The Human Element in Digital Art

I agree, a certain standard should be expected of all artists, traditional and digital alike. But when I hear people who look down upon digital art, I often hear them make remarks such as "yeah, but can you draw?" and other similar remarks. And I wonder why that matters if a "digital artist" can draw or not. Does the ability to render a still-life or a nude in various types of traditional media make a person an artist? I always thought art was about emotion and expression of emotion rather than how wonderful a person can render a bowl of fruit with charcoal.

If you really think about it, is this attitude that some artists display not similar to how artists reacted to and percieved photography in its early stages? Photography was once shunned as an artform, and not it is one of the most popular and widely accepted.

I appreciate what you are saying, rgonzo82. I guess that with the emergence of an art form so readily available and easy to use, we need to embrace the expressions of a larger group. Personal opinion should not cloud our judgement nor even allow us to judge at all in the matter of expression of emotion.

I consider myself a visual artist with my roots in traditional media. I tend to lean more towards illustration and portrait work. I have very little formal training but have always experimented with different techniques with the purpose of striving to excell. In no way am I boasting to be a "Master", just stating that I try to expand my horizons so that I can more effectively express myself.

All said, I guess what I am getting at is that art is an expression and we should become free to use our medium in a creative way. I am not trying to pigeonhole anyone into "my style", just encouraging other artists to create and not let the medium control them.