Is Your Art Getting WORSE? (Art Regression: Myths vs Reality) || SPEEDPAINT + COMMENTARY

[@BBkiny]

Honestly I'm so glad you exist because I've seen so many people talking about art issues but they... don't really, y'know, talk about it. They just talk about specific dramas without digging any deeper. So thank you for having an actual mature conversation and bringing up very valuable & interresting points

[@takatotakasui8307]

It's why I love this channel

[@hamstersandwich9917]

this 100%. There's not really any other channel i know that talks about this type of stuff. I guess there's Fionapollo but still not quite the same

[@theplumscrub1627]

EXACTLY!

[@TheobaldLeonhart]

I got reminded of this, while watching the intro Cypher Den's art, did "regress". Although she has a reason for it She constantly overworked herself, to the point where her tendonitis got worse So she started a better work/life balance, and made things easier for herself. So she hopefully doesn't have to get surgery

[@Nora_the_Seedrian]

At one point I thought I was suffering from Art Regression. Turns out it was depression. I didn't have the energy or enthusiasm to put in my full effort at the time.

[@El_Famos]

hope you feel better now :)

[@Emperor-Quill]

I feel like one of the more unspoken of causes of real Art Regression is struggles with mental or physical health. I've had times where my art skills deteriorated as a direct result of just not being able to allocate brainpower into it!

[@Vileplume87]

Fr like " man I wonder why my art sucks!"- someone who is sick, on period, hungry, dehydrated, AND tired

[@holeeshyett1764]

For real, I've been struggling with undiagnosed mental health issues (or maybe I'm just burnt out) for the past 3 years which makes me unable to draw like I how used to. I rarely even draw anymore

[@ggun4550]

I have an analogy for art "regression": your skills are like colored pencils that you store in the drawer, you put there every new color you picked up somewhere, without organizing them, and when there's too much of them they become disordered to such degree, you can't find that one color you need, so what your brain is doing is shaking all the pencils out of that drawer, some of them it keeps and organizes, some throw away. This is the period when your drawings become worse. At least this is how I experienced art regression. Also! Your art can get worse because of life circumstances, no one's art will be great when they experience losses and pain. P.S. sorry for my primitive english, but it still better than google translate🙃

[@ybouzl2191]

Bro you speak English better than some people who only speak it lol... Either way, congrats for learning the language!

[@dominic_19077]

After a (couple) years-long art block, when I could draw again, I actually experienced a huge level up in skill.

[@minty.thefox9191]

ive had this happen multiple times in my life probably due to not feeling negatively about the new work i tend to get burnt out on art a lot because of negativy of how i feel about the stuff i do/myself

[@teehee5700]

this happened to me when i was younger but i went through a two year art block and i got worse

[@CapricornusSage]

that’s happened to me several times!! it makes me wonder if it was art block or just burn out now.

[@NeoMawz]

This is what constantly happens to me. I'll go through a phase of not really drawing for weeks - months ... and then once I return I seem to finally improve? Its really weird

[@dominic_19077]

@@NeoMawz ​​⁠so, what I've heard it's that when you're not active in it, your brain is able to process the stuff you've learned or learn during your art block/artless times. When you go back to it, you'll essentially have learned stuff that your brain is now capable of putting into practice. So, these times of art block or when you're just not drawing, are actually kind of needed/useful. They aren't true "creative blocks", they're just your brain being able to sort and process things. I've also heard that passive learning can be good (such as, watching/looking at tutorials, but not actually drawing anything). If that's all true, I don't know, but it does seem to fit with my experience as I've always seemed to get a level up after an art block (sometmes large, sometimes quite minor, but always something that just suddenly seems to make sense).

[@Tyrannee]

It constantly baffles me that not only do I stumble upon your videos as soon as they come out, but the topic is exactly what was on my mind. It's honestly crazy... As someone who's been trying to go digital after being a traditional artist for quite an amount of time, art stagnation has definitely felt like a mood recently. Part of that is probably because I naively expected the transition to be easy, and while it still was, I couldn't help but feel I wasn't making the most out of the significant benefits digital art has. The video so far has really helped my perception of how I'm currently feeling towards my art. It's always good to have a reminder that you can only be motivated by your own appreciation for your craft. Wishing you the best with your videos!

[@427skies]

I was soooo bad at digital. Now I'm so used to digital that I'm worried about going back to traditional. 😂 I'm even afraid to buy a sketchbook.

[@CharliMorganMusic]

Musician here. Not the medium you're talking about but it definitely hits me hard. I feel like I'm getting worse.

[@SebastianSeanCrow]

0:54 as someone who feels like the quality of their work is constantly going up and down, I will say there are reasons why that happens but it’s no big deal. Every journey has its ups and down.

[@annsil8968]

Also, I'd love to add that sometimes "regression" is actually "improvement." For example, a few years ago, I couldn't allow myself to draw anything I wanted in my sketchbook. But then I permitted myself to draw whatever I wanted, not even perfecting every single line. And it seemed to be a "regression" at first. But in reality, I've boosted my skills a lot since then Thanks for a video 🩵

[@ellafrost4296]

I’m really happy this was discussed. I have trouble remaining consistent with my practice/burn myself out and have periods where I’m not drawing at all, and when I get back it looks like it’s gotten worse. I’m usually able to bridge the gap back to my usual flow pretty quickly, but it does cause a little frustration in that period of time where I’m working myself back to my usual quality of drawing. Gotta find a way to combat that beautiful ADHD and be more consistent with my practice/schedule.

[@arlequinelunaire418]

This video reminded me of how I recently redrew an old picture of mine in a different style and thought it was wors. Yet my mother, an artist in her own right, thought it was an improvement instead, especially proportionally (and even though I'm her daughter, she doesn't tend to sugarcoat art advice). Guess it showed me that art regression can be sometimes in the eye of the beholder

[@nonoo2157]

I got art regression after overworking and burning out due to my art gcse, I ended up dropping it because it was either my health, or a gcse. I haven't touched a pen for over a year now, and when I do, it's noticeably worse. But that's okay. I'll get better soon

[@miles4939]

bro art gcse is literally hell, i got artblocked because of it for over a year as well and it was super hard to repair my relationship with art. best of luck and my sympathies that u went through that

[@427skies]

I think with things like art, you don't truly forget it. I think it's like riding a bicycle. You may fall a few times but once you remember, you're zipping around.

[@rizumutopia]

i think one of the reason why you feel your art is regressing, especially if you've started drawing again after not drawing for a while or a long time is because you're starting to imagine your art in a bigger picture. i'll talk about this based on my experience. my artworks was way more complicated and have this vibrant, detailed shadings in the past. but i got tired and got an artblock for around a year, not drawing because of school and part time work and got no time for drawing. but as i started drawing again around a year later, my artworks became simpler and less vibrant. there are less colors, less layers. i only did 1 or 2 layers for shading compared to how i did tons of layers for shading in the past. but now, i realize i took my focus more on the whole composition and my art as a whole instead on focusing on specific parts. i don't often do lineart anymore, i abandoned blending brushes, so now i usually shade in cell shadings in 2-4 colors. but my anatomy, compositions, and lightning feels more clear and the composition can easily be digested from afar. i think sometimes you don't need to fret if your art became simpler. sometimes less is more.

[@PikachuBen]

Man this video could not have come at a better time for me. I feel like I've been "regressing" in my art recently and stopped doing it for awhile due to work leaving me with virtually no energy (and due to feeling like I'm regressing). I'm trying to get back into drawing and I find myself straying away from my usual stuff (original character art) and into new stuff the lets me experiment and hone my skills and sense of aesthetics (think wacky looking still life). I'm also forcing myself to find new brushes to try out and use for my usual stuff and I've slowly been finding an art style for myself that could hopefully translate into character art I do.

[@nekomarulupin]

You know, maybe we should name names. People who purposely go out of their way to cause mental distress should be shunned out of the art community.

[@oh.9641]

toxic people getting responded with toxicity seems a bit counterintuitive lol, "negative behavior breeds negative behavior" type of stuff. its better to educate than to outright shun people out

[@LaniusEatsMeat]

​@@oh.9641what if those people refuse to understand/reason or are genuinely dangerous? like them scamming, doxxing or grooming? or making somebody end their life?

[@-themightymittens-]

It's Basil!!! It's the boy!!!

[@-themightymittens-]

The finished piece is so cool aa I love real-world Basil in the photo

[@Yunalunari]

This is such an interesting topic. Personally I also think you can overpractice which can add to an art low or burnout. I've learnt during my art journey that very often when I felt stuck in an artblock I realised it's my brain needing some space to process all the information learnt. Once I gave myself the room to settle and returned to art again afterwards, there was such a spike in improvement .w.

[@nstuff-f1d]

I wouldn't say I suffered art regression but I've definitely suffered from burnout. And I think it is because of the problem you stated: 10:40 I was hell bent, if not obsessed with, on recreating the GBF/FF style that I spent a large amount of time studying it. Every waking moment I was trying to recreate it. Even when I was casually playing games, a fire would light under my ass and I would B line to my desk, throw everything off and politely slam down my tablet or sketchbook and essentially get to work. Eventually I became tired of it and art all together that I took a a whole year to recover from. I did this for months by the way. Though that was a while ago, and the problem was I didn't set goals for myself. I just jumped on my tablet and tried to do it without doing a proper art study and breakdown first. Nowadays, I look at art with a critical eye and take what I like from it. And if I'm trying to recreate a style, I'll simply take a couple pieces I like the most and break those down into simpler goals. Like recreating the lineart, then the coloring or composition of another piece, etc. And take it one step at a time so I actually understand what I'm trying to achieve. Not overloading my brain and making it explode. And this help me recreate styles like Persona 4. And _really_ helped more with complex styles like Akihiko Yoshida and Hiroshi Minagawa. On another note, I would really like to hear your opinions on aging up characters. I've already seen two other people talk about it but I really like your in depth research. Especially on how the human interprets it.

[@pamelaojeda22]

I think another reason for art stagnation or regression, is when one either tries to take too many shortcuts or not take enough time to finish a piece by any reasons one may want to make drawings faster, either because of wanting to post more often or having a faster workflow or just self pressure to finish pieces faster, sometimes that may cause a piece to feel rushed, sometimes we don't take the time to look at a reference or we skip steps, which is why sometimes is important to remember to slow down every now and then and try to take your time on finishing something.

[@Cepheusrose]

So glad you're covering this! The point of asking other artists is actually what jumped me out of what I felt was a slump to improve. I made it a habit to ask for feedback. And oof, I felt the tutorial one in real life. My job is art-based and I had a mentor who didn't concretely explain how he got a result from what he did. When my boss gave me a different mentor who explained all of that, I flourished quickly. Thank you for making this video!

[@goldegreen]

Haven't watched the video yet, here are my pre-emptive thoughts. Art regression is real, but it's a normal part of the learning process, and it can happen for a lot of reasons. One might be that there's something blocking you- mental state, energy, life problems, etc. Another is the fact that learning is not a linear process. Art isn't the kind of skill that you can just practice until it's "correct", it's highly personal and the way everyone approaches it is different. Sometimes the way you used to do things just isn't right for you anymore and you need to relearn it in a new way.

[@chibibble]

I've definitely been experiencing art stagnation for the last two years, and I feel I'm reaching my breaking point. The sheer amount of things I need to improve on is overwhelming, and yet instead of sitting down to truly study these things, I take on new projects that require entirely different sets of skills as a way to procrastinate. I've never really sat down to learn how to render a piece digitally, so the one I'm working on for a future music video has been restarted at least four times, and been sitting in an unfinished state for over a month. Whenever I *do* work on it, I usually try for about 30 min, give up, restart the piece, try for another hour, give up again, then go back to working on my cel-shaded comic, defeated. Even then, I'm not entirely happy with my comic either. The posing is stiff, the coloring is overly simple, the shot composition is uninspired, the anatomy needs work, and the story often gets on my nerves since I wrote it as a slow burn (which is my preferred type of story, but it gets frustrating when a single conversation takes over a year to draw out due to the stagnation). So when I get frustrated with that, I move on to other projects such as cosplay, painting on wood, using watercolor, or going back to my original medium of alcohol markers. These will help for a week or two before I feel inspired to go back to the original project I was working on, but by then the skills I *did* learn have long since been forgotten and I have to relearn them all over again. And thus, the insanity cycle I've been stuck in for the last few years repeats itself, but I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel for me soon thanks to my life circumstances. I'll be moving soon, and the place I'm going to is filled with the most encouraging and supportive people I've ever met. I'll finally be around people who're actively rooting for my success and want to help me do so in any way they can, while I do the same for them. So here's my own advice: try to seek out people that actively want to help you succeed and support you every step of the way. Being my only cheerleader for years has taken a toll on my improvement, so knowing that I can soon rely on others for help has been a huge relief.

[@RandomArtistHere_io]

BASIL!

[@AnonymousD-f7f]

YAA

[@playfulwriter9796]

I haven’t been able to catch a video this early in a while! Good morning/afternoon/night! ❤

[@pixlethevtuber]

I used to draw in an anime/shitty jelly style (not calling the style shitty, calling the way I drew it shitty, those tutorials for the jelly art style were not helpful, lol). Now I draw in a very cartoony way (I still draw anime, depends on my mood), but my main art style is cartoony. The main reason I changed my style was because of AI. I didn't want ppl to accuse me of using AI, so I started drawing cartoony bc I don't see a whole lot of AI use cartoony styles. I'm really happy with the change I made. If it weren't for AI, I'd probably still be unhappy drawing in my anime style, lol

[@just_a_dude75]

Lol

[@saltysugarbird]

Omg I clicked onto this not prepared to see Basil!!!!! I love the drawing so much 💕💕

[@annsil8968]

Idk, in my opinion, nobody should call out any artists (regardless of their skill level) who may experience art regression. It isn't my business what or how a particular artist draws. Even if I notice that they are limiting their drawings, using the same poses/colors/topics/etc., they probably love what they do, and that is what actually matters. If they are interested in anybody's opinion, they will ask 😅

[@gwenhyfarbeati]

i've DEFINITELY had art regression, and it was simply because my skills weren't growing at a rate i wanted and i didn't have the support for my capital-i issues about becoming an artist that i needed to push past it. i've TECHNICALLY been learning to draw for a decade now, but really it's more like i started learning for a couple years, then didn't do anything for another couple years, then tried again, then stopped, etc etc for a decade. i have some pieces from 2019 that are the best things i've ever drawn, and i can't replicate them. but i've gotten close, and i get closer all the time now. the last year or so i've found the support i've been needing (specifically, a teacher giving positive feedback to counter the crushing negative feedback i got as a tiny child that killed my dreams for two decades), and even though i can see all of my mistakes etc, and i don't love everything i do, i'm FINALLY going "i'll just try again" or "hmmm maybe if i try something a little different" instead of thinking of giving up. and i can see that change in my work, and how it's getting better faster than it ever did before even when i was previously relearning things i'd already been working on. so that does sort of fit with your advice to get feedback, although i struggle to ask other artists i admire about it still. the difference between asking your teacher if you're doing well vs asking the popular kid who's good at the thing you're asking about, i guess lmao

[@Dad-vi9ly]

Love your resource video really helped me figure out some ideas on what I should do also you are an amazing artist

[@Ashvextient]

Not really an artist, but a person who draws as an hobby. By the time I looked at my art 5 years ago and compare them to my current art, I was suprised by the amound of changes my art got. But, as of right now, my art style kinda stayed the same, but I’m glad it does not go backwards

[@Fantasy_Artz]

"I struggle with rambling" just about everybody here likes your rambling madam, please continue to ramble ^^

[@enodoesart]

From my own experience and pondering on it, it feels like there's a regression that happens not only during burnout, or depression (etc), but also when you're starting to develop. Adding something to your style or work flow can be something that addresses a shortcoming you've noticed, but it can have the unintended side effect of bringing down the entire work's cohesive intentionality, but that's fine because it's just a temporary hardship of adding something new, ie you gotta wait for the balance patches to even things out again lol

[@alecurzvn]

thank you for the video, it came with a good timing for me. at the moment I'm struggling with seeing my art objectively and I'm not sure what's the reason for thinking that my art got worse. I think it's either burnout or too much sensory issues since I got braces and oh man...they make me feel overwhelmed sometimes I wish every artist here a very "you're improving"❤

[@techno_otaku]

I wouldn't say I have art regression, same for a fee other friends. It mostly comes from those who either have burnout, lack of time to make art to their best ability, and hussle culture of making money from their work at a steady pace. Thankfully there may be moments you get to go all-out when given the down time and motivation!

[@maw5646]

Jokes on you, my art was never good to begin with.

[@CapricornusSage]

say sike 🔫

[@maw5646]

@@CapricornusSage I can only say the truth. 🔫

[@CapricornusSage]

@@maw5646 :0 were in one of those “one lies while one tells the truth” situations

[@fitzy7419]

right on time for my work break!!

[@BunnyGxre]

Art ‘regression’ can sometimes, in my experience, just be changing styles or changing subject matter. I mostly draw humans, so if I were to draw a piece with only animals it would definitely look like I regressed because I’m not as practiced at those subjects, and the same applies to literally every other artist that doesn’t practice every single subject the same amount.

[@astroscribble]

I used to feel like I have peaked in art at the age of 13. Turns out my pieces weren’t actually better, those were just finished and fully coloured traditionally, while now I’m trying to learn digital art, and obviously it takes time to learn new skills. My anatomy has also greatly improved in four more years of practice

[@Wallish-q3n]

I love your art, the speedpaint looks amazing!

[@Ra1npudd1e]

As soon as I heard the term “art regression”, one person immediately came to my mind: puppychan

[@qwerty-j6m4q]

BASIL!!!!!?!?!??!??!?

[@snowsakura4898]

I love u Basil Omori

[@kenziiixxx3628]

Thank you for talking about this I’ve been stuck for a long time, every time I want to learn something and try I don’t understand how to apply it because it doesn’t look good. I’m a cartoon artist I draw chibis but that’s not my dream art style anymore although I still love it I want to draw pretty semi realistic drawings and even tried digital painting but going from thick lined small chibis with bold colors to more human realistic drawings with realistic color pallets is hard to do since I never really took those study’s in mind since it didn’t go with my style. Lately I’ve been putting in more time and patience does it look how I want? No but the anatomy itself is not terrible. I always want to get into rendering but I’m just not there yet.

[@bojerylofy9404]

I had 2 times when I dropped art, the first was 2 years because I got bored, the second was 1 years for 12th grade studies. And when I came back after those 2 period, my art just stay the same despite a long time not drawing anything. Really made me doubt if art regression is a real thing

[@SukunaYaoi]

Yup, I dont have art regression i just have an inconsistent artstyle :3

[@xenomorphbannana4788]

OMG BABIL???

[@AmbrosiaMooshine]

Yo this is an amazing video, I loved it :)

[@Panduhpear]

Im so glad for this video. It really help me see a new perspective in my own art. Thank you for this. Gotta remember to give myself some slack. ✨🎀✨🎀✨

[@PerriVGaming]

Time to take some of these tips (experimentation) and get back to building houses in Minecraft that aren’t just cookie cutter giant wood and stone squares. (I’ll apply this to my drawings too maybe)

[@Serrano_N]

Yep, I must admit that I do feel as if my art is definitely not improving. Maybe it is, maybe it is not. Collage takes up most of my time, especially other mundane tasks such as chores and or taking care of siblings, pets, and other responsibilities. I make art for the fun of it never really proceed with it as a career in mind, but still...

[@zombiekosher]

What if I always feel like I'm in the 'art low' bit? That and my self confidence is huge road blocks for me and I have never been able to overcome it for long periods.

[@pemanilnoob]

I think I have some sort of art regression Any time I draw one style for the first time, it looks amazing, but the second time I try and make the same style, its infinitely worse. I draw one thing, I think it looks amazing, try and draw something in the same style, doesn’t even get to inking phase before I know it’s a lost cause and I give up. You cannot say I’m getting kinda better to that, I’m always at the peak for my first, and I’m always awful for any other time

[@TheHitsubasa]

Yeah, looking back at my art, I’ve noticed my newer art is a lot stiffer. I def need to get back into gesture drawing. Also I’m guessing that one artist starts with an S 😜

[@bonitogeneration]

as an outsider looking into this community it is WILD for me to see people talk with littlest pet shops about very serious topics 😭

[@owinlaa]

24:44 my fnaf brainrot has gotten so bad that I thought that you said “joy of creation” 😭😭

[@pixelverse48]

Sometimes, I wonder if my art is “regressing” I think it’s because it’s been a while since I drew something.

[@AnonymousD-f7f]

this is kinda unrelated to the video but i think that drawing you drew is really good and i like it a lot the colors looks so cool

[@dillonshea4268]

well there's just scribbling around, doodling, then um...SEXY DRAWINGS then there's actual work. :PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP Yes Abd THANK YOU for WIDE VARIETY OF SKILLS. That is what I have been talking about for a while. WHERE ARE THEY? CAN HE DO ANYTHING ELSE? WELL????

[@anoob6614]

Maybe some people don't want to put the same strain or tediousness in the process technically I've gotten worse since I don't messure out everything in a little box, but I having more fun

[@Sqewree]

celestiaaaaaaa i love youuu (not parasocial)

[@belalsaleem5319]

tysm ur so good

[@LegionEagles22]

OH MY GOD IT'S MY SON BASIL

[@15_heidune72]

Where's squarespace?

[@p-_-.b]

Wow this found me at exactly the right time

[@YourLocalAnimeWeeeb]

Basil from omori!!?

[@zenerunene]

I’m going to try cucumber and mustard now…

[@ceinwenchandler4716]

17:42

[@VanguardSupreme]

Art regression is very real - Pablo Picasso fell off hard. Mastered realism as an adolescent and by the time he was in his 50’s he’s making crude greyscale scribblings of screaming people and animals drawn all over the place in a piece a five year old could make. Dude literally even forgot how colours work. Sad! /s

[@goldenhorde6944]

Why would you keep doing something whose potential you've already exhausted decades ago?

[@VanguardSupreme]

@@goldenhorde6944 /s

[@AutisticJesusGaming]

Thank you art lesbian. It has helped a lot and I’m trying to improve from a starting point

[@pemanilnoob]

OMORI FANART OMORI FANART BASIL BASIL (Yes it’s my favorite game how’d you know)

[@iHeartAMP]

Yes 😢

[@Wall207Slow]

30 minute gang

[@soirema]

This is a great video and I love your content but your always struggling so much with your art! 😭😭 do you suffer from perfectionism ? :c its very bad for artists :C

[@FloreyXE]

New PFP?!?!?

[@TheobaldLeonhart]

No, it's an old one

[@GrimAngel52]

I thought........drawing....was like riding a bike.....

[@arisanogeeemu]

early

[@Wallish-q3n]

lol your poor wife:)

[@martincarle7368]

Your drawings, not your art.