2006 vs 2016 Art Comparison

[Kayke]

A lot of artists on twitter have been posting art from 2006 and art from 2016 to compare their skill. I joined in and decided it might be fun to try over here too so the forum users who aren't active on Twitter could participate.

First I have this Scooby-Doo fanart haha. The 2006 one is so angsty I can't even.

Second I have some comic pages. The old one is from a school project I did. When I was sorting through old files it surprised me because the basic layout is pretty similar to a Creep page I did this year. Gotta love those anime side mouths.

I'd love to see how much everyone else has improved as well!

[respheal]

Not exactly 10 years apart and the 2016 one is from the start of this year--was trying to find something with the same character.
2006:

2016:

In ten years I learned proper foreshortening and group composition! Yay! (Still shy about backgrounds though).

[quietsnooze]

Ahh I love seeing everyone's improvement with these! I have two compilations of original characters of mine through the years going back as far as 2002.

Ink (yes that's a neopet):

Dare:

[KSlinger]

Daaamn, you've really changed! Such a massive improvement, you must be really proud of yourself. Also found it amusing that there's a vehicle in the backgrounds of both comic page examples- like some things never change! Haha.

I have very little in the way of old art because the laptop containing most of it went kaput a few years ago. I did find this on photobucket though, I think I did this when I was fourteen or so? This was before I had a tablet.

And I guess I'll post another character in elaborate costume for comparison...

Also found this which was part of huge image spread across lots of pieces of LINED FUCKING PAPER that I then tried to scan in and piece together when I was about 17?? What was I thinking?

This is the closest thing to a horse I could find from the past few months. My designs have definitely become simpler and more stylised, you can see that in everything.

Bonus pic! I have no idea what this is but I love it. Thank you past me.

[joannekwan]

Going through old photobucket uploads, here's a collage of what I was doing around 2006, might be around 2008 more like.

Oh, there was also this from 2007. I don't know what I was going for.

@ScampiCub aww yisss that lined paper!

and then I'll just recycle this image again I posted in another thread. : P

[AnnaLandin]

I had to go digging pretty deep in my folders to find 2006-art, but I managed!

2006

vs

... 2016!

The original meme is also about comparing how you looked in 2006 with how you look now, and it's kind of magical - I look exactly the same as I did in 2016. Like, literally the same glasses and everything. Even my mom couldn't tell the difference between the pictures.

It's like I've got some kind of Dorian Gray-thing going on, where I don't age at all, and all the change happens in my art instead. ^_^;

[blinkingkills]

2006

2016
I'm pretty sure i got better out of spite because a lot people laughed at my drawings when i was in middle school in 2006

[miesmud]

Hooo boy, I used to be terrible at drawing. But everyone has to start somewhere right?

2006: (age 9)

2016:

[joannekwan]

omg you were 9 in 2006? I feel so feckin' old … ToT

[miesmud]

Ohno, don't feel old!
I think I was nearing 10 though. This drawing was next to the Sinterklaas & Christmas drawings of my binder with 2006 art haha. And, idk I used to be bad at drawing for my age haha :')

[Kura]

Honestly, I feel my 2006 and before stuff was better then the stuff I do now (or not much improved) because arthritis wasn't a thing for me in 2006. But it is for 2016, and really working with it often feels like I have to teach my arm ho to draw all over again.

So in 2006 I could do all kinds of small details or work on stuff for hours upon hours on detail or trying to get a pose right without hurting myself. 2016 no. Minimize the efforts as much as I can or I will cripple myself for weeks.

I could also still do traditional art in 2006, I can't use traditional tools like pencils or inking pens anymore. So the only thing that looks better is the cleaner lines now... and that was only because I do them on the computer now because I literally cannot draw them traditionally anymore.

2006

2016

Looking through my art folder also reminds me that this year had a LOT of pictures that I could not finish due to pain.

[Michelle]

@blinkingkills Dang! I think you've definitely nailed it for biggest improvement. That's really inspiring!

These are all really awesome! Okay, time to embarrass myself. >u>;

2006 in illustration:

(PHOTOSHOP STAMPS GALORE)
2016:

2006 in comics:

2016:

Apparently I just always liked writing grump/not-so-grump duos. :v

[spadesart]

i didnt think i had anything from 2006 but i just found a huge binder of stuff from like 2005-2007 AAAAAAAA

(please view in a new tab for The Full Effect)

then these are from this year :'vvvvvvvvv

[Mharz]

OMG You guys improved so much! I love seeing art comparisons like this!

Anyway, here's mine. I've been compiling some of my art. I was in highschool in 2006 and I've been doing digital art since that time.

I was pretty shy in showing my old artworks because it's absolutely bad but then again what's the harm. So here. XD

[Kayke]

Wow these are all so interesting! It's cool to see everyone's artistic growth!

@respheal It's cool to see what parts of your style stayed the same as your technical skills improved!

@quietsnooze oh my gosh your time lines are amazing, now I kind of want to make one. I was thinking the other day about how my art goes through stages where it gets more complex and then simplified again and I think I see the same trend in your work, keeping certain things and trimming other things back as time goes on.

@ScampiCub Thank you! And yeah I was kind of creeped out at how similar those pages were, I guess that's just how my brain is wired or something hahah. I love how much personality your art gained! I also love your shrimpen <3

@joannekwan wow! You've always had such a wide range from cartoony to more detailed! It's amazing to me that you were able to strengthen multiple styles simultaneously.

@AnnaLandin oh my gosh Anna seeing your colored pencil drawing makes so much sense to me. I can almost imagine you in high school art class I went on twitter to peek at your photos and you really do look the same. I look different almost every week because I am addicted to changing my hair style haha

@blinkingkills Your improvement was really intense! I wouldn't have even been able to guess those were drawn by the same person!

@miesmud Aaah! you're so young and so much better than I was at your age Keep up the good work! I look forward to see where you are in ten more years hahah

(Have to break up these replies into two posts because of the mentions limit)

[Kayke]

@kurapikasuki I'm sorry about your arthritis. I'm also sorry you like your older art more, because personally I think your new art is great! It may be a bit simpler, but it has so much more personality. It's really unique and quite skilled!

@michelle Your art has matured so much! I love it! Your old style is super creative though haha, at a glance I was like "anime" but then after a second I was like... "wait they look kind of like muppet fairies"

@stnmaren Okay I think you might win the most changed award lol. Your current style has such a strong voice, I feel like I want to see a time line of how it developed!

@avimHarZ Your coloring improved by leaps and bounds! Thank you so much for sharing. You have absolutely nothing to be shy about art wise haha we all started somewhere!

[spadesart]

i had a solid 5 years where i tried to copy that 2009 nightcore anime girl artwork look its Not As Good As You Think (i kinda feel like if that hadnt happened I'd be even farther :U )

[quietsnooze]

Yeah totally! You should do it, especially if you have a long term OC to see the progress! I was in animation school so my designs because simplified and shapely. It definitely affected my style! Now with comics I'm slipping back into complex, haha...

[Michelle]

@michelle Your art has matured so much! I love it! Your old style is super creative though haha, at a glance I was like "anime" but then after a second I was like... "wait they look kind of like muppet fairies"

MUPPET FAIRIES HAHA. XD That's probably my favourite way to describe my old art and characters (someone once said they look like Dark Crystal, but I like your phrasing better.) I actually re-drew some characters from that old comic during Inktober:

I still don't have to heart to re-draw my super old, super terrible fandom OCs from pre 2006... or even... acknowledge they exist... >_>|I|

[Chopythes]

I've got this:

But I also have this:

vs

... Which I'd like to say is quite an improvement XD

Edit: I'm also quite surprised by everyone's improvement, but also how you can still some small traces from back then! <3