‘The Digital Art Debate’ by Ben Cotterill

A lively debate on the place of digital drawing and painting in art has prompted this session by an expert in digital and traditional art.

In response to lively discussions about the validity and desirability of digital drawing and painting as an art form, and its worthiness to sit alongside traditional artworks, Rochester and West Kent Art Society have invited Ben Cotterill, an expert in both camps to inform our debate in this event.

Ben will show and talk about the full range of his art and express his feelings about the value and worth of the different forms in relation to each other. He will bring some framed pieces of his work, both digital and traditional. He thinks most people would struggle to spot the difference, which will be a good starting point.

Ben aims to show how his iPad is just another tool, that can be used to create digital pieces, or to contribute to artworks in more traditional mediums. He will demonstrate how he actually draws on it rather than just pressing buttons to create images.

During the workshop Ben plans to demonstrate how he uses the iPad to:

a) create finished pieces;

b) take half finished ‘real’ paintings into iPad and then use it to experiment if he’s not sure what to do next;

c) use it as an out and about sketchbook to draw up pieces that he may paint for real later.

He also plans to give a simple beginners’ guide to drawing on the iPad, using an app called Procreate. This would vary for anybody using a different app or who has an Android tablet, but the principles would be the same.

This session will be suitable for anyone interested in the similarities and differences between hand created and digital art, as well as beginners and those with some experience of creating art using technology.

Book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-digital-art-debate-by-ben-cotterill-tickets-516263567227?aff=esfb&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-source=fb&utm-term=checkoutwidget&fbclid=IwAR2pe-xsPW765Tj6WzeKEv3rgD1HKkTxvaHhsCLBOkMQVajpUZiYclPArA0