What Is Digital Illustration?

Digital illustration is the act of producing an illustration using a computer program such as PhotoShop, or Adobe Illustrator. Rather than sketch and paint the drawing, the illustrator will either create the image on the computer from scratch and then colour it digitally or they will sketch the image out first, scan it into the computer and then use a computer program to digitally colour the illustration.

Many illustrators tend to use a graphics tablet to produce and colour in illustrations. This involves using a special pen to draw onto a tablet, which makes the illustration appear on the screen. Digital illustration can also involve illustrators altering an image and adding lighting effects or altering brightness or contrast using the computer.