Finding My Digital vs Traditional Style

Sep 23

How I'm Bridging the Gap Between Two Creative Worlds

I’ve been an artist for most of my life, but it wasn’t until 2015 that I dipped my brush into the world of digital art. I started using Procreate, slowly learning how to build artwork layer by layer. It was exciting—but also like developing a whole new brain. What began as curiosity quickly became a powerful tool in my creative toolkit. I could suddenly zoom out, undo, and refine in ways that traditional painting never allowed. And yet… something was missing.

Where They Align—And Where They Diverge

While my digital and traditional art often look similar in terms of style and subject matter (whimsical, painterly, a bit storybook), they feel different to me as the maker. I use a lot of mixed media in my handmade pieces—gouache, pencil, pen, and ink—to create textured, tactile work that you can feel through the screen.

Digitally, I do my best to mimic that richness using pencil and gouache brushes, but the result is smoother, a little flatter. I sometimes worry it’s too polished. That’s the paradox of digital art: its greatest strength is also its potential weakness. The ability to over-perfect is tempting. And yet, what I love about traditional art is exactly what can’t be faked—imperfection, intuition, texture.

Imperfection Is the Point

I believe we’re in an era where people crave the human touch in art. With AI creating work that’s clean and hyper-refined, handmade art—with its quirks and wobbles—is soulfully grounding. There’s value in the imperfections: brushstrokes that aren’t quite even, or sketches that wander off-center.

Painting by hand remains my true love. It's a full-body experience—the drag of pencil across paper, the way water blooms through pigment, the meditative stillness of watching color dry. That slowness, that sensory connection, is something digital art can’t replicate.

But I also know digital art is a powerful tool—it lets me reach a wider audience, create for licensing, and develop products like prints and stickers. It belongs in my world too.

What the Prompt Challenges Are Teaching Me

Lately, I’ve been participating in the #Botanicalbeasties2025 challenge, creating both sketchbook pages and digital illustrations based on the same prompts. And what I’ve noticed is this: my traditional sketchbook pages are getting more engagement. People seem drawn to the warmth and personality they carry. And while my digital versions are lovely, they don’t yet spark quite the same feeling.

This feedback is valuable. It tells me where I’m strong, where I need more time to refine, and how I can bring both mediums into better harmony. I’m not looking for perfection—just honesty in my style.

What I’m Learning About My Artistic Voice

Right now, I’m somewhere between “refining” and “revealing.” I see the storybook whimsy that’s been growing in my work—and I want to nurture it. I admire minimalist, poetic styles like Rifle Paper Co. and wonder how to let that influence evolve organically in my own voice.

I’m also noticing how much color palettes and mood shape my style across mediums. In my “Green Witch” digital piece, using green and its red complement helped the character pop in a way that felt just right. That’s something I’m carrying into both worlds—color as a storytelling tool.

For the Artists in the Middle

If you’re also bouncing between mediums or unsure if your work is “consistent enough,” I just want to say: you’re exactly where you need to be. You’re not late, you’re not lost—you’re in progress. Sometimes clarity comes from the act of creating itself. Just make the next thing. The answers reveal themselves in motion.

If you’d like to follow along as I continue to merge these two worlds, you’re always welcome to join me on Patreon. That’s where I share exclusive behind-the-scenes, sketches, process shots, and the finished pieces that will become part of sticker sets, postcards, and mini collections.

This is the era of integration—digital and traditional, intuition and refinement, play and purpose.

And I’m glad you’re here for it.