, digital painting is “real” art. If you are only measuring digital art based on it taking on a form that is handcrafted with a variety of materials, then no, it doesn’t qualify as “real” art. But is that second sentence true or is it just a perception? To find out, I’ll explore the definition of fine art, the biases in art, art-shaming and

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Can I Make A Digital Painting Look Traditional On The iPad?

Ever since I picked up an iPad and started painting, my number one goal was to make my digital painting look like a traditional oil painting. I wasn’t convinced it was possible and, of course, I can still tell the difference. However, a lot of people that view my work can’t tell the difference between my digital and traditional paintings.

make digital traditional title

Yes, it is possible to make a digital painting look like a traditional oil painting. Use the same process that traditional painters and a program that gives a natural application of paint. This will give you a good result. Throughout the rest of this article, I will show you a practice painting I did using

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10 Tips For Painting A Dog Portrait Featuring A Japanese Chin

dog painting pin top 10

dog painting pin close up

dog painting pin 4 up

In today’s tutorial, I will go over 10 tips for painting a dog portrait. The images in this post came from screencasts of a painting I started on the iPad with ArtRage and then finished on the desktop with ArtRage 6. I use the same approach to digital painting as traditional painting, so whether you paint on a canvas or a tablet, the steps below will apply.

Title graphic 10 tips

If you’d like to watch the speed painting I created from the screencasts, click the

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6 Tips On How To Paint A Tomato

Have you ever wondered how to paint a tomato? Maybe not, but there is a lot you can learn by painting this simple, delicious subject. In this tutorial, you’ll learn 6 tips for painting this tomato’s portrait.

How to paint a tomato title card

If you are new to painting, it’s always good to start out with a simple subject. But as I show you how to paint a tomato, you may realize

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How To Paint A Cat On The iPad Pro – Digital Painting Tutorial

Tippy Cat Art Tutorial Pin 1 Tippy Cat Art Tutorial Pin 2 Tippy Cat Art Tutorial Pin 3

Learn how to paint a cat following along with this painting tutorial on the iPad Pro. Whether you are a traditional or digital artist, this approach will help you develop your skills and get results. As with any tool in the artist’s toolbox, it takes practice and patience to achieve a quality piece of fine art. Artists are visual learners and seeing the process step-by-step can help you understand how to create portraits of your own.

Learn how to paint a cat digital painting tutorial

This portrait features a very special cat named Tippy. He was a feral cat (thus the tipped ear) who decided he liked humans and living indoors. I met him at a local pet store where the lovely women of Diva Cat Rescue had him up for adoption. He was such a handsome boy I had to paint his portrait to help get him and the organization

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How I Paint On The iPad – A Step-By-Step Portrait in ArtRage

Today I will show you how I paint on the iPad, creating a step-by-step portrait in ArtRage. This program is an inexpensive drawing and painting app for the iPad that allows you to create realistic oil paintings that feels intuitive and natural. Plus, it’s a blast to play with.

Paint on the iPad step-by-step portrait in ArtRage

The final painting was inspired by a photo I found on the Sktchy app. Sktchy is a great resource for artists looking for

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The Final Portrait Challenge Paintings

The portrait challenge paintings are finished! Some of the paintings I love and a couple I don’t like at all. One was a huge experiment with a new medium that became a bit of a nightmare. Overall, I think the challenge was a success and I learned a lot, which was the whole point for me.

portrait challenge paintings - Final 10

Sktchy #30faces30days challenge – Final 10

If you missed my first two posts about the #30faces30days challenge, you can find the first one here and the second one here.

The days will be out-of-order as I split the last twenty paintings into

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The #30Faces30Days Challenge – Drawings & Oil Pastels

Welcome to the second installment of the Sktchy App #30faces30days challenge – the drawing & oil pastels edition! I wanted to try a variety of techniques during the challenge, which I realized later made the challenge more challenging.  Live and learn. If you missed the last post featuring some of the first paintings, you can find that here. The days will be out of sequence because I wanted to keep all of the drawings in this post.

30 Faces 30 Days Drawings Collage

Day 2 – AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

The inspiration image for day two was very appropriate as I began to realize how time intensive this challenge was going to be. I felt like I was already behind with the first day image since I had intended it to be a drawing but

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30 Faces 30 Days Portrait Painting Challenge

I have no idea why I signed up for the Sktchy #30faces30days portrait painting challenge. Well, I sort of know. I had been working on a formal portrait and felt like I was painting too “tight”. The best way for me to loosen up is to paint fast – really fast. The only problem is that I’m a super slowpoke painter.

Portrait Painting Challenge Collage

9 of the paintings from the 30 faces 30 days portrait painting challenge.

I’ve completed fourteen of the thirty faces in the painting challenge so far. For this article I’ll only be reviewing nine of the paintings. I’ll review other works in future posts. You can find the original photos at the bottom of this post.

Day 1 Of The Portrait Painting Challenge

The first day was definitely a challenge for me. I’ve never painted a partially shaved head before or a Mohawk. After I signed up for the Sktchy painting challenge, the deal was that they’d send a photo every morning to paint. When I opened the email for this one I

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