"The Power of Digital Painting"

By Mario Grinfeld
President & Founder of Grinfeld Fine Arts and Publishing Company, USA, and Grinfeld Media, USA

In an era where technology shapes the contours of every creative field, digital painting has emerged not merely as a novelty, but as a legitimate and transformative force in contemporary visual art. As a technique, as a medium, and increasingly as a philosophical stance, digital painting now occupies a complex and often contested space in the world of Fine Arts.

What is Digital Painting?

Digital painting is the process of creating artwork on a computer using digital tools based on traditional painting techniques. Artists employ styluses, drawing tablets, and sophisticated software such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, or Procreate, manipulating virtual brushes representing oils, watercolors, inks, pastels, and even experimental textures.

Unlike scanning or photographing a physical work, digital painting originates entirely in the digital realm. While it draws inspiration from traditional forms, it is native to pixels, algorithms, and screens.

The Strengths of the Digital Canvas

Digital painting offers a number of clear advantages:

• Limitless Experimentation: Undo buttons, layering systems, and customizable brushes allow artists to take creative risks without fear of permanently ruining a piece.
• Efficiency and Speed: Iteration is faster, corrections are seamless, and workflows are streamlined, especially for commercial applications such as concept art, illustration, and visual design.
• Sustainability: It eliminates the need for physical materials like paper, canvas, paint, and solvents — reducing waste and cost.
• Portability and Global Reach: Artists can carry their studio in a backpack and instantly share their work across continents.
• New Aesthetics: Digital art introduces visual languages and hybrid forms that are impossible with analog methods — such as glitch aesthetics, generative brushwork, and multimedia integration.

The Critique: What’s Lost in Translation?

Despite its many merits, digital painting faces skepticism, especially in traditional art circles:

• Tactile Absence: Critics argue that the sensory feedback — the resistance of brush on canvas, the smell of turpentine — cannot be replicated digitally, and that this physicality is integral to the soul of painting.
• Perceived Ease or Inauthenticity: Some detractors see digital painting as "cheating" — an automated process that lacks the discipline and labor of traditional methods as well as the talent of the Artist.
• Fragility and Ephemerality: Digital files can be corrupted, lost, or made obsolete by changing formats and platforms. Unlike oil on canvas, a digital file’s longevity is dependent on external systems.
• Market Hesitancy: Although digital artworks are increasingly accepted in fine art markets, they still face resistance among some collectors who prefer the materiality and uniqueness of traditional media.

Defenders of the Digital Brush

Notable figures have championed digital painting as not only valid but essential.

Craig Mullins, one of the first professional digital painters, has argued that the medium allows him to explore ideas faster and more freely, emphasizing that the value lies in the vision, not the tool.

Loish (Lois van Baarle), a renowned digital illustrator, has educated millions on the emotional and technical richness possible through digital work.

Institutions like the Society of Illustrators and SIGGRAPH Art Gallery have embraced digital painting as a powerful contemporary voice, showcasing how technology and tradition can coexist.

Importantly, digital painting has become the lingua franca of concept art in cinema, gaming, animation, and editorial design — industries that demand agility and innovation from their visual creators.

Digital does not mean Less Human

What makes art meaningful is not the medium, but the intent, craft, and emotional resonance. Digital painting is not a shortcut to artistic expression; it is a different road — one that requires its own techniques, patience, and discipline. Mastering light, anatomy, texture, and composition is no less rigorous when done with a stylus than with sable brushes.

Moreover, many digital artists today were classically trained in analog techniques. Their choice of digital media reflects a conceptual expansion of their practice, not a departure from authenticity.

Digital Art and the Art Market

One of the most fascinating shifts in the art world has been the rise of digital painting as a viable market commodity. Digital artists can sell:

• Digital Originals: Artists sell high-resolution digital files, often as unique pieces or in limited editions.
• Prints: Limited edition giclée prints allow collectors to own physical versions of digital art, bridging the gap between virtual and tangible art markets.
• Licensing and Commissions: Digital artists can license artworks for books, advertising, films, and merchandise, creating multiple income streams from a single piece.
• NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens): The NFT market has allowed artists to mint unique digital works with proof of authenticity and trackable ownership. Artists can choose to sell one single copy (1 of 1) or multiple editions.

Digital artists have flexibility that traditional artists often do not. Some pieces are sold as exclusive single editions, while others are reproduced and sold multiple times. The choice depends on the artist’s strategy for scarcity, pricing, and audience reach.

Our Vision at Grinfeld Fine Arts

At GRINFELD Fine Arts and Publishing Company, with a proud trajectory of over three decades, we embrace new techniques like digital painting, recognizing that they do not seek to replace traditional art expressions but to add new avenues of creative expression.

We also recognize that, as in any other artistic discipline, there are digital artists who stand out for their creativity, message, and mastery of their chosen technique.

We encourage you to explore the Digital Art we are presenting and displaying in our globally renowned website’s Fine Arts Auctions section. Discover the new frontiers of creativity and innovation that define the contemporary art landscape.

Conclusion: A New Renaissance

Digital painting is not replacing traditional art — it is enlarging the field. Just as oil painting once disrupted tempera, and photography once unsettled painting, digital media challenges us to redefine what we value in art.

The true power of digital painting lies in its democratization of creation, accessibility to new voices, and its invitation to rethink boundaries between the physical and the virtual. To dismiss it is to turn away from a living, evolving language of human expression.

Whether on canvas or screen, what matters is the clarity of vision and the depth of feeling. And that, as always, transcends medium.

About the Author

Mario Grinfeld is the President and Founder of Grinfeld Fine Arts and Publishing Company, USA, as well as Grinfeld Media, USA. With more than three decades at the forefront of the fine arts world, he is dedicated to promoting excellence in both traditional and digital art, fostering connections between artists, collectors, and cultural institutions worldwide.