Had a weird chat at a gallery opening. This person thinks digital art is cheating because of layers and edits. Agree or disagree?

4 comments

4 Comments

Yeah I read an interview with a concept artist once that stuck with me. They said calling digital art cheating is like saying a painter cheats by having more than one brush. The undo button or layers just change the process, they don't do the work for you. It lowers the cost to start, which is awesome, but you still need to learn color, shape, all the real fundamentals. A bad drawing is still bad even with all the tools.

theamartinez3mo ago

@caleb27 that analogy is pretty spot on for most parts, but I've always felt the undo button is a bit different from just having more brushes. It lets you try risky moves without any real cost, which can change how you learn. Traditional artists have to live with their mistakes and find ways to fix them, building problem-solving skills. Digital artists might rely on undo too much and skip that growth. Still, the core skills like color and shape are what matter in the end. Tools just shape the journey, not the destination.

ross.tara3mo ago

Reminds me of a pottery class I took where the teacher banned trimming tools for a week. We had to fix every wobble and thick spot by hand on the wheel. It was frustrating but you learn a different kind of control. The undo button is kind of like having those trimming tools from day one, you can clean up anything fast. Both ways teach you something, just different lessons.

robert_cooper3mo ago

Guess fancy brushes can't fix a bad painting either.