Defining the Terms "Art" and "Artist": Opinion

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.