Digital painting

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An artist drawing on a graphics tablet in 2014 Drawing Cats on Wacom Intuos3 A5 graphics tablet - Global Game Jam Berlin 2014.jpg
An artist drawing on a graphics tablet in 2014
"Alice in Wonderland", a 2010 digital painting by David Revoy, depicting some elements and characters from the 1865 novel. Alice-in-Wonderland by-David-Revoy 2010-07-21.jpg
"Alice in Wonderland", a 2010 digital painting by David Revoy, depicting some elements and characters from the 1865 novel.

Digital painting is the creation of imagery on a computer, using pixels (picture elements) which are assigned a color. The process uses raster graphics rather than vector graphics, and can render graduated or blended colors in imagery which mimics traditional drawing and painting media.

Contents

Origins

Sketchpad

Many artists prefer using graphics tablets to create digital paintings instead of using a mouse. Wacom Pen-tablet.jpg
Many artists prefer using graphics tablets to create digital paintings instead of using a mouse.

The earliest graphical manipulation program was called Sketchpad. Created in 1963 by Ivan Sutherland, a grad student at MIT, Sketchpad allowed the user to manipulate objects on a CRT (cathode ray tube). [1] Sketchpad eventually led to the creation of the Rand Tablet for work on the GRAIL project in 1968, and the very first tablet was created. Other early tablets, or digitizers, like the ID (intelligent digitizer) and the BitPad were commercially successful and used in CAD (Computer Aided Design) programs. Modern-day graphics tablets are the tools of choice by digital painters.

Tablets

The idea of using a tablet to communicate directions to a computer has been an idea since 1968 when the RAND (Research and Development) company out of Santa Monica, developed the RAND tablet that was used to program. [2] Digitizers were popularized in the mid-1970s and early 1980s by the commercial success of the ID (Intelligent Digitizer) and BitPad manufactured by the Summagraphics Corp. These digitizers were used as the input device for many high-end CAD (Computer Aided Design) systems as well as bundled with PC's and PC-based CAD software like AutoCAD.

MacPaint

An early commercial program that allowed users to design, draw, and manipulate objects was the program MacPaint. This program's first version was introduced on January 22, 1984, on the Apple Lisa. The ability to freehand draw and create graphics with this program made it the top program of its kind during 1984. [3] The earlier versions of the program were called MacSketch and LisaSketch, and the last version of MacPaint was MacPaint 2.0 released in 1998. [4]

Much of MacPaint's universal success was attributed to the release of the first Macintosh computer equipped with another program called MacWrite. It was the first personal computer with a graphical user interface and lost much of the bulky size of its predecessor, the Lisa. The Macintosh was available at about $2500 and the combination of a smaller design made the computer a hit, exposing the average computer user to the graphical possibilities of the included MacPaint. [5]

Adobe

Another early image manipulation program was Adobe Photoshop. It was first called Display and was created in 1987 by Thomas Knoll at the University of Michigan as a monochrome picture display program. With help from his brother John, the program was turned into an image editing program called Imagepro but later changed to Photoshop. The Knolls agreed on a deal with Adobe systems and Apple, and Photoshop 1.0 was released in 1991 for Macintosh. Adobe systems had previously release Adobe Illustrator 1.0 in 1986 on the Apple Macintosh. These two programs, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator are currently two of the top programs used to produce digital paintings. Illustrator introduced the uses of Bezier curves, which allowed the user to be incredibly detailed in their vector drawings.[ citation needed ]

Kid Pix

In 1988, Craig Hickman created a paint program called Kid Pix, which made it easier for children to create digital art. The program was created in black in white and after several revisions, was released in color in 1991. Kid Pix was one of the first commercial programs to integrate color and sound in a creative format. While the Kid Pix was intentionally created for children, it became a useful tool for introducing adults to the computer as well. [6]

Corel Painter

Corel Painter was created in 1991 by Mark Zimmer and Tom Hedges of Fractal Design. [7]

Web-based painting programs

In recent years there has been a growth in the websites supporting online painting. [8] The user is still drawing digitally with the use of software: often the software is on the server of the website which is being used. However, with the emergence of HTML5, some programs now partly use the client's web browser to handle some processing. The range of tools and brushes can be more limited than free-standing software. Speed of response, quality of color, and the ability to save to a file or print are similar in either media.

List of digital art software

List of digital art software [9] [10] [11]
SoftwareDeveloperPlatformLicense
Adobe Fresco Adobe Inc. Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOSFreemium
Adobe Photoshop Adobe Inc. Windows, macOS Proprietary
Adobe Illustrator Adobe Inc.Windows, macOSProprietary
Corel Painter Corel Corporation Windows, macOSProprietary
Clip Studio Paint Celsys, Inc.Windows, macOS, iOS, Android Proprietary
Affinity Designer Serif Windows, macOSProprietary
ArtRage Ambient Design LtdWindows, macOS, iOS, Android Proprietary EULA
Autodesk SketchBook Autodesk Windows, macOS, iOS, Android Freemium
GIMP GNU Image Manipulation Program Windows, macOS, Linux Open source: GPLv3
Inkscape Inkscape DevelopersWindows, macOS, LinuxOpen source: GPLv2
Krita Krita FoundationWindows, macOS, LinuxOpen source: GPLv3
MediBang Paint MediBang Inc.Windows, macOS, iOS, AndroidProprietary
Procreate Savage Interactive iPadOS Proprietary
RebelleEscape MotionsWindows, macOSProprietary
Epic Pen Pro Epic Games WindowsProprietary
PaintTool SAI Systemax SoftwareWindowsProprietary
My Paint MyPaint ContributorsWindows, macOS, LinuxOpen source: GPLv2
Paintstorm Studio Paintstorm Studio TeamWindows, macOS, iPadOSProprietary
Terragen Planetside SoftwareWindows, macOSProprietary/freeware
YouiDraw Drawing Wondershare Web Proprietary
YouiDraw Painter WondershareWebProprietary
Autodesk Media & Entertainment Collection Autodesk WindowsProprietary
ChemDoodle iChemLabs, LLCWindows, macOS, LinuxProprietary
Flame Painter Escape MotionsWindows, macOSProprietary
Twisted Brush Pro PixarraWindows, macOSProprietary

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adobe Photoshop</span> Raster graphics editing software

Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe for Windows and macOS. It was originally created in 1987 by Thomas and John Knoll. Since then, the software has become the most used tool for professional digital art, especially in raster graphics editing. Owing to its fame, the program's name has become genericised as a verb although Adobe disapproves of such use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graphics tablet</span> Computer input device

A graphics tablet is a computer input device that enables a user to hand draw or paint images, animations and graphics, with a special pen-like stylus, similar to the way a person draws pictures with a pencil and paper by hand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sketchpad</span> 1963 computer program written by Ivan Sutherland

Sketchpad is a computer program written by Ivan Sutherland in 1963 in the course of his PhD thesis, for which he received the Turing Award in 1988, and the Kyoto Prize in 2012. It pioneered human–computer interaction (HCI), and is considered the ancestor of modern computer-aided design (CAD) programs as well as a major breakthrough in the development of computer graphics in general. For example, the graphical user interface (GUI) was derived from Sketchpad as well as modern object-oriented programming. Using the program, Ivan Sutherland showed that computer graphics could be used for both artistic and technical purposes in addition to demonstrating a novel method of human–computer interaction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldus Corporation</span> Desktop publishing software company

Aldus Corporation was an American software company best known for its pioneering desktop publishing software. PageMaker, the company's most well-known product, ushered in the modern era of desktop computers such as the Macintosh seeing widespread use in the publishing industry. Paul Brainerd, the company's co-founder, coined the term desktop publishing to describe this paradigm. The company also originated the Tag Image File Format (TIFF) file format, widely used in the digital graphics profession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital art</span> Art that is generated digitally with a computer

Digital art refers to any artistic work or practice that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process. It can also refer to computational art that uses and engages with digital media. Since the 1960s, various names have been used to describe digital art, including computer art, electronic art, multimedia art, and new media art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adobe Illustrator</span> Vector graphics editor from Adobe Inc.

Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor and design software developed and marketed by Adobe. Originally designed for the Apple Macintosh, development of Adobe Illustrator began in 1985. Along with Creative Cloud, Illustrator CC was released. The latest version, Illustrator 2024, was released on October 10, 2023, and is the 28th generation in the product line. Adobe Illustrator was reviewed as the best vector graphics editing program in 2021 by hpMagazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illustrator</span> Artist enhancing writing with images

An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicated concepts or objects that are difficult to describe textually, which is the reason illustrations are often found in children's books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corel Painter</span> Raster-based digital painting software

Corel Painter is a raster-based digital art application created to simulate as accurately as possible the appearance and behavior of traditional media associated with drawing, painting, and printmaking. It is intended to be used in real-time by professional digital artists as a functional creative tool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ArtRage</span> Bitmap graphics editor by Ambient Design Ltd.

ArtRage is a bitmap graphics editor for digital painting created by Ambient Design Ltd. It is currently in version 6, and supports Windows, macOS and mobile Apple and Android devices and is available in multiple languages. It caters to all ages and skill levels, from children to professional artists. ArtRage 5 was announced in January 2017 and released in February 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graphic arts</span> Art genre

A category of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of visual artistic expression, typically two-dimensional, i.e. produced on a flat surface. The term usually refers to the arts that rely more on line, color or tone, especially drawing and the various forms of engraving; it is sometimes understood to refer specifically to printmaking processes, such as line engraving, aquatint, drypoint, etching, mezzotint, monotype, lithography, and screen printing. Graphic art mostly includes calligraphy, photography, painting, typography, computer graphics, and bindery. It also encompasses drawn plans and layouts for interior and architectural designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital illustration</span> Use of digital tools to produce images under an artists direction

Digital illustration or computer illustration is the use of digital tools to produce images under the direct manipulation of the artist, usually through a pointing device such as a graphics tablet or, less commonly, a mouse. It is distinguished from computer-generated art, which is produced by a computer using mathematical models created by the artist. It is also distinct from digital manipulation of photographs, in that it is an original construction "from scratch". Photographic elements such as background or texture may be incorporated into such works, but they are not necessarily the primary basis.

<i>Kid Pix</i> Bitmap drawing program designed for children

Kid Pix is a bitmap drawing program designed for children. Originally created by Craig Hickman, it was first released for the Macintosh in 1989 and subsequently published in 1991 by Broderbund. Hickman was inspired to create Kid Pix after watching his son Ben struggle with MacPaint, and thus the main idea behind its development was to create a drawing program that would be very simple to use.

In computer graphics, graphics software refers to a program or collection of programs that enable a person to manipulate images or models visually on a computer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silicon Beach Software</span> Macintosh software developer

Silicon Beach Software, Inc., was an early American developer of software products for the Macintosh personal computer. It was founded in San Diego, California, in 1984 by Charlie Jackson and his wife Hallie. Jackson later co-founded FutureWave Software with Jonathan Gay. FutureWave produced the first version of what is now Adobe Flash. Although Silicon Beach Software began as a publisher of game software, it also published what was called "productivity software" at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graphic art software</span> Subclass of application software

Graphic art software is a subclass of application software used for graphic design, multimedia development, stylized image development, technical illustration, general image editing, or simply to access graphic files. Art software uses either raster or vector graphic reading and editing methods to create, edit, and view art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sketchbook (software)</span> Digital drawing and sketching app

Sketchbook is a raster graphics software app intended for expressive drawing and concept sketching also for making animations. The software was first developed by Alias Systems Corporation as StudioPaint, before being acquired by Autodesk and then being spun out into an independent company, Sketchbook, Inc. Originally developed as commercial software, it evolved into a subscription model before eventually being made freeware for personal use. In 2021, Sketchbook Pro, the desktop version of the app available on Microsoft Windows and macOS, became a paid software available through the Microsoft Store and Mac App Store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clip Studio Paint</span> Digital illustration software

Clip Studio Paint, informally known in Japan as Kurisuta (クリスタ), is a family of software applications developed by Japanese graphics software company Celsys. It is used for the digital creation of comics, general illustration, and 2D animation. The software is available in versions for macOS, Windows, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and ChromeOS.

References

  1. The Real History of the GUI (Design Principles)
  2. "Smithsonian Institution Archives". Archived from the original on 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  3. Personal Computers; Software For The Macintosh: Plenty On The Way - New York Times
  4. YouTube – Apple Lisa
  5. The Real History of the GUI (Design Principles)
  6. "Kid Pix: The Early Years". Archived from the original on 2013-12-07. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  7. Zimmer, Mark. "The Origins of Painter" (PDF). Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  8. "How to Create Digital Painting with Best 5 Ways Online". VanceAI. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  9. "15 Best Free Drawing Software for 2024".
  10. "7 Best Software for Drawing Tablets".
  11. "Best Drawing Apps and Software in 2024 (Free & Paid)".

Further reading