Your thoughts on signing 3D artwork.

I mean, at the end of the day when you create 3D art, you’re still depending a lot on the computer to generate it. Wouldn’t you say that you should only sign your artwork if you created it by hand? I mean, I don’t go around signing my photographs or short films I’ve made. In fact, the term “3D artists” can be a little too crediting. I think it’s more appropriate to call yourself a 3D composer. It’s like calling myself a photo artist. I believe artists are those that create by hand.

Is that too purist? What are your thoughts?

The computer doesn’t create zilch… The user used the computer to create. The computer is a tool.
If I spend weeks creating a scene, I’m the one deserving the credit not My Dell!

You didn’t make the pencils or the paint either. You don’t have to invent the medium to be an artist though those who did invent the mediums are pretty creative.

And I’m playing devil’s advocate here, so try not to be too defensive. But really, it’s like a photographer, there’s a lot of technique and many tools involved to create some inspiring stuff but they don’t go around signing their photos. You don’t deserve that. You’re not a master of lines and perspective and color. A painter is though.

And there’s a big difference between pencils and a computer. You model a cube, throw a couple lights, and bam! The computer computes all the light calculations. A painter takes YEARS to master light. I like to digital paint here and there and trust me… my stuff sucks even after days and days of trying, because I need to study light that much more.

If all you do is model cubes then yeah, you suck at it. Look at more complex scene, look at the composition and the design. That is the art. Your whole point is based on the medium and not on the art produced with the help of the medium.

Really, my point is, should you hand sign a 3D artwork? And I believe you shouldn’t since you didn’t create it by hand. Now, a 3D sculpture, that deserves a hand signature for sure.

Ugh… not this discussion again

Depends on your definition of art

3D artists are artists so I don’t mind if you sign

do we put in the same amount of effort in an artwork as a painter? Probably not, but
We rely on the same artistic integrities

That’s your problem right there… The final product of a 3D artwork is a 2D image. It isn’t any different than any other 2D image that you create be it a drawing, a painting or other.

Yes, you should always sign your work and also protect it with a license.
In the case of work done on a computer, you try to signing using a graphics tablet, not by hand. Or even better, model and render the signing.

Really. I do not understand the meaning of: “I believe artists are those that create by hand”. I do not know, some kind of cavemen that literally they use their hands without tools would be those artists who do you mean?

I’m not being defensive. You’re suggesting that one can’t create in virtual spaces with no reasoning at all. Just because it isn’t as physically tangible means nothing. The expression isn’t physically tangible either. Of course there are aspects of digital art that make it more forgiving but that has nothing to do with expression. I’ve been in many of these discussions and this one is just as irrelevant.

I see a lot of photographers signing their work, maybe not when is a commercial work, but if it is a personal project or something for an expo of course they sign it. Yes, the camera is a tool, and yes they’re basically taking “snapshots” of reality, but is all about HOW you use the tool, and what YOU can achieve with that tool what matters…

If you manage to create the most beautiful landscape of a fantasy world with a 3D software you deserve the credit, the computer only did the calculations based on what you told it to do; maybe even behind that 3D artwork are a bunch of sketches that were done to determine the composition and the camera placement. No matter what tool was used, you’re the one creating it. According to your logic, basically everyone would be able to make awesome archviz or product renders after 2 or 3 months of learning… yet you don’t see that happening.

The tool means nothing if you don’t know how to use it, and knowing only the technical aspects doesn’t mean you’re an artist either.

How do you carry around those steel balls all day?

You know, the same analogy applies to someone just beginning to learn how to draw… someone draws a circle on a peace of paper, yet they didn’t make the pencil, nor the paper but yet, there it is.

Simulated mediums are still mediums. Even with “real” mediums you’re not manipulating the chemical bonds and causing the albedo when laquering. Either way physics plays its part. Create is a strong term for what happens during production of works of art. It’s more of an introspective task that computers are as of yet incapable of doing. This is really a discussion for a later date. I’ve thought about this pretty extensively.

https://gfxgarage.wordpress.com/2014/01/

With painting specifically, digital art is more forgiving with respect to the reversibility. That’s about it. Digital sculpting may actually be more difficult as it is not as intuitive as working directly with ones hands. They used to call airbrushing cheating until dry brushing got similar results.

The grass is always greener.

No matter what tool you used to do it, you did it. If you are proud of it and want to sign it … do so.

You can also put an inconspicous © copyright-symbol nearby … which actually is an important legal consideration.

Depending where you live it may not be. Here creative works are copyrighted by default and don’t need the © copyright-symbol at all.

HAHA it’s just how I roll. But seriously, I’m not discrediting the artistic creativity in 3D. We all just have to admit that we’re not masters of color and light like a painter would be.

neither would be a sculptor, an engraver or a caligraph yet they’re all artist… And they all may use a computer for their work.

Then again this is the most expensive painting ever sold