Aesthetics of Hand-Drawn vs. Computer-Generated Stippling

Abstract

Recent work in non-photorealistic rendering has produced results comparable to hand-drawn artistic images. Inspiration for such techniques has come from many traditional artistic techniques, such as pen-and-ink, to depict tone, depth, and shape. These techniques can create visually appealing images and increase understanding as is evident in their use in medical textbooks, popular science, etc. However, when computer-generated images are visually compared to similar hand-drawn images, studies have shown that subjects are generally able to determine differences between both images. This seems to indicate that there are different aesthetics associated with computer-generated images and hand-drawn images. This paper discusses the implications of varying aesthetics amongst hand-drawn and computer-generated images, focusing particularly on the application of stippling to provide tone and shape to an image.