# Laugh at my horrible art **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 2, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506 "2003-08-02T05:13:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/1 "2003-08-02T05:13:51Z")
So occasionally I draw crappy art on the computer. And recently someone wanted to buy some. Sucker every minute they say. So I figured I’d set up a web site and maybe try and get 'em hung up in a coffee shop or two. So here is the beginning of the site. It’s really just a gallery of some right now. [www.quoke.com](http://www.quoke.com) Please comment. Pukable? or merely distasteful? You can see I have a high opinion of them. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/2 "2003-08-02T06:11:47Z")
Not too bad (well, better than anything I’ve ever done). What program are you using? And why the obsession with spheres? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/3 "2003-08-02T06:19:24Z")
You, sir (it is sir, yes?) are far too kind. And I beg to differ, they’re far worse than anything you’ve ever done. Program: Paint Shop Pro. Spheres: Because they’re easy. click, drag diagonal, voila, la sphere. Are there any you particularly detest less than others? or moreso? Thanks for the kind words. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/4 "2003-08-02T07:04:40Z")
No, no…I insist mine are quite an eyesore. I don’t put them online because I can’t afford to refund all the broken monitors that they will induce. Touched, Sunset 2 (believe it or not) and Colour Paths are the ones I enjoy most. ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/5 "2003-08-02T07:08:25Z")
There really not that bad, **Bill H**! Honest! There were certainly a couple that I thought were a little bland, (if you must have names, _Arc, Stars and Planets_ and _Dark Screen_ didn’t particularly appeal to me) but that’s true of anybody’s artwork. I actually liked _Atoms, Join, Green Cell, Fire_, and _Touched_ quite a bit. Oh, and congratulations on the potential buyer. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/6 "2003-08-02T08:27:52Z")
I like them, not enough to hang on a wall, but I have to say as someone who is paintshop impaired, I’m impressed. I bet you could sell one on Ebay. No, really. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/7 "2003-08-02T10:02:36Z")
I think you have a good sense of color. Some of the pieces have less interesting color than other pieces, but overall—good color. Good color goes a long way. Good color can salvage an otherwise bland piece of art (not that I am calling your work “bland.”) I’m just saying, don’t underestimate the power of color. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/8 "2003-08-02T10:27:42Z")
Thanks, **Orange Skinner**. The Arc one was really a test I ended up keeping; I agree it’s kinda bland. I appreciate the negative feedback as much as the positive. Join and Green Cell were the first ones I made. Thanks for the kind words. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/9 "2003-08-02T11:04:01Z")
You’re too kind, **Shirley Ujest**. Can you tell me what would make them more to your liking? Too bland? Too esoteric? Too ugly? Be brutal; trust me you won’t offend. Do you draw as well? I hadn’t really thought of selling any on Ebay. Thanks for the suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/10 "2003-08-02T11:43:31Z")
**yosemitebabe** , thanks for the compliment. I don’t really know formally (or informally) how colors work. Could you tell me which ones have good color and which are less interesting? Also, could you suggest what sort of color changes might improve the less interesting ones? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Mariemarie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@Mariemarie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mariemarie)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/11 "2003-08-02T11:48:32Z")
My favorites are Arc, Sunset2, Join and Colorpaths. And I like the one about the leaf too. Do get them hung up in a coffee shop, library, science center, corporate lobby, etc. Presentation is important. Have them tastefully matted and framed. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/12 "2003-08-02T17:56:54Z")
**Mariemarie** , thanks for the encouragement and advice. I did my best matting the ones I sold; hopefully the matt color choice was ok. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/13 "2003-08-02T19:28:31Z")
I like linear, shape-oriented stuff like this. Some of it reminds me of _Omni_ magazine covers from the 70’s. _Sunset 3_ looks like it could be a Yes album cover. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/14 "2003-08-02T19:40:10Z")
Too many notes! ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/15 "2003-08-02T20:55:03Z")
Ok, I bitch about art as a vocation, so I have very traditionalist feedback: Warning-- I look at pictures a lot and have a lot of opinions. YMMV, and I merely explain my aesthetic response here: I like the ones with either a bit of a limited palette or an interesting set of complementary colors-- I think on the first page my favorite by far is Hell, because the colors have a kind of unity to them (rather than just including everything in the rainbow) and the composition is more interesting-- the picture plane isn’t just filled with a random or overall pattern of objects, but instead there is weight of larger objects to one side, but smaller but complimentarilly colored objects to the other-- smaller but of great visual interest due to the complimentary color-- which balances it out. The one odd-colored circle adds interest and hints at something like a narrative. Globes could be equally interesting if you reduced the overall effect-- don’t be afraid of concentrating interest in particular areas. Otherwise I think it had a sucessful choice and range of colors. On the second page I like Color Paths the most-- the texture complicates an otherwise bland composition-- many of the pictures on that page don’t have much of a . . . visual. . trajectory? Sense of purpose? They follow too simple of a compositional formula but aren’t interestingly problematized in any way. Yeah, actually somehow most of the pictures on that page do follow the same formula. On the third page I prefer Go and Switchplate-- they have a kind of direction but the color schemes are a bit too timid or unchallenging. The 3-d sphere shade effect makes me shudder; I think it’s because the 3-d computer graphics effect is imposing a bland kind of depth when you could do so much with the basic shapes like that while still acknowledging the flatness of the picture plane-- the floating in space effect just seems too generic. Like the picture Floating-- if you had reduced the picture to two dimensions without the sphere shading the magenta stripe would have had a kind of intention, but as it is it seems superfluous-- not just questioning the flatness/ depth of the picture but confounding what seems to be the intended 3-d-- it goes past “ambiguous” to “apparently failing.” It ends up reminding me too much of the kind of desktop pictures that come with Macs. Pleasant enough, but not terribly interesting. Depends on what your goal is. So suggestions-- think more about your color ranges and choices, experiment with the possibilities of a flat space for a while (but allowing for an ambiguity of the possibility of depth) and try to carefully place your areas of interest-- avoid all-over patterns but also avoid overly simplistic placements. Play more with textures and problematising your objects’ boundaries-- try playing with softer or compromised edges. Ok, you note you don’t have color training-- a couple of ideas. About color theory-- maybe draw yourself a color wheel (I know, totally 1st grade but the review is needed when you get into art)-- the colors that are opposite one another are “complimentary” (i.e. blue and orange, yellow and purple, red and green) and intensify one another when placed in proximity. Analogous colors (next to each other) can tone down or distort each other. Experiment with hoe the colors intensify or distort As far as playing with apparent depth, remember that “warm” colors (yellow, red etc) appear to project while cool (green blue purple) colors appear to recede. (When matting also keep this all in mind-- when chosing a mat pick a color that brings out an area of interest that might otherwise be overlooked, NOT the dominant color of the image which is already dominant enough. By using a complimentary you can more subtly intensify that dominant color AND bring out details) There’s about 2 1/2 cents. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/16 "2003-08-02T21:01:46Z")
Bill, I have no drawing talent whatsoever. Having grown up with a mom who is an artist and a MIL that is one as well, I won’t even try. It’d be like batting after Babe Ruth. However, yosemitebabe (being much more edumacated) than my self in artsy things, nailed it on the head. Your colors are well done. Personally, I like still lifes and portraits. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/17 "2003-08-02T22:26:53Z")
Ooooh! I really like _go_ and _green cell_. _Space croquet_ is nifty too! ---
**Author:** ![bittersweet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@bittersweet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bittersweet)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/18 "2003-08-02T22:49:06Z")
I liked _Touched_ the best. _Hell_ made my eyes and tummy ache. It’s amusing to me that you have a rather low opinion of these images, but could still probably make a bit of dough by selling them! ---
**Author:** ![LudditeAndroid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8baadc/32.png) [@LudditeAndroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LudditeAndroid)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/19 "2003-08-03T01:17:18Z")
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Happy now? ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2003, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506/20 "2003-08-03T07:01:31Z")
**Mr. Blue Sky** , thanks for the kind words. I am a child of the 70s; I suppose everything comes from somewhere. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laugh-at-my-horrible-art/192506.md?page=2)