Why buy art from an artist instead of getting it free from sketching apps ?

These days we see many applications and websites that claims to make pencil sketches from your photographs within a few minutes or seconds. If you search in Search Engines you will find these sketch apps on the top of the first page. These sketching software simply make the photographs, submitted by the users, look like a pencil sketch. These machine made sketches can then be printed on a paper with the help of a printer. People interested in getting their photograph sketched, but for free, are using these software, But do you think these are really a pencil sketch and an art ? I don't think so. These sketches made with an app can not be called an art.

Recently I came across a guy's comment on an artist's post on a Social Networking Website. The artist had posted a colour pencil portrait along with the price. The guy commented  ''Why should we pay 3500 for a pencil sketch when there are so many apps to get the sketch for free?" There will be many people like him who thinks the same thing. 

So the question is, "If these applications make a sketch similar to a handmade sketch for free then why buy original art from an artist?"

And the answer is :-

• Handmade original pencil drawing or pencil sketches are made after hours or sometimes days of hard work by the artist.
• Original drawings can be bought as an asset which will appraise itself over time. By buying an original artwork you are not only supporting an artist financially but also supporting yourself by accumulating an asset that is to increase its value with the increase in the artist's value. 

Take an example: Suppose there are two guys who wanted to get themselves sketched. One guy approached an artist and the other guy used an app. The first guy paid for the art whereas the second guy got it for free. They both kept their sketches for years. In the meantime the artist who had drawn the first guy's sketch becomes very famous and his artworks have become very expensive. This increase market value of the artist will increase the old works of the artist also and the price of the first guys sketch will also increase.

• Possessing or collecting artworks from famous artists is a status symbol as not everyone can afford to buy their artworks.

Its up to the people to decide what they want.