What is digital art? In simple terms, it refers to any piece of work that is either created by computer or uses a computer in the process of creating the piece. Effectively a lot of recent artwork is what can be defined in this way.

Digital art is mainly an umbrella term for anyone and anything that uses a computer in its creation. This covers a wide variety of media for interesting ideas that you may not expect to see. While it does cover pictures and photography, it also covers video games, movie special effects and so forth.

People may find the concept of a video game being a work of art a strange idea to get their head around. The movie critic Roger Ebert argued that the goal orientated nature of the video game meant it could never truly be on the level of a great feature film or piece of music.

This however is not necessarily the case. The world of film is relatively new in terms of art at just over a century old. When the first films came out, they were regarded as a novelty. There was no attempt at narrative, the most famous example being people diving away from a steam engine.

Computers are also increasingly used in animation. The most obvious examples are the increasing amounts of feature length computer animation films but these are a very recently development, starting in 1995 with the Pixar film Toy Story. Computers are also often used in other forms of animation. A good example of this is the ballroom dance scene in the Disney version of Beauty And The Beast, a scene that combined both traditional pen and paper artwork with computer imagery.

The advent of cheaper computers and art programs has also led to creative users to change the very medium that the games are a part of. These are known as machinima and these are effectively a kind of cross between computer animation and digital puppetry. Again, these videos often subvert the genre of the game. One famous example consists of the heroes of a shooting game taking part in a chat show in between gun fights!

This kind of manipulation also extends to other areas. Digital imaging software now allows people to create new images from photography. In some cases, their use has been quite controversial. In fashion photography, the process known as airbrushing removes perceived imperfections on a model, creating a false representation of their looks. Many groups are concerned that the presence of these images can have a negative effect on body perception.

Hyper realistic programs combine both the traditional and the photo realistic, rotoscoping being an example of this. It is worth looking online to see what is available. While there is a wide range of programs available for purchasing online you can also find what are known as open source programs that are free to download.

If you want to know more about digital art, you can find the website of your local art schools as well as art institute where you can see examples from local artists.

Fancy yourself as the next Walt Disney. Take time to take film studies classes, and enrol in some animation courses in a recognized art institute or animation college.