For the past couple of years or so I have been experimenting with acrylic painting. I'm mostly doing abstract work and eventually plan on doing space art and perhaps even sci-fi. Although I did some drawing and painting when I was a kid, for the past 19 years all my work has been digital. There are of course trade-offs to both approaches, and personally I prefer digital because I have been doing it for so long and find it far more practical.

One thing that became very apparent to me is the amount of experience I have as a digital artist. I take this for granted because I have been doing it for so long. This is especially true for techniques on how to do things. Nearly all of my digital techniques and methods of working are of no use in traditional painting. Of course the fundamental aspect of a picture are the same - composition, lighting, colors - but the actual process of getting things done is very different.

For me the process of creating digital abstract art offers many advantages over the traditional methods. There is no smell of the paint fumes and possible toxic side effects from inhalation; no paint build up on the canvas allows for endless modifications; no need to buy paint or canvases; much better and easier control of the composition and colors used; but perhaps the biggest advantage is the undo functionality that every digital art program has built in. I really missed that!

The biggest disadvantage to digital abstract art, or any digital art, is the lack of guarantee that a digitally made artwork is the only existing original. Countless and perfect copies can be made of the original artwork. Therefore there is no way to guarantee a potential buyer that he will receive the one and only original artwork. Perhaps in the future, new technologies will be developed that provide a guarantee of original.

For now I'll keep on experimenting with traditional painting methods and see where that will get me. But digital work is my primary choice and it's unlikely this will change. U3SJM5248T5E