My dog's tail swipe made me rethink digital art polish

I was almost done with a portrait when my dog bumped the tablet and messed up the lines. Instead of fixing it, I left the wobbles in and it looked more alive. In my view, digital art gets too focused on being neat and perfect. That messy moment gave the piece a feel my other work lacks. Some artists spend hours on smooth edges, but a little randomness can be good. From my experience, trying to control everything makes art stiff. Your mileage may vary, but sometimes a happy accident is just what you need.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_karen1mo ago

Oh man, my own cat has saved me from overworking a piece more than once! I get so stuck trying to make everything look perfect that I lose the fun. A little outside help from a pet can be the best kind of creative reset.

the_christopher1mo ago

Last week, my cat messed up my sketch too, and @max273 saw the final piece and actually liked the 'errors'.

max2731mo ago

Those smooth edges take hours for a reason though.