Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: With the advent of SketchPad [19] in 1963 by Ivan Sutherland, digital toolsets are now reaching the age of 60-plus years.It is interesting to note that the core instinct of Suterhland's work was to adapt computer hardware to an intuitive artist-friendly interface, known as SketchPad's "light pen." The formalization of Sutherland's demonstration begins with the breakthrough of no longer using text-based prompts to interact with computers.Yet, in 2025, the most common interfaces for artists still remain: mouse and keyboard or tablet and stylus.Whereas a child could easily interact with traditional artistic mediums by picking up a stick of charcoal, forming a slab of clay, or dipping a paintbrush, it is laughable to imagine placing a child in front of a modern workstation.In contrast, traditional mediums were mastered by many over the centuries using the exact same mediums a child would find intuitive to use.Now, artists are left with deeply technical systems that do not meet the artist in their world.Instead, modern professional toolsets ask artists to translate their processes into complex workflows.AI toolsets present paradigms nearly anyone can use but offer little control over the medium.Additionally, we theorize that technically cumbersome workflows and overly simplified AI tools have seemed to become less enjoyable experiences for the artist.Tool design for artist workflows must take on different considerations than other industrial user experience and user interface considerations.In this paper, we survey the evolution of artists' toolsets and the trends, achievements, and shortcomings to create stronger design pillars for artists' tool creation.We do this by accentuating the practitioner's craft and process through a historical lens and formal review of modern toolsets.By studying the evolution of artists' tools, we create new opportunities for artist-centric tool design.These artistic-centric design principles focus on quality, efficiency, control, enjoyment, and potential for mastery that meets the artists in their natural workflows.
Authors: Moshe Mahler, Yuchen Liu, Jodi Forlizzi
Institution: Carnegie Mellon University
Language: English
Topic: Digital Media and Visual Art
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funder: Carnegie Mellon University
OpenAlex ID: W4412045058