Digital illustration

Arambilet: Sutil/Subtle Museum of Modern Art(MAM)Dominican Republic, 2006

A digital illustration depicting a tree in autumn, drawn using Facebook's "graffiti" app

Computer illustration or digital 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 tablet or 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 may be incorporated into such works, but they are not the primary basis or source for them.)

Pointing devices

Mice are not very precise for drawing, so a graphics tablet is often preferred. A hybrid graphics tablet/screen would be optimal, since it gives the ability to see more accurately where the strokes are laid out in the image.

Illustration software

Main article: Graphic art software

There are two main types of tools used for digital illustration: bitmapped and vector. With bitmapped tools, the content is stored digitally in fixed rows, columns, and layers, containing information about each pixel's hue, luminance, and sometimes filter settings. With vector-based tools, the content is stored digitally as resolution-independent mathematical formulae describing lines, shapes, and color gradients. Digital illustrations may include both raster and vector graphics in the same work.

Other programs - such as GraphicsMagick, ImageMagick and PhotoLine - have a more "programmatic approach" to illustration.

Online drawing

There are online drawing communities that allow people to draw include:

• drawball.com - the first collaborative canvas. main canvas is now locked.
• drawsum.com - anyone can draw on for free. collaborative. also has a facebook app.
• webcanvas.com - infinite collaborative canvas.
• Sumo Paint - drawing tool and community.
• coloring4all.com
• Groupboard - multi-user java whiteboard, chat and conferencing.
• RateMyDrawings.com - Online drawing community.
• iScribble.net - draw with your friends online in real time.
• graffitiwall - a popular Facebook application, that allows users to draw on their or others profiles.
• Slimber.com - An online drawing application. Allows users to draw online, replay and save their drawings.
• deviantART muro - a professional art tool that features dynamic brushes, layers and multi-user collaboration. When finished, users can save their work either locally or online.

See also

• Raster graphics
• Vector graphic
• Graphics software

References