Introduction to Digital Art

Basics of Art & Design with Adobe Creative Cloud

Author: Kristen R. Kennedy
Editor: Kelsey Smith

This book was created with support from an Open Textbooks Pilot grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), part of the U.S. Department of Education. However, the contents do not necessarily reflect official Department of Education policy, and you should not assume the federal government has endorsed this book.

Introduction to Digital Art is shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License. This means you are free to remix, adapt, and build on this work—even for commercial purposes—as long as you (1) give credit to the original source and (2) share your new version under the same license terms. If you use this content elsewhere and need to credit it, please cite the College of Lemoore, Lemoore, California, as the original source.

Important exception: This open license does not cover material that was borrowed from other sources under different Creative Commons licenses (such as "ND," or "No Derivatives," licenses), nor does it cover content used with special permission from its rights holders. Student work featured throughout this textbook is included with permission and may not be copied or redistributed outside of this book.

Image Disclaimer: The images in this text are either openly licensed, in the public domain, or used under "fair use" guidelines (a legal principle that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission, under certain conditions). Some images are student work, used with permission, and all rights to that work remain with the students. If you own the rights to an image in this book and have not authorized its use here, please contact the author at kristenkennedy@whccd.edu so the content can be removed.

Cover Design: The cover art was generated using DALL·E 4.0, an AI image-generation tool.

A Note on AI Tools Used in Creating This Book

Several AI tools helped in the development of this textbook:

• ChatGPT (versions 3.5, 4, and 4.0) was used to build chapter outlines based on the course's actual learning goals and outcomes. It also helped organize and generate textbook content by:
• Drafting chapter content in outline form
• Acting as a writing and art-instruction assistant to improve clarity, cut repetition, and suggest additional details
• Generating MLA citations and a glossary
• Formatting practical assignments

• DALL·E 4.0 was used to generate original AI-created images for the textbook.

• Grammarly AI was used to check grammar and punctuation. While writing, the author used Grammarly prompts such as "make it direct," "make it persuasive," "simplify it," "shorten it," "fix any mistakes," "make it more detailed," "make it constructive," and "make it assertive."

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Contents

Preface

• About this Textbook ..................................................... 9
• Authors' Intentions ..................................................... 9
• How to Use This Textbook ................................................ 10
• Our Educational Philosophy .............................................. 10
• Acknowledgments ......................................................... 10

Foreword ................................................................ 12

Chapter 1: The Digital Art Revolution ................................... 15

• Learning Objectives ..................................................... 15
• Introduction to Digital Art ............................................. 16
• What is Digital Art? .................................................... 16
• Evolution of Digital Art ................................................ 16
• Cultural Significance of Digital Art .................................... 16
• The Creative Process in Digital Art ..................................... 17
• Evolution of Digital Art ................................................ 18
• The Contemporary Digital Art Scene ...................................... 21
• Conclusion .............................................................. 23

Chapter 2: Digital Art Foundations ....................................... 24

• Learning Objectives ..................................................... 24
• Introduction ............................................................ 25
• Digital Art Studio Set-Up ............................................... 25
• Exploring Digital Art Software .......................................... 28
• Adobe Cloud Software .................................................... 31
• Interface Metaphors ..................................................... 33
• Exploring Digital Color Management and Color Profiles .................. 35
• Resolution .............................................................. 37
• Conclusion .............................................................. 43

Chapter 3: Web Wizards & Digital Sources ................................ 44

• Learning Objectives ..................................................... 44
• Introduction ............................................................ 45
• Legal and Ethical Considerations ........................................ 45
• Image Search on the Web ................................................. 45
• Advanced Search Techniques .............................................. 46
• Copyright & Licensing Your Work ......................................... 52
• Appropriation ........................................................... 55

Chapter 4: File Organization for Creatives ............................... 58

• Learning Objectives ..................................................... 58
• Introduction ............................................................ 59
• Digital Art Asset Management ............................................ 59
• Best Practices for Storing and Sharing Files/Data ....................... 62
• Conclusion .............................................................. 64

Chapter 5: The Digital Design Process .................................... 65

• Learning Objectives ..................................................... 65
• Introduction ............................................................ 66
• The Concept and Design Process .......................................... 66
• Ideation in Digital Art ................................................. 68
• Compositional Elements and Principles of Design ........................ 70
• Compositional Concepts of Design ........................................ 73
• Compositional Techniques ................................................ 78
• Visual Hierarchy in Design .............................................. 80

Lesson 1: Vector Graphics (Adobe Illustrator) ............................ 84

• Vector Assignments ...................................................... 84
• What is Logo Design? .................................................... 85
• Gestalt Theory in Relation to Figure-Ground Studies ..................... 86
• Quick Tool Tutorials: Vector Graphics in Adobe Illustrator .............. 90
• Additional Resources .................................................... 96
• Vector Graphic Exercises ................................................ 97
• Portfolio Project: Reimagining a Popular Logo with a Humorous Twist ..... 109

Lesson 2: Digital Photography (Lightroom) ............................... 112

• Photography Assignments ................................................ 112
• What is Photography? ....................................................
• History of Photography ..................................................