The terms "art" and "artist" are being thrown around pretty freely these days........primarily on the net.
This has been sort of bugging me, so I am going to define my opinions about certain forms of "art" here. This will not be my last post about it.........rest assured, I have more to say, lol. However, I'll start with web graphics.
Are web graphics art?
Some of them are, and some aren't, in my opinion. 
Well, what's the criteria that you use when you think about this?
If a graphic is hand-drawn, as an actual illustration is, whether it be on a Wacom tablet or on a piece of paper, that is art. Whether it qualifies as "fine art", is another matter altogether.
If it is simply a vector graphic, created using text and shapes, it isn't art, it is design, and it is a craft. These are just my opinions of course, but I am not alone in that determination.
Examples after the jump.
ART: Vectorized hand-drawn graphic/fashion illustration by Yoshi_Tajima
NOT Art: The image above, while sort of interesting, is not art in the sense that it was created from shapes and brushes in Adobe Illustrator. It is something that the average user of design software can easily do, and it is not hand-drawn. The brushes are simply shapes that are transferred to the screen.
Just my opinion. Feel free to dispute it.
Copyright © by Art Journal 2008. All rights are reserved. No re-posting of articles or my images without prior written permission is allowed.
I was wondering what your opinion is of the Wacom tablets and how real they feel or how much time they get used to, and do they become your primary method of navigation as well?
Posted by: Jon Griffith | July 02, 2008 at 07:56 PM
I want a tablet SOOO bad I can taste it. I need money.
Posted by: Rachel | July 02, 2008 at 11:25 PM
@ Jon........hmmm.....I have not used mine very much, primarily because I really prefer the feel of pencils. I have, however, heard others say that they do use theirs for all of their navigation.
To me, they don't feel anything like using a pencil, which is my preferred media for drawing. :)
@ Rachel....hang in there, sweetie......you're starting work soon! :)
Posted by: glam | July 03, 2008 at 08:36 AM
Oh there are a lot of things I want that I won't be able to get for quite some time. Though I did buy 2 big purchases last year that I had been wanting a long time but wasn't able to get because of my ex spending all my money. My digital SLR and a set of 132 prismacolor pencils. I draw as well but am really out of practice. I love colored pencils. I also do ceramics. When I was an art major I was doing an emphasis in ceramics. I used to make jewelry as well. I am sure there are a few more things in there that I am not thinking of right now. I am like a jack of all trades artist. I want to learn how to weld and do glass blowing as well.
Posted by: Rachel | July 03, 2008 at 03:50 PM