How Artists Incorporate Technology Into Their Work

When most people think about art, they picture people in smocks painting magnificent landscapes or using chisels and hammers to shape blocks of marble into busts of famous war heroes. However, the art world today is much more diverse. Modern artists often take advantage of technological innovations to design masterpieces in the following ways.

Digital Photography

While a few people take pride in their ability to develop film in a darkroom, most photographers today use digital cameras. These cameras store images in memory cards that are transferred to photographers’ computers for editing. Photographers can also quickly review images on the camera itself. Another form of technology used for photography is photo editing software. Almost every computer comes with basic software, but advanced photographers often purchase their own. These programs allow photographers to adjust the lighting, focus and contents of their photographs. For people with many projects and online galleries, an IoT platform helps to organize all of the data.

Graphic Design

Rather than capturing natural beauty through technology, other artists prefer to use technology to create art. Graphic designers create art to promote a company or cause. They use drawing functions and tools such as a stylus that works on computer screens to generate designs. Some work on everyday projects such as logos for new companies, while others create art for their own purposes.

Electronic Drawing

Most computers include a basic drawing or painting program. These programs allow people to use their mouse or finger, if the computer has a touchscreen, to draw. Users select different colors, line thicknesses and strokes to create a variety of pictures. Certain programs let users import images to create collages. While these platforms are used by experts, they are also accessible to amateurs.

Electronic Music

Not all art is visual; music also qualifies as art. Many different software programs allow people to generate music completely electronically, without the involvement of voices or instruments. Other artists write computer codes that produce music. Although the music produced in these ways often mimics the sounds that people create using physical instruments or their bodies, it does sound different. Not everyone is ready to embrace the unusual timbre of electronic music.

Image Animations

People can easily draw cartoon-style images with pencil and paper. However, with the help of technology, artists can animate these images or ones that they create electronically. Animations can be long and accompanied by sounds, as with traditional cartoons, or they can simply involve one image that moves. Animations can be enjoyed for their own sake, or artists might use them to draw attention to their skills as both drawers and animators.

Electronic Lights

Some artists are pushing the boundaries of what people think of as art by their use of lights. Electronic lights exist in many other forms than traditional lamps such as strobe lights and fiber optic lights. The art created by lights can be abstract or it can resemble something in real life. Some artists create light designs and project them on air or in water to achieve different textures. Others incorporate motion sensors so that viewers of the exhibit can interact with the piece.  

3D Printing

3D printing was developed for industrial use, and engineers often use it to model a design or to create a specialized piece of equipment. However, artists can also take advantage of this new technology. They use a software program to design a three-dimensional object and then send the design to the printer. Using either plastic or metal, the printer pipes tiny amounts of melted material at a time until it has created the desired object. This approach allows artists to create pieces that are too detailed to make through traditional sculpting methods.

As technology expands and develops, many artists take advantage of it to modernize their work. While the art they produce may seem unusual to some, all of these methods are valid ways to make art.