by Carl Hose

Created on: October 27, 2009

We're living in a time when seeing has nothing to do with believing. There was a time when we could rely on what our eyes saw. This is no longer the case. Graphics software such as Adobe Photoshop makes it possible to put people in places they have never been, show major cities in ruins, and undress celebrities. A photo is no longer hard evidence.

Graphics software also makes it possible for artists to completely render oil paintings to rival anything ever done by hand. Photographs can be turned into detailed sketches. Artists can now recreate almost any artistic medium digitally, without ever putting their hands on a pencil, sketch pad, or paint brush.

Let's first tackle the debate over whether using a computer to create art is truly artistic. The answer is an absolute yes. Anyone who has ever tried to use Photoshop to casually create a painting or a sketch knows that it isn't easy to do. It takes knowledge of the software itself as well as the artistic skill to reproduce hand art in the digital world. It's another type of art altogether, but art nonetheless. Purists despise using the computer and software to create art. Some will never do it, while others begrudgingly take advantage of the "new way of doing things."

Art isn't the tools we use to create it. Art is the creation of something from nothing. It's giving birth to our creative children. It doesn't matter if you place your oils on canvas by hand or if you use a pen and tablet to render the sketch digitally and then add digital oil paint. You're still using your artistic talents. Does it matter whether a writer uses a legal pad or a typewriter instead of a computer and Microsoft Word? The story is the same. The only difference is the ease with which the writer can edit or rewrite. It's the same for a visual artist.

Technology has affected art by opening doors to a wider range of artistic explorations. Sometimes we're able to work faster using a computer, which allows us to create more. Technology has given us the tools to work on our artistic projects whenever and wherever we want to work on them. I believe technology only benefits the artist, whether he writes, paints, draws, sculpts, or composes music. Anything that allows us to explore wider creative avenues is a positive addition to the world of art.

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