Digital illustration represents far more than a replication of ‘traditional’ art. Through the years, this has become an art form, capable of transcending physical limitations.
At the heart of this artistic revolution? The humble digital brush. This virtual tool is inspired by the flat and round brushes of the traditional artist’s toolbox, but provides an elite level of customization and precision.
Brushes are among the most impactful digital illustration tools, but the profound impact of technology on art remains under-recognized. This may prove one of the greatest sources of digital design innovation in the years to come, with digital art software providing exciting opportunities for artists of all kinds to bring their unique ideas to life. Keep reading to discover what makes digital illustration brushes so effective and to learn how to leverage the best tools and best apps for digital art.
The Origins of Digital Brushes
Digital art was thought to have emerged during the 1960s, with researchers A. Michael Noll and E.E. Zajac, who were often credited with kicking off this intersection of technology and creative expression. Although, many others are also recognized for their contributions to digital art.
This revolution began at Bell Telephone Laboratories with what, at first glance, seemed like a humorous mistake. Noll explains that his colleague “experienced a programming error that produced a graphic mess on the plotter, which he comically called ‘computer art.'” Inspired, Noll decided to “create art deliberately, drawing on my past training in drawing and interest in abstract painting.”
These early works would now be classified as programmed computer art, but it revealed something important: digital tools could be used to create intriguing pieces distinct from what would be possible or expected with traditional artistic tools and materials. This also kicked off the digital art vs. traditional art divide, with these categories appearing to contrast one another but impacting each other in unexpected and often profound ways.
Early Digital Design Tools
Noll’s contributions were important, but also limited in scope. Early takes on digital art were far less precise, as there were few accurate avenues for channeling expression. This quickly changed, however, as passionate engineers began to develop more practical art tools.
Engineer Ivan Sutherland deserves credit for creating what is largely regarded as the very first digital art tool. Known as Sketchpad, his revolutionary graphic user interface allowed users to draw in real-time using light pens. More importantly, as the National Inventors Hall of Fame points out, this revolutionary approach meant that artists could “manipulate, duplicate, store, and recall drawings for future use.”
Many additional tools followed, including software that facilitated basic graphical rendering. Personal computers accelerated this movement, enabling pixel-based images known as raster graphics.
MacPaint represented another major moment in the history of digital painting, offering an intuitive interface while also making it possible to create raster graphics with the use of a computer mouse. This introduced basic tools, including some of the earliest digital painting brushes.
This was followed by the influential Adobe Photoshop, which, although originally meant for image manipulation, quickly became a top digital painting tool. Introducing layers and cutting-edge brushes, Photoshop has since continued to drive innovation in the digital art space, earning praise, in part, for the myriad of Photoshop brushes for artists.
Inspiration From Traditional Art
While digital tools and technologies expand the reach of visual art, this corner of the artistic world is unique in that it continues to draw inspiration from numerous sources.
Traditional tools, for example, bring a uniquely warm and personable quality to artwork, something digital artists are consistently trying to capture through increasingly sensitive and responsive tools. Pressure sensitivity and complex blending go a long way toward helping digital tools achieve the nuances of their traditional counterparts.
Key Milestones in the Evolution of Digital Brushes
Many digital art technology advancements have paved the path for the remarkably sensitive digital brushes that artists use today. The earliest digital artists accomplished great things with surprisingly rigid tools, but they were limited by a general lack of subtlety and responsiveness. A few basic elements have driven this evolution, which continues to accelerate as new technological opportunities become available.
Advancements in Software
Pressure sensitivity represented one of the most significant leaps forward in digital brush design. Corel Painter and Photoshop led the charge, making it possible for digital brushes to react to the specific amount of pressure applied by the artist. At the time, these solutions revealed the power of digital brush dynamics, with factors such as opacity, flow and angle, allowing artists to unleash everything from delicate sketches to bold, expressive strokes.
Tilt sensitivity helped artists reflect how tangible brushes behave when held at various angles, leading to either finer lines or broader strokes. Brush stabilizers introduced an element of efficiency, speeding up line work while still ensuring that these expedited strokes appeared organic.
Hardware Revolution
Software often receives the bulk of the credit for elevating digital painting, but software would not reach its full impact without hardware advancements. Wacom was an early leader, introducing the world’s first pen tablet complete with a cordless stylus input. This limited physical restrictions, providing what, to digital artists of the time, felt a lot like a traditionally tactile drawing experience.
As additional tablets and stylus pens were released, increasingly high-resolution displays offered greater clarity and precision. Pixel density increased dramatically, allowing for impressive fidelity and an amazing level of detail. Graphics processing units (GPUs) further enhanced the process of creating art digitally, delivering the lightning-speed processing needed to support complex brush dynamics.
Real-Time Feedback and AI Integration
Artificial intelligence has a powerful role to play in the ongoing evolution of digital art and has already made a huge difference in what artists can accomplish using digital tools. AI-assisted design tools, for example, can streamline repetitive tasks while assisting with everything from color selection to layout concerns. Some artists are also willing to use AI-based image enhancement to fix imperfections or otherwise elevate the quality of their work.
While some artists have expressed concern over the proliferation of generative AI, there are many exciting ways for AI to influence creative projects, and not all use of AI in art qualifies as generative. As BBC’s Claudia Baxter explains, AI could help “kick start an artistic metamorphosis and move us towards totally different ways of seeing and creating.”
Comparing Digital Brushes to Musical Instruments
It can be difficult to convey the nuances of digital brushes or to understand just how far these tools have come, but a unique analogy helps. Digital brushes hold much in common with musical instruments. Both are far more versatile than many people realize and both demonstrate all that can be accomplished when integrating artistic visions with technological advancements.
Both brushes and instruments also enable a range of expression, shaped by the tool or instrument but then further influenced by the skill and creativity of the musician or artist.
The Evolution of Tools in Creative Expression
Digital tools and musical instruments have both evolved considerably through the years, with instruments, like brushes, increasingly integrating technological elements to expand creative possibilities. Like early digital brushes, the first musical instruments were simple, delivering limited capabilities and a general lack of flexibility. Both types of tools have undergone significant improvements through the years, with innovative individuals developing groundbreaking technologies to enhance performance and artistic expression.
Innovation and Individual Style
As new instruments became available, creative possibilities became abundant, offering the chance to create a wider range of sounds or visual effects. Customization has advanced consistently, with electronic tools enabling musicians to shape pre-recorded sounds to their needs, much like digital artists choosing advanced brushes to bring their ideas to life.
The Impact of Digital Brushes on Artistic Techniques
These days, digital brushes are as expressive as the tangible tools that preceded them. In addition to capturing the best of traditional tools, these technologically advanced brushes also offer exciting new possibilities for manipulation and experimentation.
Expanding the Creative Toolkit
Artists may choose to utilize a few select tools, but a broader creative toolkit is always valuable simply because it expands opportunities for expression. Such is the case with the current selection of digital brushes, which helps artists play with a wide range of textures and effects. This breadth encourages experimentation, which is key to unlocking artistic innovations.
Enhancing Precision and Efficiency
Today’s digital brushes accomplish what once seemed impossible, as they are simultaneously precise and efficient. These have always managed to avoid time-consuming processes such as mixing paint, but key efficiencies have improved dramatically in recent years, with undo functions and non-destructive editing that streamlines creative processes so that artists feel free to experiment. This can be especially important in demanding professional environments, ensuring that artists meet strict deadlines without compromising their form or creative ideals.
Blurring the Lines Between Mediums
At this point, there is no need to debate the virtues of digital art vs. traditional art, as both bring essential advantages to the table, and both are increasingly linked. Mixed media projects, in particular, tend to incorporate elements of both digital and traditional art, allowing artists to merge virtual and real-world elements to create truly dynamic pieces. Meanwhile, digital opportunities provide access to a wider and more engaged audience and may even democratize the experience of viewing or creating art.
Challenges and Opportunities
While there is much to appreciate about today’s digital art techniques, these advancements are accompanied by a few significant challenges. These must be addressed to ensure that aspiring digital artists can make the most of today’s exciting opportunities. Thankfully, many valuable resources are available, along with a close-knit community of creatives eager to share ideas and support one another.
Overcoming the Learning Curve
All types of artistic tools and materials call for targeted instruction and plenty of practice time, but this learning curve can be even steeper when digital tools are involved. After all, digital tools involve an element of abstraction that can initially feel disorienting.
In addition to learning about traditional artistic concepts such as shape, line and form, artists must gain familiarity with the nuanced mechanics of digital brushes and other tools, which may feel less intuitive than their tangible counterparts. Some aspiring artists may also struggle to navigate the software, with various settings and shortcuts prompting greater navigation difficulties.
Ethical Considerations
Beyond the advent of AI, there are many ethical concerns related to the use of digital brushes and other tech-driven tools. Originality and authorship are key points of concern, making it difficult to determine distinctions between creative and machine input. Unfortunately, digital opportunities allow some individuals to replicate or manipulate existing art, leading to major intellectual property issues.
Future Trends in Digital Brush Technology
No discussion of the future of digital brushes would be complete without exploring the profound impact of AI. Machine learning could drive powerful advancements that help digital brushes achieve the nuances of drawing or painting on different surfaces. Customization opportunities are expected to expand, leading to the introduction of additional brushes and even bespoke brush opportunities. The digital brushes of tomorrow could even contribute to immersive art, especially as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) take over.
Spotlight on Artists Using Digital Brushes
With digital brushes, like any artistic tool, knowing what’s available is not always as impactful as seeing what others have accomplished. Such is the case with digital brushes, which may seem limited in scope to the uninitiated but become a lot more impressive upon seeing just the powerful works that have been created using these digital tools in lieu of traditional brushes. Both digital pioneers and contemporary digital artists have much to teach the artists of tomorrow.
Pioneers in Digital Illustration
While early digital artists lacked access to the refined tools and software available today, they still managed to accomplish great things using the technology of the time. Several are still alive and have continued to evolve alongside the digital tools that they’ve supported from the get-go.
- David Hockney. Widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, David Hockney has experimented with several types of media, including digital and traditional, throughout his inspiring career. While he is arguably best known for his 1960s contributions to the British Pop Art movement, he later made his mark by embracing digital tools, depicting the arrival of spring on his iPad, as an example. Hockney prefers a simple approach to digital brushes and has worked closely with assistant Jonathan Wilkinson to enhance the tangible elements of digital illustration.
- Kyle T. Webster. Striving to replicate the look and feel of traditional media while making the most of digital tools, illustrator Kyle T. Webster favors a Wacom Cintiq tablet, which he treats much like a real-world canvas. His curated KyleBrush digital art tools have brought powerful artistic opportunities to countless Adobe Photoshop users, although Webster has more recently made the leap to Procreate. However, his priority remains the same: above all else, he is committed to “creat[ing] an interesting stamp.”
- Susan Kare. Sometimes referred to as the “woman who gave the Macintosh a smile,” Susan Kare created many recognizable icons while working as a graphic designer for Apple during the 1980s. As an American Institute of Graphic Art (AIGA) medalist, she is celebrated for maintaining a “whimsical charm and an independent streak,” along with a “simplicity-driven philosophy.”
- Bert Monroy. As one of the earliest Photoshop authorities, Bert Monroy has brought intricate details to his digital works in hopes of encouraging people to “stop and look.” In his guide Photoshop Studio with Bert Monroy, he explains that customized brush presets have proven “very useful, by saving time and by creating the realistic effects that I was looking for.”
Contemporary Digital Artists
Since the early days of Photoshop, the digital art scene has expanded dramatically, welcoming a diverse array of creatives who leverage digital tools to create thought-provoking pieces.
- Loish. Dutch artist Lois van Baarle (better known as Loish) frequently switches brush shapes but prefers to handle all digital paintings using a single layer. Loish appreciates the intuitive nature of Procreate and the Apple Pencil but highlights MaxPacks Gouache and RazumInc Pro II as favorite Procreate brushes.
- Sara Tepes. Making a strong impression with ethereal pieces that seamlessly blend the best of fantasy with elements from the real world, Sara Tepes reveals the value of focusing on advanced artistic techniques rather than constantly switching between multiple digital brushes. Vibrant colors and nuanced brushstrokes give Tepes’ work fairytale vibes, but these pieces still feel grounded.
- Magdiel Lopez. Offering a fascinating look at the complex intersection of technology and artistry, Magdiel Lopez draws inspiration from a colorful childhood in Cuba. As an artist, Lopez first made a splash with the attention-grabbing “Poster a Day” project. Today, Lopez finds inspiration from helping others through art, explaining that “beauty is a language that unifies people.”
- Yukai Du. Hailing from China but now based in London, Yukai Du brings a whimsical approach to digital art, drawing inspiration from poetry, dreams and even “nonsense thoughts.” Du’s work leverages bold graphics to great effect, using striking color combinations while blending the best of 2D and 3D design concepts.
Discover the Hidden Potential of Digital Art Techniques
The digital art landscape is quickly changing, with exciting new opportunities for creative expression always emerging. However, creating a strong artistic foundation remains crucial, and this can be developed while pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Illustrative Design with Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD). Reach out today to learn more about this immersive program, which is available online and on campus.
