Chart of Paint Popularity Among Illustrators
I made a chart to compare the popularity of various painting media.
Which mediums did illustrators use between 1900 and now? I wondered.
Oil dominated at first. Gouache and casein had their heyday mid-century. Acrylic gradually replaced casein. But by the year 2000, digital trounced them all.
What do you think is coming next?
I think there maybe a return to traditional mediums soon. As people lose interest in and become overwhelmed by digital media there is a draw to traditional forms. Granted, there will still need to be some adaption to the digital age but I think the focus is shifting.
Im betting Gouache and Watercolor will grow in popularity. Such versatile physical mediums and many digital artists use a software version of watercolor brushes. Digital will always be popular because edits are so easy and new digital tools speed things up a lot. I dont want to consider AI as a category but another tool in the digital toolset.