digital art

I’m a sucker for digital art, especially the animated kind. Maybe it’s because my art taste still hovers around my childlike love of “shiny” things–things that dazzle the eye instead of the head. And sure, I can see how that might spur criticism from those who question how long our interest in innocuous tech (gifs, etc.) can hold up past the novelty stage in a medium that’s already constantly evolving. But one look at artist Sam Ballardini‘s work proves we don’t have to worry about that just yet.

Ballardini’s work is quintessential for Tumblr and exists in their trademark realm of fan art and high art. Her world celebrates the lightness of popular culture, whether it’s an homage to Terminator or FKA Twigs, while casting everything in a shadowy grey. It’s a world encompassed by ghostly heroines with daggers, black cats, and uncertainty. Her animated sketchbook style brings her work to life, making them feel tangible and real, as if they were living and breathing pieces that could be accessed through a dimensional Tumblr warp hole. It’s the type of work that, once seen, must be shared. Sure digital illustrators are a dime a dozen, but this new generation of artists is proving that “shiny” art can be just as innovative.

Even though I switched to Macs years ago, I still have a close, nostalgic connection with MS Paint. Back in the ’90s, before people learned how to pirate Photoshop, it was the go-to program for everything. You could edit photos with “cool” effects, whether it was the spray brush tool or the color filler tool, then save the photo and set it as the background of your desktop. It all felt pretty cutting edge at the time. But as our taste for photo manipulation tools grew more sophisticated, MS Paint became synonymous with the internet “low brow” aesthetic. No one actually expected anything created in MS Paint to look good, but that still didn’t stop some artists from choosing it as their unlikely digital tool of choice.

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