Visual Integration Pathways: Exploring the Relationship Between Traditional Chinese Painting and Digital Animation Art Design
List of Authors
Kaili Liu, Mumtaz Mokhtar
Keyword
Traditional Chinese Painting; Digital Animation Art Design; Cultural Heritage; Cross-Media Integration; Visual Storytelling
Abstract
This research examines the incorporation of Traditional Chinese Painting (TCP) beauty into Digital Animation Art Design as a means to discover how cultural heritage can influence contemporary visual narration and design traditions. A qualitative, exploratory method was employed using semi-structured interviews with ten participants, comprising traditional painters, digital animation artists, and hybrid artists who practice both mediums. Data were analyzed using themes to reveal recurring insights into TCP's perceptions in the digital age, visual adaptation strategies, and cross-media integration challenges. The findings indicated that essential TCP features, including expressive brushwork, ink wash traditions, symbolic imagery, and the space philosophy, can be added to enrich digital animation by providing distinctive aesthetic and cultural value. Nonetheless, respondents also spoke of conflicts between maintaining cultural authenticity and conforming to globalized visual fashions, where innovation is actually a matter of reinterpreting rather than imitating conventionally established techniques. Through this research, TCP aesthetics are shown to inspire new animation streams while facilitating cultural preservation, adding to both design practice and cultural knowledge. In practice, it provides advice for animation artists and art educators looking to integrate tradition with technology. Study limitations include sample size and scope, and it proposes further research into VR, AR, interactive media, and audience reception studies.