I started out old school — drawing Marvel superheros on the back of JC Penny boxes with a Bic.
Oddly enough, we used ruling pens in one college commercial art class (yes, eyedropper ink between two metal pinchers) for rendering "camera ready art"...which is setpping straight back, not forward.
So there wasn't even a steady progression of advancements.
There was stagnation and even steps backwards in my art experience.
Ask Kodak how the digital revolution worked out for them.
Later, like many, I graduated to mouse clicking from digital layer to digital layer for large format printing and CNC cut graphics. Those step felt like monumental industry upgrades, not a betrayal of tradition. Now, the biggest thing I've seen in over thirty years has arrived. It’s not just a new printer or some other imaging gizmo — it’s like discovering an entire workshop full of assistants, each waiting for you to give direction.
The Crossroads of Tradition & Digital
Traditional artists sometimes worry that stepping into this new space means abandoning what makes their work authentic. Digital artists might feel the same — after years mastering layers, masks, and plugins, why hand over control? But the truth is: this isn’t about replacing skills, it’s about stretching them. Charcoal strokes and vector lines can coexist with tools that respond in seconds. You’re still the conductor; the orchestra just got a lot bigger.
Some Real Challenges (with Upsides)
- Overwhelm: New tools appear daily — it feels impossible to keep up.
Solution: Treat it like sketchbooks. Pick one tool, play, discard or keep, and move on. Curiosity matters more than mastery. - Imposter Syndrome: “If a machine helps, does that cheapen my art?”
Solution: Remember: every artist in history has embraced new tools. Oil paints, lithography, photography — each was once considered “cheating.” Today they’re just part of the canon. - Style Dilution: “What if my unique style gets lost?”
Solution: Blend, don’t bend. Start with your sketches, your photos, your color palettes. Let the tools echo your hand, not erase it.
Why Now?
Because this is still the early stage. It’s like discovering digital tablets in the ’90s, but faster. No gatekeepers, no rigid schools, no right or wrong way in. If you’ve never drawn a straight line in your life, you can still use these tools to make something that feels alive. And if you’ve spent decades in the studio, this can give your work a new dimension, not a new definition.
An Invitation
You don’t need permission. You don’t need a degree. You don’t even need to call yourself an artist yet. All you need is the curiosity to open one of these new doors and see what happens. The worst case? You make something weird and move on. The best case? You find a voice you didn’t know you had.