Digital art, a creative frontier that marries technology and traditional artistic mediums, has revolutionized the world of art. As it continues to evolve and flourish, it has given birth to a myriad of styles and techniques, leading to the emergence of outstanding digital artists globally.
This article aims to inspire budding digital artists and enthusiasts alike by providing an insight into some of the most famous digital artists and their celebrated works. From Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) artists to illustrators and animators, we delve into the journeys of those who have mastered this contemporary art form, gaining a cult following for their captivating work.
We talk a lot about tablets, pens, and other devices that help you pursue your dream to be a pro digital artist. But here, we want to focus on something a little different, and carry out a run-down of the most famous digital artists and works of digital art to inspire you as you continue on your journey.
While digital art is in its infancy, compared to traditional art, a lot of great work has been done in this space, and there are lots of famous digital artists that have gained a cult following for their brilliant work. So, without any further delays, let’s find out who they are!
10 Famous digital artists you should know
1. David McLeod
David McLeod is a CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) artist from Australia. CGI has grown quite popular among filmmakers, as it helps make special effects seem more realistic. It can also be used to make still images for artwork. McLeod’s work is a wonderful example of what can be achieved with CGI, and his Instagram profile is full of great animations.
2. Alberto Seveso
Alberto Seveso is a prolific digital artist, and chances are you’ve probably already seen his work. One of his most famous works involved speed photography and consisted of 3 separate photographs: Disastro Ecologico, Medicina Rossa, and A Due Colori. The photographs were taken underwater and involved clouds of ink spreading through the water. The results were mesmerizing, to say the least.
3. Stephen Mcmennamy
Stephen Mcmennamy cuts different images and puts them together to make bizarre but interesting new images. He fondly calls them “combophotos”, and they take a lot of work to produce – far more than you can do with just Photoshop. He takes several photographs of his subjects from different angles before splicing their images together. Sometimes he even posts his fails on Instagram.
4. Nik Ainley
Nik Ainley is a digital illustrator from the UK who has done great work for clients like National Geographic, Starbucks, and Nike, to name a few. He studied physics in college, which is when he developed a growing interest in digital art. As a result, much of his work draws influence from the sciences, adding a layer of nerdiness to its beauty.
5. Sean Charmatz
Sean Charmatz is an animator with a background in writing and storyboard direction. He worked for the popular television series Spongebob Squarepants, so he’s well acquainted with fantasy art. He has also done lots of work for Disney and Dreamworks. Among Charmatz’ most popular works are those where found objects are brought to life in animations. He even offers instructions on how to create similar animations.
6. Aiste Stancikaite
Aiste Stancikaite is a digital artist based in Berlin. She has always loved drawing with pencil and combines her sketching skills with digital technology to create beautiful art. With Photoshop and other kinds of software, she turns her pencil drawings into animations or adds visual extras to make them more interesting and captivating.
7. Jason Naylor
Jason Naylor loves contrast, and that can be seen in much of his work, where he places bright colors against a pitch black background. His work is also cool in the sense that it involves motivational quotes and positive messages. The main element of his work is the typography, and he comes up with awesome colorful fonts to display his messages.
8. Hal Lasko
Hal Lasko is a veteran of the digital art space. He has developed a reputation as the pixel painter. It all started on his 85th birthday, when he was given a computer with Microsoft Paint. Lasko was a traditional artist before, but his failing vision limited the amount of work he could do. The computer allowed him to continue creating for the rest of his life.
9. Erik Johansson
Erik Johansson is famous for his surreal images, like the popular one where two ladies are fixing moons in the sky like light bulbs. His primary tool is the camera, and with it he does wild and creative things. The best part of it is that he never uses computer-generated imagery in his work. All of it involves photographs he has taken on his camera. The images take an awfully long time to create, so he rarely does more than 10 pieces a year.
10. Sara Ludy
Sara Ludy is a prolific and eclectic artist with work spanning diverse areas including animations, videos, websites, sculptures, audio-visual experiences, and much much more. Much of her work is focused on finding and expressing the intricate relationship between the virtual work and our own physical world. As part of this, she also does a lot of virtual reality related art.
Who is the most famous digital artist on Instagram?
1. Andrea Zittel
Andrea Zittel loves to call herself an ‘institute of investigative living’. She has a retreat in Joshua Tree, California, and there she conducts and documents her research, laying it out on her Instagram profile for all to see. Most of her photos are of clothes, food, and architecture, all as part of an effort to develop a deeper understanding of human nature.
2. Daniel Arsham
Daniel Arsham has a great Instagram profile, where he showcases rather surreal installations involving a mix of architecture, design, and art in interesting ways. He almost always posts photos and short videos, as well as snaps of his studio in Brooklyn. Our favorite part of his studio is the trapped figure in his wall.
3. JR
JR isn’t his real name, and no one really knows what his real name is. That said, he’s one of the most popular artists on Instagram, with a following of 1.6 million followers. He has been fondly described as a 21st century Cartier Bresson, thanks to his monochrome photos that he likes to take in public places. If you like to see graffiti and street art from a different perspective, you’ll appreciate this artist’s feed.
4. Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei mixes politics with creativity in much of his artwork, and social media is his main outlet for showcasing his work. His feed has numerous procedural images of sunflower seeds and trees, all of which are being installed in Beirut, Venice, and Jerusalem. Ai often takes selfies with big name artists, like Oliafur Eliasson and others. His work is not only eclectic, but exciting to watch as well, and his Instagram page is always full of interesting stuff.
5. Olafur Eliasson
Olafur Eliasson is a Scandinavian artist who loves to create large-scale art installations. From waterfalls in New York to mist and sunshine at the Tate Modern, a dry riverbed running along the floor of the Louisiana Museum in Denmark. One of the cool things about Olafur is that he shares work by other artists on his feed as well.
6. Eduardo Tresoldi
Eduardo Tresoldi loves to build mesh structures and his works are of such brilliance that each one is virtually guaranteed to go viral on Instagram. Many of them are great architectural works, echoing the classical churches of old. His works have been installed all around the world and their photos have got this young artist a massive following.
7. Banksy
Banksy is a famous but anonymous artist. His canvas is building walls, and his pieces are always in danger of being wiped out by politicians. So he uses Instagram to create a permanent record of his work. Much of it is satirical, making interesting statements about the world’s political and economic state.
8. Chiharu Shiota
Chiharu Shiota does art installations exclusively with yarn. Her pieces are fascinating, filling film and theater sets, church spires, gallery rooms, and caves, to name a few.
9. Shantell Martin
Shantell Martin is a British artist based in New York with a knack for making beautiful art from simple lines on everything, including street shutters, sunglasses, clothes, and walls. Her feed is a bubbly depiction of these installations.
10. Doug Aitken
Doug Aitken is a multimedia artist that takes full advantage of Instagram and his smartphone to share beautiful art with the world. He posts lots of videos on his Instagram of his installations, including the Anger Room at the ARoS Triennial in Denmark and the Mirage House in California.
10 of the most famous digital art pieces you need to know
1. Marta Dahlig Pieces – Link
2. Daniel Conway Pieces – Link
3. Marek Okon – Link
4. Cris de Lara – Link
5. Artgerm – Link
6. Lorenz Hideyoshi Ruwwe – Link
7. Alon Chou – Link
8. Linda Bergvist – Link
9. Aleksi Briclot – Link
10. Goro Fujita – Link
FAQs about famous digital artists
Who is the greatest digital artist?
The term “greatest” is subjective and can vary depending on personal preferences, artistic style, impact on the digital art community, and other factors, many digital artists have made significant contributions and have gained fame within their respective niches.
These include:
- Beeple (Mike Winkelmann): Known for his everyday pieces, Beeple’s artwork has reached unprecedented heights in the digital art community. He became globally famous when his digital piece “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” was sold as an NFT for $69 million at Christie’s auction.
- Loish (Lois van Baarle): With her unique and vibrant style, she is widely respected in the digital art community. She has a strong presence on platforms like Instagram, DeviantArt, and ArtStation.
- Aaron Blaise: A former Disney animator, Aaron has made a significant impact on the digital art world through his realistic animal drawings and his mentorship to young artists via online tutorials.
- Yoshitaka Amano: Known for his contributions to the Final Fantasy series, Amano’s work in digital and traditional mediums has been influential in the world of video game art.
- Craig Mullins: Often regarded as one of the pioneers of digital painting, his work has influenced countless artists in the field.
However, the digital art landscape is dynamic and rapidly evolving. Artists are constantly pushing the boundaries of creativity with new technologies such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and blockchain-based art (NFTs). It’s essential to keep in mind that “greatness” in art is subjective and can vary depending on individual perspectives and the particular criteria one uses to assess the art.
What is the most famous digital art?
One of the most famous pieces of digital art is “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” by Beeple (Mike Winkelmann). This digital artwork gained global attention when it was sold as an NFT (Non-Fungible Token) for $69.3 million at Christie’s auction house in March 2021. This marked a historic moment for the digital art world, signifying a mainstream acceptance of digital art as a form of valuable and investable asset.
The artwork itself is a collage of images that Beeple has been creating every day for over 13 years. It captures various themes and reflects the evolution of Beeple’s skills and trends in the digital art world.
However, please note that the digital art scene is fast-evolving, with new artists and artwork emerging regularly. The “fame” of a digital artwork can often be ephemeral and contingent on various factors like current trends, media attention, and the socio-economic context of its creation and reception.
To sum up…
And with that, we come to the end of this article. As you can see, digital art is pretty popular out there, and there are lots of inspiring artists and works of art to see out there.
In conclusion, the ever-evolving digital art scene is full of awe-inspiring talent, innovation, and creativity. As emerging technologies continue to reshape this domain, artists will keep on challenging boundaries, inspiring those who aspire to venture into the world of digital art. This list of artists and their works, while not exhaustive, provides an insightful starting point for exploration and inspiration.
Hopefully, this will motivate you and spur you on to do great digital art yourself. Until next time, happy drawing!
