Why do a lot of artists hate their own work?

[zoonland]

The majority of artists are unsatisfied because what they have in mind is not easy, sometimes impossible, to translate on paper (sigh ).
Some says that they're failures or do bad works even if they know they aren't, because they like to hear other people saying "No, you're wrong, your art is amazing" and receive good opinions, compliments.

[Stellamari]

I don't know, try asking me again in 10 years time.

[AnnaLandin]

In my case, it's because I can see the flaws. I can see where it ended up looking different from what I originally wanted to draw. Other people don't know what my original idea looked like in my head, so they don't see the flaws the same way I do.

That said, I don't hate my own work - I just look at it can go "well, this could be better!".

[carloswebcomic]

Noooooooooo! I don't want to visualise you in there too!

[gateofselidor]

When you look at somebody else's art, you can see the pretty overall picture, and if you're artistically minded yourself, some of the technique. When you look at your own art, you can see the process that went into making it. All the areas you struggled, the places you cut corners or messed up and just left it, all the hours that went into making it, all the bits you could have done better with. So even if you're pretty satisfied with a piece, you'll probably still have mixed feelings about it.

[Doubtcent]

What I understand most is that YOU are your worst critic. Because you do have to make it, because you put it down on paper, you know your limits as an artist. So if what you draw isn't satisfying, which it never will, you will hate it in some way. But that then leads to the urge to improve, which is a very good thing.

If any of us considered our art perfect, there would be no need to keep practicing or creating. There would be no art to make.

[kazukitakamura126]

I believe artist think their art is bad sometimes because they are look and think about the most so they can spot flaws and misexecutions in their work. I can admit I have these moments too, but I have to remember if I am not good how come I can draw the human adult with almost perfect anatomy?

[insomniascrawl]

Personally I usually think my stuff looks terrible and for a lot of reasons actually. Partially because I'm still trying to get my digital stuff to look half as 'okay' as my traditional stuff, partially because I generally want to be better since I feel like things don't turn out the same way on the page as it does in my head...

But in general, I think everybody wants to be better at the craft no matter how good they are, whether they're just starting out, or whether they have amazing stuff, and maybe the better people get, the more they notice what could be better and the higher the expectations of their own skills become. It's not really a bad thing, since in a sense it pushes an artist to get better, but it is a crummy feeling to slave away at a piece of art, finish it and then while everyone else is saying how good it looks, you think 'it could be better' or 'the eye is not quite right'. It's a little frustrating at times, but it's a great driving force to keep at art and see more improvement I think.

[Kayke]

I'm one of those weird artists who is usually pretty proud of my work, hahaha. When I first finish it, I'll be really happy with it and want to show it off... and then a few months down the line I'll kind of be like "ugh, gross"... but even then I can recognize that it's still good work?

I think the self criticism comes from the fact that you spend SO LONG looking at your own work that you can see everything that's not perfect about it. But someone else is only going to look at it for a minute or two, not the hours you spent staring at it, so chances are they won't notice all the flaws the artist does.

[KSlinger]

From personal experience, hate like that is largely rooted in disappointment. You spend your life watching and admiring other artists and begin setting standards for yourself without even realising it. Then, equipped with what's possible, you begin imagining pieces you might create for yourself, only it isn't your style you're imagining, it's someone else's. You spend hours trying to put those thrilling scenes onto paper, and time and time again it doesn't look right. Nothing goes to plan. Soon every piece you make is a reminder that you just aren't there yet, and you begin to hide your work from other people in case they misjudge your mediocrity for complacency. Or worse, they mistake your lack of shame for pride. You start to draw only in secret, and when a piece is accidentally discovered you brush off compliments because you simply don't agree. Or your afraid their only humouring you. You insult your work and kick it around because you don't feel is deserves any praise. It's the deformed child of your dreams and reality, and you'd rather lock it away in the basement where no one will ever find it. It's not hate, though. It's disappointment yourself, at least in my experience.

[colinwmd]

I'm fairly new to comics and on a steep learning curve so the vast majority of my stuff I can see problems with. I don't hate it though, and it's good to see the improvements over the months.

I think the important thing for me is that my latest comic has less problems than earlier ones. And if I keep that up I'll get closer and closer to producing something I'm really happy with.

[GFalconDX]

I've had this problem before, but I learned that instead of just hating on your own work, but see where and how you can improve it.

[keii4ii]

Guys, don't blame your hand unless you have a condition that makes it difficult/impossible to move your hand in a precise fashion. The problem is your brain.

The 'crystal clear' imagery in your head is not actually crystal clear. The clarity is only perceived, felt, but is not real. If you could really see it in your mind as clearly as you can see an actual picture, you should be able to trace your own imagination on a blank sheet of paper. BUT YOU CAN'T!

Anyone can get a "clear" vision of, say, a cute rabbit rolling in the grass. But just because you can "see" it in your mind, doesn't mean you actually know what a rabbit even looks like. I don't, even though I physically see those fluffballs in my yard every night in warmer months. Long ears and fluffy tail, sure, but head structure? Body proportions? Nope! The clarity is not real.

[Luminosophy]

Hmm. From my experience, it seems like the only "artists" (using this term generically to mean any creative field including but not limited to film, modelling, etc) who ever seem fully content with their work are the ones that wind up delusional about the quality of it.

Artists who are passionate about their craft have a specific goal in mind. They can't be happy until they achieve it. It looks like hatred outwardly, but it's really not. In a way, it can be it's own form of happiness. As you continue to rip apart and analyze your work it paves the way to new heights. I think it's quite healthy to be disastified with your work. Some should just remember more often to look back on what they have achieved in the process.

[BraveHeartTatsumaki]

I think it's because many of us look for perfection, and mostly our mind can recreate the perfection we want, but when we draw it, well, sometimes it doesn't go as we want.
I used to dislike my work (dislike, not hate), but later I thought something better, instead of look at it like "ughh I failed with this #&@$!!" I started looking like "ok, it's not good, but it's not that bad, could have been worse" and then I see which parts in my work I improved or that looks good

[townhouse]

We have been staring at our own work since we started drawing. By the time you finish an illustration you've been eyeing it for hours on end, picking out all the things wrong with it and all the details you would change if only you had a steadier hand and more patience, alas! But when you look at someone else's work you don't just see the details, because you haven't been staring at the piece so long that it's become disjointed; you see the whole picture, instead of the spot where the artist's hand twitched and the linework got a little loose, or the places where it doesn't match their vision for it. An artist tends to see their own work as boring and riddled with little problems, so when we compare it to artwork we haven't been heavily critiquing for years it looks "bad."

[Vikiro_Hop]

I think its a combination of the kind of people art attracts and the sort of person art turns you into. Scrutinizing every detail knowing where you took shortcuts, thinking what if I spent 8 hours on it instead of just 2? A lot of artists evolve to be their own worse critics because becoming content can mean the same as stop improving, I dont think there is any artist so content with their style that they don't at least make minor tweaks or incorporate something new every once in a while.

There is also the whole trying to get out what is in your head out into the real world and that is a whole other bitch and a half.

[nofeltimy]

I think we're kind of nervous when we show our drawing to others I mean you draw the best you can and take time on it we don't want to hear something negative about it so we say that is bad and terrible so the person will say nah man that's really good drawing ( maybe that's me lol )
or we have goal to reach I mean if you don't see the flaws on your drawing you can't get better .so I think that's a good thing

[DruidPeter]

This is exactly what it feels like to me, as well. You really hit the nail on the head, dude. I just look at the artwork that I do, and I think to myself, "not bad, but it looks so much better in my head...".

lol.

[elixiadragmire]

Don't forget that comics are throwaway art,

I gotta say, I dont see my comic art as throw away, I actually think thats an unhealthy view of comics in general and something that a fair few people in the industry are trying to combat. If we cant take ourselves seriously, why should anyone else?

There are some pretty outstanding and beautiful comics out there, award winning in fact. This I think is the standard we should be striving for. And yes, there are some mass produced and sometimes less than perfect comic art, this fills a market, but they arent the ONLY type of comics on the market. Thats like saying reality TV is the ONLY thing on TV. There are groundbreaking drama's, smart sketchshows etc etc.

So don't get into the mindset of setting the bar so low to start with, aim high!

anyway, I've gone WAAAAAAAAAAAAY off topic. sorry folks