This was first a journal, but enough people urged me to make it news, so here it is.

I normally don't like to stir up trouble, but I've been noticing some things around this site that really irk me. Artists to be more specific, which I'm certainly not going to name. I'll break it down into a couple categories.

^{Also, I apologize for this being long, but I honestly think it's something all of you should read. It's important for not only you, but for the site and other artists.}

IMPROVEMENT

There are artists on here, namely a handful of extremely popular ones, that show almost no improvement in their work over the years, yet people go more and more crazy over all their stuff.

I don't understand how it is that these artists can be satisfied with staying at the same level of quality and technique, and sometimes even regressing. Some of them don't ever venture out from their norm, and are completely satisfied with creating the same thing over and over again with the same, or similar compositions.

I don't get the point of being an artist if you're not going to push yourself to improve or do new things, and it's even scarier when it doesn't happen over time naturally as it should.

The praise and favorites they get here on the site sometimes cause certain individuals to perpetuate their mediocrity. They get convinced they're already great, and don't need to get any better, whether it's an ego thing or subconscious.

LYING AND MISLEADING

There are also artists on here that either lie about their techniques flat out, or intentionally mislead people into thinking they're more capable than they really are. This happens a lot, even with really big artists.

What really gets on my nerves is when someone praises the hell out of piece for being something that it's not, simply because they're duped into thinking the technique is something that it's not. This includes photo manipulation, smudging, mattepainting, etc. that are passed off as being completely painted. Even when someone makes an inquiry, it's often ignored, or they just act like it's no big deal or make excuses.

There's also artists who pass unfinished, or really sketchy paintings off as finished professional work, and I can't believe people would pay for some of it, even really big professional companies that are household names. Some of these people get sloppier as they get bigger, and I don't understand it. I understand deadlines, and volume of work, but sometimes it doesn't make sense.

I've got nothing against certain techniques, but I can't stand when people pass things off for something they're not. There was even a DD recently that someone tried to pass off as a painting that was nothing more than a smudged photo, with even the original jpeg compression intact in places.

Luckily I was able to help get it taken care of just shortly after it showed up in the stream, but people seriously just need to be honest and realistic here. You're not convincing anyone when the drawings in the rest of your gallery are pencil anime lines, or DBZ fan art, and you have ONE photo realistic rendering that you try to pass off as an original work, or like you painted it. And for the record, I'm not insulting those art forms, I'm just saying the mash up of different styles is often too extreme.

EGO AND POPULARITY

Part of the problem that perpetuates these issues is the drive for popularity, and the almighty ego machine. Most people with a substantial amount of pageviews will tell you that they mean nothing.

Me and many of the "popular"/pro types I know have a good mentality towards this type of stuff, and we make it a point to not develop these overinflated egos that eclipse our art. We don't let the BS go to our heads and suddenly think we're gods because we get a ton of faves and comments that tell us how great they think we are.

Ask someone like me or Adonihs and we'll just tell you we're two regular guys, even though a lot of the community likes to think otherwise. Too many people think they're above the rest, but will never admit it, or are too self-absorbed to realize it. I personally still feel like I'm taking my first baby steps when it comes to art.

SO....

So what's my point with all of this? I hate seeing people fall victim to such shenanigans, and even more than that, I hate seeing artists that are good or have potential turn into hacks and egomaniacs.

Everyone needs to open their eyes, artists and art admirers alike. If something looks out of place or too good to be painted compared to the rest of something, then it probably is, trust your gut.

And on top of that, if some big artist passes something mediocre or crappy off as something big, or great, or pro work, don't feel afraid to critique it just because they're pro or big and you're not. Just because you're not big time doesn't mean you can't call out things that are wrong with something.

Often it takes a non-artist to point out an issue that you and other artists sometimes miss out on. As long as you're not rude, or pretentious about it, usually the artist will be appreciative... that is unless they're ego is too big and then just wave you off and ignore you.

Either way, you people need to start saying things to these people, so at the very least they can be honest with all of you. And even better, would be if they stopped their rehashing of the same old things and actually make some improvements. It's not only interesting for us, but it's helping them too.

I aim to do better with every single piece of work I do. I can't imagine ever being satisfied or settling for the level I'm already at, and no one else should either. Keep pushing yourselves, and push those around you.

AND...

And for the record, I know many people do work for their own self-satisfaction, and aren't necessarily looking to become great with everything they do. I'm NOT talking about these people, so please don't get offended.

I'm referring to people who are at a very high level of popularity/professionalism, and people that I've been watching for a long time. I would never jump to conclusions on people I've only been watching for a couple months or a year, I'm referring to people I've been looking at for years.

Take care everyone, and good luck.