What I Learned by Being "Bad": Art, AI and Drawing Hands 

"I'm never going to be better than the machine, so why would I even bother trying to get better" Oof--past me for sure

Art really is one of those things that embodies the old maxim: "It's not about the journey, it's about the destination." That's something that even artists forget sometimes. Sometimes when I hear someone comparing themselves to the greats saying they'll never get there, I point to those same masters - specifically they're still on their own journeys. Mike Mignola's early work - notably his drawings of Cable from Xmen - is very rough. Rob Liefield's infamous bodybuilder Captain America pose speaks for itself. One can tell that Jim Lee went out of his way to avoid feet for a good portion of his run on X-men. Hirohiko Araki's gone through a complete evolution of like three or four different art styles over the course of making Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. These artists are almost universally held as well regarded professionals or masters; And yet, it's plain to see that they weren't always as good as they are now. They''re still in the middle of their own journeys. I read in a how-to-draw book that "every artist has around a thousand bad drawings in them. It's better to get them out of the way instead of torturing yourself over it." I don't really truly agree, but I won't deny that I've had pieces that I've left unfinished or been disappointed in. Maybe I lack the execution that day, I make some mistake that I can't easily fix, or it doesn't pan out the way I hoped. I could beat myself up, or I could just move on with my life and get on to the next one. I think it's helped me a lot to just mentally tick another drawing off the counter and move on to the next one. AI generation in a vacuum is a cool tool with lots of potential. We don't live in a vacuum though - and setting all ethical concerns and personal feelings on their choice of tool aside - it's truly pitiable that people are so fixated on chasing the phantom of a perfect drawing that they'd choose to outsource their personal journey to some sand. Where you're at right now, I can absolutely see parallels with my own art journey, especially the struggle of understanding the hands well enough to recreate them from scratch. You've definitely grown a lot as as a digital visual artist from even a few months ago. And I instantly recognized what you made as a hand, so you're objectively better than even the best AI at creating a hand from scratch from all the data you've gathered on hands.

this was an excellent video! it’s refreshing to hear someone talk about these artistic conflicts that i dont hear lot of people mention

5:20 - 5:34 I'm glad someone else has finally said this, out loud. Like, I really don't know why people use words like "doodle" or "sketch" or "scribble" to refer to something that is demonstrably Not That

I just came from your body horror video and thought I'd check out some of your other stuff and I just wanted to say, you really jumpscare'd me with that Ugly Organ reference haha! I appreciate it.

If there is any art advice I can give, as someone who was in a similar spot it'd be that: Just doodling, without expectation, stress or even thought helps (not even just helps, it can also just be fun!). It can be like untangling the webs in your brain that have been tripping oneself up and at times, after doodling for a bit you might make a doodle that you feel like you wanna do more with and the fun part is is that you can like just DO that. Sometimes I draw little pudgy cats, like pusheen, partly because it's impossible to draw a cat and not have it read as a cat because they are liquid and solid lol. Sometimes I don't draw a *thing* at all but just draw.

Your hand looks great! I can tell you really have made a lot of progress.

that ending felt strangely emotional for some reason

You go, girl!

…I am going to get off my bed and finish the art commission I’ve been putting off from embarrassment. I can and Will grow from it Thank you (●´ω｀●)

huh, i had not considered it like this, it calms the existential dread to see someone also learning to draw and play an instrument after years of putting it off, and we also share a fighting game background, it was nice hearing the similarities between the two communities put so concisely thanks for this, i know I'm just a nobody on the internet but we are just humans beyond the screen at the end of the day, and your experiences here helped me become just a little more than the moment before. i originally had a lot more written up but i think i decided to spare this comment section my existential crisis ramblings

Those were some interesting thoughts and opinions about art nowadays and the high expectations of creating something that would make you famous & popular, as well as creating something that brings true joy, to you and others, and how it doesn't matter if it's not that perfect in the eyes of the others. 🐭

The problem is capitalism

I figure i cant get any worse at art so why stop now