ABOUT THE DIGITAL PROCESS

• What is a digital painting
• What kinds of digital paintings do I produce for purchase at this web site?
• What is the value of a Digital Painting
• Digital versus "traditional" art, Pros and Cons

What is a Digital Painting:

Digital Art are works that have been created wholly or in part through the use of computer hardware and related software. Digital art can also consist of  traditional works of art that have been scanned (or copied) into a computer where additional processing and/or enhancements can be performed. In both cases the source, or viewable "hardcopy" is usually reproduced through a number of traditional output processes such as photography (prints),  large format ink jet plotters (posters), small ink jet printers (prints), as well as photo offset lithography (posters, prints, brochures, etc..).

It's been my experience that the digital medium shares a number of characteristics with photography. For the photograph, for example, the "source' is the negative. Within the digital realm the "source" is the graphic file residing within the computer or in within a storage medium like a hard drive or CDR. As with photography, one can sell reproductions (or copies) of the source image as either limited or unlimited edition runs. More importantly, one can also sell the source (the graphic file) itself.

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What kind of digital paintings do I produce for purchase at this web site?

I currently produc e three variations of the digital painting format:

1. Limited edition Digital Paintings: Most of these works are produced entirely from within the medium of the computer via various professional 2D & 3D software packages and a WACOM sketch pad. Each digital reproduction has been prepared for large format printing.
   
2. Digitally reproduced acrylic, alkyd, and oil paintings culled from more than two decades of art. Each digital reproduction originated from an original painting that had been scanned into the computer with a high resolution scanner and then prepared for large format printing.
   
3. Digitally enhanced art work, parts of which originated from acrylic, alkyd, and oil paintings culled from more than two decades of art. Aspects from each digital reproduction came from original paintings that were scanned into a computer with a high resolution scanner. Other aspects were produced from professional 2D & 3D software packages and a WACOM sketch pad. Each work was prepared for large format printing. 

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What is the value of a Digital Painting:

There is currently a lot of controversy over the value of digital art. Currently, most art galleries shy away from buying and selling digital. The medium has not yet established a reliable track record. They don't know what to buy pieces for, nor  what to sell them for as well. I suspect there is considerable concern that, like a virus gone rampant, unethical duplication of the graphic source file could easily dilute the value of individual pieces of digital art. In my view, it probably hasn't settled in that these fears, while certainly legitimate, are really  not much different than the buying and selling of photography. After all, rampant and unethical duplication of photographs from the negative is just as much an issue. Art galleries that specialize in the buying and selling of  photographs seem to have survived and flourished. In my opinion, the same will eventually occur within the digital medium as well. As with photography, copyrights will be enforced and rules will be adhered to.

I recently attended seminar at a Science Fiction Convention where we discussed the value of Digital Art. We asked some experts on what the market was currently willing to bare for "digital" art. At the high-end and mid-end range: NOT MUCH! One the other hand, there is a flourishing market for "economical" digital art selling somewhere within the $10-$30 dollar range.

Digital artwork is a sign of the 21^st century. Their value will be recognized in due course. The ability to reproduce digital art (in hard-copy format) continues to improve in both quality and cost effectiveness. For example, currently, my digital art work can be photographically reproduced for approximately $12.00 at sizes up to 12” x 18” at typical 1-hour photo shops that possess the new digital processing equipment. The color saturation and values are absolutely superb! Likewise, the same digital artwork can be reproduced on large format high quality ink jet printers located at specialty studios for approximately $60 - $100 depending on size and whether you wish to protect the front and back with a laminate coating. Reproductions from large format ink jet printers can be tricky however. I've noticed that certain colors and values have a tendency to look washed out, especially when compared to the same digital reproduction processed through digital photography.

Prices continue to drop steadily. Related hardware continues to improve as well. We are currently paying somewhat of a premium for digitally processed reproductions such as digital photographs because much of the equipment is brand new and expensive! Stores and service bureaus that recently purchased the equipment are still in the process of getting their investment back by charging a premium for prints directly created from digital files. Time, however, marches on. Once this brand new digital equipment becomes more "amortized" prices will drop.

What is being sold is also going through a major paradigm shift with the introduction of digital art. Traditionally customers purchase a piece of art work by buying something physical, a painting, print, poster or photograph. Digital Art, on the other hand, can just as easily be bought and sold within the medium, like a CD. There are strong reasons for doing so. It cuts down on overhead for both the buyer and seller. A graphic file residing on a CD is significantly easier to transport as compared to lugging around a huge 30"x40" oil painting! CDs can take up less inventory space in a gallery as well! The customer, presumably once he has purchased the graphic file, is then free to chose which medium he wishes to reproduce his digital art with. He has many choices, i.e. photography, large format ink jet printing, etc... Purchasing just the graphic file tends to cost less for the customer than it would be for the seller to reproduce and sell at his end. A seller would have to charge more because more of his capitol would be unavoidably tied up in inventory.

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Digital versus "traditional" Art, Pros and Cons.

PROS

The source is virtually indestructible. Should the physical hardcopy fade or become damaged over time a brand new reproduction can be generated from the source file. The source is potentially even more indestructible than film or negatives - which can fade as well over time. Digital files can NEVER fade in the same manner. The files are nothing more than strings of "0" and "1", "zeros" and "ones". As long as the file is kept in a safe place those "ones" and "zeros" can never fade, crack, blister, or change into another unrecognizable character! If you have a good ink jet printer the cost of reproducing the art is just pennies. Overhead expenses can be reduced dramatically when only the digital medium source file is being bought and sold. Generating printed hardcopies for sale adds overhead costs that must be passed on to the consumer as this money is temporarily tied up in inventory and storage.

CONS

No current established re-sale value for high and mid-range works of digital art. If one purchases the source file only he or she is at the mercy of the equipment one has at-hand to reproduce the digital art. If one has an excellent and/or professional ink jet printer or access to a top notch graphics service bureau the reproductions can be superb. However, if one chooses to have the art reproduced at a high-quality graphics service bureau one is at the mercy of what they might charge.

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