Digital Media -evaluation

This module was essentially my first experience of doing digital media as before I would only use technology for the bare minimum of stuff.
I have enjoyed and appreciated having to learn new skills as I wouldn't have done that off my own bat.
I learn best when I am shown at a rate I understand (which might be slower than some people if it is technology). If I clearly write the instructions down in my language and practise them, I can pass off as relatively competent. And I feel quite competent now. I used photoshop extensively for my surface decoration (this will get evaluated in my sketchbook) and I have got the hang of how photoshop works and I can now work out how to do things even though I hadn't been taught that specific procedure.
Adobe Illustrator Draw was really quite easy.
So I mastered the tools to a degree. The issue I still question is, is it real art?
I do feel that the Adobe Illustrator Draw tool could be used by anyone who had a notion to use it and there needn't be much difference in quality between a picture by an artist and a non artist. I did a blog on Harold Cohen and his art computer where the computer was programmed to make the picture and I had a real problem identifying who the artist was! I liked David Hockney's iPad flowers however I did think it would be possible for me to get fairly close in replicating them.
The situation is different with Photoshop as the basis for all my photoshop efforts were either my own photos or my own paintings, and I felt I had to put real effort and skill into transforming them.
I can see myself employing digital media in my own art in future. For small things e.g. I need to make a poster on the ten points of singing and digital will be good medium for this. If I ever design any more fabric, photoshop is a real timesaver. And if I ever get round to my plan to illustrate my own children's book I would use a combination of painting and photoshop.
But I like a regular painting, both to look at and to paint, so I don't see digital media ever managing to replace this in my affections.

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