What Is Digital Illustration?

Digital illustration is the process of making art and drawing using a computer. Before computers, illustrations were all done by hand, but with the advent of many technological advances, almost all illustrations are now done digitally.

How it is done

Digital illustration is done using a mouse or, for more precise control, a tablet. The finger or the mouse is used to make the lines of the drawing in the software. The simplicity of use for digital illustrators makes this ideal.

Software

To make precise drawings, specific software is needed. There are many websites available to make digital illustrations as well as traditional software available for purchase. Depending on the software, the illustrations are either vector graphics or bitmap graphics. They have several differences. Vector graphics are linear with colors, gradients and lines; whereas bitmaps have layers, rows, and columns with various filters to reach the colors. Some software does allow the user to create illustrations using both types of graphics at the same time. With the multitude of tools available within the software, many digital illustrators go several years without using many of them; some feel as though they may never use the software to its complete capability.

How to learn

Now, as digital illustrating is growing more popular, many classes are offered for those wishing to turn it into a career, as well as those just wishing to learn the new software and use it for personal use.

Digital illustrations are now the most common form of illustrations. They are easily altered, moved, stretched, resized and transferred to print media. With traditional illustration, those processes are much more difficult.