Different Types of Digital Art
Digital art may be a relatively new art form, but it’s a massive ecosystem with numerous artists creating different types of digital art crafted for different needs and various industries, as well as for the sake of creating art.
From intricate digital paintings to immersive virtual reality experiences, the world of digital art is vast and diverse.
Here’s your guide and introduction to the main types of digital art – exploring the techniques, tools, and styles that define each, get inspired to try your options.
Experiment with multiples styles to find the perfect digital art type that reflects your authentic voice!
Different Types Of Digital Art
Digital Illustration3D Art and Motion DesignGenerative ArtAI ArtAR/VR artDigital CollageDigital Fashion DesignDigital Photography
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Digital illustration involves the creation of visual artwork using digital mediums such as computers, drawing tablets, and specialized software. Artists use these tools to craft images, designs, and illustrations, often leveraging a wide range of brushes, colors, and effects to achieve their creative vision.
Digital illustration offers artists the freedom to experiment, make revisions with ease, and explore diverse styles and textures. It has become a vital medium in the world of art and design, enabling artists to express themselves in ways that were once limited to traditional media while offering unique advantages like global collaboration and eco-friendliness.
Where is Digital Illustration used?
Whether you aspire to work in entertainment, publishing, advertising, or freelance, the world of digital illustration offers a wide array of exciting career paths to explore and thrive in. Some of the common types of digital illustration jobs include:
Graphic designers who create visually appealing designs for print and digital media, like book cover design and illustration
Concept artists who visualize ideas and create storyboards for video games, films, and animation
Children’s book or comic book illustrators who bring stories to life through captivating visuals
Editorial illustrators who produce artwork for magazines, newspapers, and online publications
Character design for animation and gaming
Storyboard artists who visualize scenes for film and television
Digital painters who craft intricate digital artworks for galleries and exhibitions
See 10 Digital Artists: The Best of Digital Illustration for your inspiration.
3D art, short for three-dimensional art, is a form of artistic expression that utilizes three-dimensional space to create sculptures, objects, or digital renderings that possess depth and volume, making them appear as if they occupy physical space. It encompasses a wide range of techniques and mediums, from traditional sculpting with materials like clay, stone, or metal, to digital 3D modeling and animation using computer software.
This art form allows artists to transcend the constraints of two-dimensional surfaces, providing a tangible sense of depth, texture, and realism, and has found applications in various fields, including fine art, design, entertainment, and virtual reality.
Where is 3D art used?
3D art has made a significant impact on contemporary art in the recent years — artists now combine 3D elements with painting, sculpture, and even performance art to create innovative and boundary-pushing works.
Virtual Reality (VR) technology has enabled artists to immerse viewers in their 3D creations, offering an interactive and immersive experience. This has opened up new possibilities for storytelling and expression.
The entertainment industry, namely the gaming and film industries heavily rely on 3D art for creating realistic characters and environments. Blockbuster movies and popular video games showcase the incredible potential of this medium.
Digital fashion designers use 3D modeling to design virtual garments that defy the laws of physics and add movement to their creations to create compelling looks.
Finally, digital galleries — online platforms and virtual galleries have become spaces where 3D artists can showcase their work to a global audience, democratizing art in a digital age. For example, see the speculative 3D model of LACMA’s forthcoming building Peter Zumthor designed for the virtual exhibition CATALYST.
See 10 Digital Artists: The Best of 3D Art for your inspiration.
Generative art refers to art generated by algorithmic codes or mathematical formulas. The generative artist creates a set of images, shapes, and colors, and adds certain rules to the code regarding what can and cannot be combined and how.
The algorithm then generates the artwork based on these boundaries — therefore the final outcome is determined by the algorithm itself and the code will bring about a different art each time it’s being run.
Where is Generative Art used?
Even though generative art has been around since the 1960s, we can owe its recent popularity to generative art NFTs.
To create a generative art NFT, the artist writes a code and runs an algorithm with a certain set of rules to generate the artwork — however, this time the generative art would be created once it’s minted using a smart contract, and would be kept forever on the blockchain.
The surprise element to the generative NFTs may be its most appealing aspect for the collectors: neither the collector nor the artist knows what the final piece will look like as the algorithm generates a random, unique piece once it’s minted.
See 10 Digital Artists: The Reign of Generative Art for your inspiration.
Generative art is an umbrella term for code-based art, therefore AI-generated art is a type of generative art as it’s created using code.
Artificial intelligence art refers to art generated with the assistance of algorithms, machine learning systems, and autonomous robots. AI art generators can create artworks in styles of various periods and cultures within seconds, based on a few prompts fed to the algorithm. Furthermore, humans collaborate with AI to create incredible artworks that extend and completely revolutionize creative processes.
Where is AI art used?
We currently live in a day and age where artificial intelligence is capable of designing a magazine cover, composing a banger song, and creating art that gets sold for $432,500.
AI artists create video work, poetry, animations, and more. Digital artists establish their own unique styles and create incredible artworks using artificial intelligence and get featured in exhibitions worldwide, get recognized by the world’s most prestigious art organizations, and solidify their place in the history of contemporary art.
See 10 Digital Artists: Human meets AI to expand creativity for your inspiration.
Augmented Reality (AR) means that computer-generated images, videos, or effects are superimposed over a user's real-world view. For example, these digitally created shapes are added into the physical world via the AR filter on Instagram app. One can experience the real world enhanced, elevated, therefore “augmented” using AR.
VR stands for Virtual Reality — VR requires a headset device so the users can find be fully immersed in a completely fictional world. They don’t see any element from their actual environment while in the VR realm.
On the other hand, AR is intended to enhance the real world by adding elements of a fictional world. The AR users are not cut off from their real environments, they simply experience digitally added features within their physical world. AR is typically less expensive to develop and requires less specialized technology for both creators and users than VR.
Where is AR/VR art used?
Augmented reality adds new dimensions of shape, motion, and significance to existing works of art or physical locations. To experience augmented reality art, users often need a mobile app or a smart device that can read a QR code which directs to the artwork — the AR art manifests itself in the 3D space wherever the camera is pointed.
For example, Laura Shepherd’s beautiful flowerhead avatars elevate any room — try it yourself!
In some cases, the AR art may be programmed as a face filter. In that case the user experiences the art over their face using their front camera. For example, the playful face filters Huntrezz creates celebrates empowerment and self-realization for anyone.
Sometimes, the digital artist creates AR artwork that come to life only at predetermined locations. For instance, CADAF organizes Digital Art Month, a public festival that travels to cities and showcases AR art in designated locations — participants can find the AR art in public spaces using QR codes scattered in the central neighborhoods.
See 10 Digital Artists: Augmented Reality Art for your inspiration.
Collages are a type of art where different elements are combined into a new image with a new meaning. A digital collage involves using digital tools and digital manipulation to compose the work. From surreal dreamscapes to thought-provoking social commentaries, digital collage art showcases the artist's imagination and storytelling abilities in a visually stunning and intricate form.
While digital collage involves a similar process as traditional collage art, imagination truly becomes the only limit. The digital format allows for effortless experimentation, enabling artists to manipulate, layer, and transform images with ease. The vast pool of online resources and images further expands creative possibilities, offering an infinite array of source materials to incorporate into their works.
Where is Digital Collage used?
Digital collage art draws inspiration from various artistic disciplines, including photography, painting, and graphic design. This fusion of styles creates a unique and eclectic blend of traditional and contemporary elements, making it appealing to a diverse audience.
See 10 Digital Artists: The Art of Digital Collage for your inspiration.
Digital fashion is clothing that’s designed using computer technologies and 3D software. Virtual clothing mainly refers to clothes worn in virtual environments like online games, apps, and virtual events. Customers can style their own avatars, or place augmented reality clothing to their photos to be shared on social media.
Digital fashion industry has been on the forefront these past few years thanks to the technologies that support its growth as well as its possibility to offer an environment-friendly alternative to traditional fashion.
Where is Digital Fashion used?
In addition to online games and apps, the demand for virtual fashion artists are increasing.
Using augmented reality technology, customers can try on AR clothes to see how they will look on them before purchasing the physical garment. In the long run, the AR model is expected to reduce the need for physical stores, which would eventually mean capital and carbon efficiency for brands.
NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have completely revolutionized the scene for digital artists and digital fashion designers alike — customers can buy and sell digital fashion items as NFTs on online marketplaces on the blockchain as an investment as the value of these unique digital assets can appreciate.
NFTs and the blockchain technology also help the industry offer rentals, as the smart contract automation can return the rented virtual clothes to the owner after the customer uses them for a limited time.
See 10 Digital Artists: Digital Fashion and Style in Web3 for your inspiration.
Digital photography refers to the process of capturing images using digital cameras or other devices that record light electronically, and digital arts is defined as works of art created using digital tools. In that sense, digital photography is a form of digital art as it involves the use of digital technology to create images.
However, it's important to note that not all digital photography is necessarily considered digital art. Many photographers aim to capture and represent reality faithfully without extensive manipulation. If the images produced are realistic representations of the scenes or subjects photographed, they may not be considered digital art.
Where is Digital Photography used?
Photography as digital art is mainly used for marketing, graphic design, and documenting or reporting something creatively for brands.
Feeling inspired? Let us know what type of digital art you’re passionate about and join the conversation!
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