10/23/2026
This summer, I was working on a digital illustration when one of my son’s friends came up and asked if what I was drawing was hard.
You know what my first thought was? No, not particularly.
That didn’t sit quite right with me.
I spent the next few days thinking about why. My initial reaction was that the digital aspect makes so many things more accessible to me as an artist. I can scale a drawing precisely, test out different lines, and make adjustments without compromising the paper.
But it still takes time. It still takes years of practice, an eye for detail, and knowing when to tweak something, how thick a line should be, or which angle feels just right.
It’s the years I’ve spent drawing and illustrating on paper that have given me the ability to create in THIS medium. While digital illustration is very different from working on paper, it’s still art and, in my opinion, still hand-drawn.
I began offering digital illustrations as a slightly more affordable alternative to my signature style: dip pen and ink on heavyweight, professional-grade paper. It was also a way to continue offering my work while my children are young and my time is a little more limited.
But it got me thinking, and I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts.
Would you splurge on the original paper option? Do you love the accessibility of digital illustrations? Or does the distinction between art created by hand and art created digitally feel a little more complicated in a world where the digital and physical are becoming increasingly intertwined?
I have my own thoughts, of course, but I’m curious about yours. 🤍
xo,
Elizabeth
The Architects’ Daughter
