I compared my digital paintings from 2018 to 2023 and the difference is shocking

I was cleaning out my hard drive last week and found some old Procreate files from five years ago. The difference in quality between then and now is honestly embarrassing. Back in 2018 I was doing flat, muddy colors with no lighting. Now I actually understand value and color theory after taking a local workshop at the community college. Has anyone else looked back at their early work and felt like it was a completely different person drawing?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan_wood6d ago

That local workshop probably taught you color temperature, not just color theory. A lot of beginners mix those up when they start getting serious. Still, it's wild how much the brain can level up in just a few years of focused practice.

wendy_henderson216d ago

Read a blog post once that said comparing old art feels like looking at a photo of a stranger.

the_holly6d ago

Oh man, I gotta disagree with that one a little bit. For me, looking at my old art is more like watching a home video of yourself from ten years ago. Yeah, it's awkward and you cringe at some of the choices, but you can still see the same person in there trying their hardest with what they knew at the time. The stranger part doesn't ring true to me because I remember every frustrating hour I spent on those ugly paintings, and they feel like old friends now. Maybe it's different for other people, but I think there's something kind of sweet about seeing how far you've come from that messy starting point.