DIGITAL REVOLUTION?

Since I'm a children's bookseller I see all the new books that come in. There is DEFINITELY a trend and it's digital. Digital art is fast and furious. In fact, I'm having a hard time finding new books that are done in a traditional medium anymore. Some books are done using both: partially drawn or painted and then scanned in and manipulated or colored digitally, etc.

This is what bothers me and I've written about it before: Reviewers don't seem to recognize digital vs. non. A very well known illustrator released a new book this past week and his book seems to be a mix of digital and traditional. I could detect photography, digital coloring, etc. It seems that in a few pages photographs were manipulated and colored over via the computer. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with this! In the past, all of his books have been done purely in a traditional medium and he painted in a very realistic style. So... I looked up the reviews and several very big reviewers said that they liked his, "luscious paintings," etc. If the medium is digital and uses photography then they are not paintings! Also, using digital painting tools isn't painting either. "Painting" is using paint.

I just want reviewers to correctly get the mediums used in children's books. If they don't know what is used then they should call the publisher and check.