Digital art in Singapore comes in many forms and applications, with the more prominent ones being publicly available on social media sites like Instagram and Meta. (previously Facebook)
What is digital art
As the name suggests, digital art is technology and tools to create art, instead of traditional mediums like colour pencils. Digital Art is also known as media art, and it’s usually in soft copy format. One of the main advantages is that it is easy to duplicate, and more beginner friendly. In addition to that, digital art can also be used to create animations and gifs.
Examples of Digital Art
Some examples of digital art include 2D and 3D graphics, digital illustrations, Pixel art and more.
The most common platforms used to create digital art are Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom and Procreate.
Applications of Digital Art in Singapore
Commercial uses: In Singapore, many people use it for prints, for their merchandises for mass production. Graphic Designs (T-shirts and banners). It is also widely used by tattoo artists to cater to their customers’ preferences. Procreate is a better platform for this industry as the tattoo artist can remove the various layers without having to erase their sketch (traditional format) on their sketchbooks.
Industry uses: Used in mainstream media for advertisements and publications as well as on social media sites.
Benefits of digital art: Better emphasis of perceived brand value and image. You can convey the messages more clearly and impactful to the target audience. Some examples of digital art include local (Singapore) instagram pages like ‘Highnunchicken’ and ‘ccmonstersart’. For instance, Artist Celine Chia uses digital art to convey her emotions and messages across to her audience. This is evident from her cookie chronicles series on her instagram page.
Vector Art
Vector (format) art refers to the quality and resolution of the art itself. It has better resolution and will not be jagged or pixelated, especially when making digital prints. Some of the common formats include “SVG” or “EPS” or “Ai”. It can be created using illustrator.
You can use vector graphics to create vector art form, as the graphics are based on mathematical formulas. As such, Vector art is usually sharper and more highly defied. On the other hand, other images (Raster art) are in pixels, which may not turn out as great.
When you go to printing shops, sometimes they will ask for vector arts, so as to get the quality images or prints.
How to create vector art
Digital softwares like Vectornator, Adobe Illustrator, Procreate are commonly used, and you can save your works it in vector format.
A good use of vector art includes laptop stickers and stencils for customised products. This adds a personalised and more customised touch to the product, to cater more towards the consumers. A more relatable example will probably be a Starbucks cup.
The prints of the cup are designed using vector art, and cut using cutting machines such as ‘Circut’, before printed onto the cup itself. Prior to printing onto the cup, the vinyl print is pasted onto a transfer sheet before pasting the sheet onto the cup.
To add on, this tote bag designed by Celine is also done through vector art. It’s currently available for purchase via our online shop or through carousell.
To sum up, digital art seems to be the new norm, even in Singapore. More businesses and consumer brands are receptive towards this trend, and it’s definitely a useful skill to pick up.
For a limited time only, artist Celine Chia is also taking commissions for digital art. Dm us on our socials to find out more.
