New Development Of Illustration In The Digital Era

Under the influence of digital technology, new developing trend has appeared on illustration. Current scope of illustration has been no longer restricted to the traditional means, its extended meaning has gone beyond the traditional "picture book".This paper redefines the concept of illustration, discusses new ways of painting and new mode of transmission under the influence of digital technology, and compares the advantages and disadvantages between digital and traditional illustrations. Discussions are made on the phenomenon about the excessive reliance on technology during the illustration-creating process, and a proposal is raised that we should pay more attention to the artistry itself. In addition, this paper also addresses the point that today's illustration has found a huge living space besides books {illustration's original matrix). At last, the paper summarizes and analyses some newly developed painting languages and new applications relying on the advantages of digital techniques in the digital illustration area.