The other day I was scrolling through my Procreate and found that I used to draw a lot more than I remembered. I did have a lot of ideas and sparks during that time. What a digital device provides to artists differs significantly from physical paint and tools. Digital platforms operate on a fundamentally different framework: pixels instead of pigment, and algorithms instead of manual techniques. Every stroke is translated into binary code, interpreted by a processor, and rendered through layers of display technology, allowing for infinite revision, replication, and manipulation, which is not possible with physical media, where each brushstroke leaves a permanent mark and materials have inherent limitations. If traditional painting offers opportunities and possibilities under these strokes, the digital medium offers more.
Software also offers precision, with tools functioning at a computational level that eliminates the risk of irreversible mistakes, which fundamentally changes the creative process. I used to customize my brush sets in that software. The algorithms behind brushes and effects simulate real-world textures and behaviors, but they’re ultimately governed by mathematics—enabling effects that defy physical constraints, and that’s amusing for me. And then my amount of artwork reduced sharply. I was sharply pointed out by my close friend that I “stopped drawing unless getting a commission”, which is not wrong at all. The only things I drew this year were four anime profile pics. My friends gave me the character designs and asked me to draw in certain styles. I did. It’s just four profile pics. I could have done the same thing on a canvas, it wouldn’t make a difference. I quitted creating.