Digital art - Real art questions

-Some people criticise digital art as being not real art, that digital art is some how cheating, that the computer is doing all the work for you.

*Research some definitions of art:

-Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. These include a wide range of variety of human activities, and modes of expression such as music, literature, film, paintings, and sculptures.
-The products of human creation.
-The creation of beautiful or significant things.

*A discussion point. “Is digital art a valid form of art?”

"Just as oil paint and the printing press once transformed expression, so too have computers spawned previously unimaginable worlds." - Steve Holtzman. I don't see any difference between real and 'virtual' media as they are both made by an artist. Digital art is made on a computer but it is still drawn or created by an artist. Photography is also a type of Digital art and it is completely valid. Digital art is a creative process and the elements of Photoshop or similar programs are simply tools like the physical tools you use in painting or drawing. The digital tools you apply in small parts, like brushes and lines and smudging and blurring and so on, are directly related to using paintbrushes, your fingers, erasers, etc.

*What are some advantages that digital paint programs and draw programs offer over the traditional methods (canvas and paint).

You have the ability to quickly make changes in digital art such as in these two pictures. Look closely at all the different changes there was made in each picture:

This is the first picture ^ Look at the next one it is in more detail.

This one shows more detail of the girl ^

In digital art there is no mess, when you complete it, you can make as many copies of it as you want and they will still be the original. You can also save it onto whatever you want and it won't be at the risk of being stolen as the original. There is more detail in digital art, its more flexible and it's quick with many bright colours.

*What skills must a digital artist possess to create a great digital art?

The artist must have to be able to use a computer and have access to one. They also have to know how to use the software correctly.