The supposed "real artist": 1. Uses a PC - a machine that runs software and connects to the internet for him 2. Uses a tablet - a device that maps brush strokes to pixels on screen for him 3. Uses Photoshop (or similar software) that has a LOT of hacks compared to traditional art, like layers, history, non-destructive workflow, brush stablilizer, overlay options, photobashing, etc. 4. Studies on other's art - i.e. pre-existing resources 5. Distributes his art on pre-existing platforms So lemme get this straight. The artist: 1. Doesn't manufacture the hardware, it's all done for him. Doesn't even know how it works under the hood. 2. Doesn't write the OS, all the interaction with the hardware is managed for him by software that's written by other people. Doesn't know how that works under the hood either. 3. Doesn't manufacture the tablet, nor does he write the drivers. All of the work translating his strokes into the digital space is managed by pre-made tools. Again, doesn't know shit about how it actually works. 4. Uses blatant hacks provided to him by tools like Photoshop that traditional artists simply cannot afford, which gives him an unfair disadvantage. An yup, you guessed it, knows jack shit about how it works under the hood. 5. Uses other people's art for reference, doesn't compensate the authors for it. 6. Uses pre-made distribution systems that manage content visibility and money transactions for him. So what's exactly "real" about these artists? What do they actually do? Scribble on a tablet? 99% of their work is already done for them by other people.