Watch Me Paint a Digital Portrait of Tally

I got into an argument a few weeks ago after posting one of my digital paintings online. An artist who works solely in traditional media told me my work wasn't really painting, that I was just filling in areas with color like a kid with a coloring book.

He was a bit of an asshole about it, and I wasted a couple hours trying to convince him of the validity of my artwork. To no avail.

These arguments pop up every so often. I can understand how traditional artists might feel intimidated or threatened by new methods of creating art. They have no cause to worry as the truth is that traditional media will always be valued because they are typically "one of a kind" works, whereas a digital painting can be reproduced an unlimited number of times, making the final form more akin to a "print" than a painting.

Does that mean digital art as I create it is not "painting"? It's true that a digital painting doesn't exist beyond bits and pixels on a screen until it is printed, but the act of creating it is, in my view, definitely a form of painting. Instead of a canvas there is a monitor, in place of the brush there is a stylus, and instead of physical paints I use light.

In the end I don't really care what other artistic snobs may think of my work. I paint digitally for my own pleasure and that of my customers, who've been unanimous in their appreciation and enjoyment of their portraits.

But don't take my word for it. Watch the video below (it's only three and a half minutes, oh! and sorry about the ad, but you can skip it after 5 seconds) and decide for yourself if what you see is anything other than painting.

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