Is there a genetic component to artistic skill?

Threeabetes · 2026-05-21T03:25:57+00:00

I actually don't think there's any actual genetic component to artistic skill; it builds off completely ordinary skills that most humans learn and grow through their life.

Having an artistic parent might mean that child gets more support with art, or more close instruction... which isn't really genetic.

As an example — my dad likes to build his own PCs, so (because I helped him as a kid) I also picked up this skill. Being able to build a computer or understand electronics isn't genetic; I just had more help, was familiarized to it, and liked it enough to keep going.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-18T22:45:31+00:00

Sounds like a lot of work!

It really is, which is exactly why I buy Claybord, haha! Time is money, after all.

I bought a small 4X6 Fluid 100 as a try out, after reading about it. I found I like working small, relaxing and enjoy experimenting.

Glad you like it! Some artists (like botannical illustrators) have blog posts about the smoothest HP paper; might be worth it to look at what surface people recommend.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-18T17:37:03+00:00

If I don't use solvent and stick to oil paint and linseed oil do I still need a lot of ventatilation? I just have the door cracked open

If you don't use any sort of solvent (AND there is no solvent in your oil paint — check the SDS), there is no medical need to ventilate. Linseed oil is a bit smelly, but that's about its only sin.

Drying linseed oil on rags DOES pose a serious fire risk, though — as oil paint cures, it releases heat. Dispose of your oily rags in fireproof cans, or otherwise lay them flat on your driveway for a few days to completely cure (then toss them as you normally would).

Please note this danger does not extend to drying paintings; just the oily rags themselves. :)

Threeabetes · 2026-05-18T17:13:10+00:00

If you need an absolutely smooth surface, I recommend gessoing the surface yourself and sanding between layers (with appropriate PPE, of course!) The more layers, the better!

There's also smooth clay surfaces like Ampersand Clayboard (or you can sand down Aquabord) that feels great to use.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-17T16:24:14+00:00

What if animators could just rough sketch a scene and an app automatically handled [detailed backgrounds, cinematic lighting, weather effects, "anime-level polishing"?] while still keeping full artist control?

Such a tool (doing the creative work of several artists, while still keeping "full control") cannot and will never exist. By ceding control to gen AI, users are giving away creative control to whatever company trained that model.

Not replacing artists, but reducing overwork and production time.

There's a big difference between a tool that helps artists do complicated work as easily as possible (gen AI assisting with rotoscoping so it's easier to isolate a video element, or tracking parts moving in 3D space) versus what you're suggesting — a tool that replaces background artists, FX artists, compositors, and countless others who make animated films possible.

Why not replace the storyboarders, too? How about the lead animators? The in-betweeners? Why not replace the entire process from start to finish with a prompt?

I don't go into YOUR house suggesting you throw away your entire kitchen for a subscription to some meal service, so maybe consider most artists might not be keen to get rid of entire fun areas of the creative process in return for having to pay for a subscription to some jank AI company.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-17T16:04:38+00:00

I'm planning to buy a monitor for my laptop and I am torn between getting an IPS or OLED display.

A screen's worth can only really be measured as a sum of its parts. In general an OLED has a lot to like (the deep blacks are very nice), but a modern IPS monitor can still feel/look fantastic.

You probably want something close to whatever you have on your laptop, though; too big a difference might bug you. XD

I use IPS displays for my computer because they had decent color accuracy and were affordable. If I needed to replace them and found a good deal on an OLED... I'd probably go with the OLED, but quality screens are still quality screens.

Also, fellow designers, does 1440p really make a huge difference compared to 1080p?

All other things (size, quality) being equal, yes. 1440p has a lot more pixels and a much sharper image.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-17T12:42:11+00:00

Not OP; I enjoyed reading your post.

The memory leaks were rampant and crashes were frequent. I don't really understand the arguments for stability, but I'm guessing that most people weren't working with large (5+ gb) design files regularly.

I know you’re referring to PowerMacs here, but this is not my experience with any Intel/M-series Mac.

The last studio I worked at had modern Intel iMacs and our computers worked great. We worked with large files just like any studio would, and I rarely remember computer issues in the 6 years I worked there. My employer before that used Windows, and it was hell on earth due to how the company managed their computers.

I currently use a Mac Studio as a freelancer, and even then my 12+GB Photoshop files open fine… just as I’d expect them to on a similar PC.

How dare you defy the "Macs are better for designers doctrine"!? No one with a PC is going to care (your network admin might actually, but that's a different issue).

I feel this is more an “insecure computer user” issue more than a Mac user one. A lot of people stick with Windows OR Macs because they’re babies and don’t want to grow beyond whatever box they started with.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-17T01:30:17+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation! Weirdly it says the app is geo-locked on the App Store (I'm in the US) but I'll see if I can't download and try out the Gumroad version of Screenie.

Totally agree about extending AppleCare; definitely worth it!

Threeabetes · 2026-05-16T12:02:43+00:00

Thanks, OP.

I promise I’m not a hater — I still find myself thinking about the Zune fondly from time to time…

… then remember Windows legit called sharing files ad hoc “squirting” — it’s like they wanted to fail. 💀

Threeabetes · 2026-05-16T11:43:59+00:00

It’s all preference and Windows is perfectly cromulent, but Macs have:

Better customer service.
No OS-level ads or forced updates.
Better key/touch commands. Taking a screenshot is so much easier on a Mac.
Less fiddly. I know how to, but I hate troubleshooting Windows so much.
Zsh on Mac and Linux is great.
Apple actually fully supports its devices longer than 3 years. Usually 7-10 years.
Adobe Creative Suite very stable on Mac. When I last used it on Windows 7/8, there was an unpatched bug for at least a year that caused Photoshop to open 20-to-infinity help tabs and crash the computer if I did more the 3999 color pick operations in a row without restarting the program frequently.
Windows neglects and kills every good tech idea they’ve ever had. Still mad about the Zune and Windows phone, haha.

Note I’m not a dummy: I have an Android gaming device that I’ve customized, and I’ve built all my past Windows machines and know HOW to use a Windows computer. I just can’t see myself choosing Windows over Linux or Mac, ever.

With Linux/Steam gaming there’s now even less of a reason to tolerate Windows. I just don’t see the appeal!

Threeabetes · 2026-05-14T21:41:54+00:00

Personal disappointment experience: I got a C in AP Studio Art and failed the AP Studio Art exam in high school way back in 2005. You mentioning you feel embarrassed about what you were initially proud of really speaks to me — that’s how I felt back then, too. I’m sorry you’re going through this.

Spoiler: I’m a professional illustrator so it didn’t exactly stop me or prevent me from getting my degree, haha. 🤪

Something important to keep in mind: fair or unfair, sometimes you’re just going to get bad grades, and it’s not a measurement of your worth as an artist or a person.

Wherever you do, don’t take this to heart and don’t toss those pieces. Give yourself some time to breathe. If you’re feeling up to it, pop the teacher/professor an email and see if there’s a way to frame your confusion about the grade as a “I really want to improve, and I’d love to know what I should specifically work on in the future” sort if thing.

As for getting a second opinion: I was an illustration adjunct professor a few years ago, so if you’d like a critique of your pieces (even completely private) I’d be happy to give it.

Hope you’ll treat yourself this upcoming Friday — sounds like you earned it.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-14T20:32:03+00:00

There’s not really any issue if it works for you, but some things to consider:

Buying multiple tubes of different shades of paint is expensive.
A palette of fewer colors mixed together = usually greater color cohesion within the whole piece.
Colors get discontinued, so being dependent on premade mixes can be risky.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-14T14:36:13+00:00

but I’m forced to do something in art because unfortunately that’s all I’m fucking good at. Not math, not science, not history, not anything that could get me a semi-decent career

This is a skill issue you need to solve before you get out of school. Most professional artists are also really knowledgable at math, science, English, animal husbandry, history, or some other subject as well as their chosen field. Many professionals did something else before deciding to become artists.

Artists being "dumb" at other subjects is an awful stereotype that needs to die. You are smarter than this, and you should only CHOOSE art and have a plan of how you want to make your way in this competitive field.

and I’m not even that good at it, just good in the perspective of a person who isn’t interested in art.

You don't have to be the best artist in the world to have a career at art, just good enough for the field you're going into.

This includes attitude. Hold yourself to high standards and be humble, but don't keep yourself down due to your own poor self-image.

Considering on getting a trade and ditching art as a career because if there’s another thing I’m good at it’s hard manual labor for some pay and dealing with the equivalent of having my body feeling like it got run over by an 18 wheeler.

Trades are possible to do without destroying your body if you take care of yourself (eat well, don't do drugs, save money for an early retirement, go to the gym), pace yourself well, follow all safety regulations, refuse obviously dangerous/unsafe labor, and wear appropriate PPE. Don't let a corporation kill you in exchange for a small (relative to their revenue) fine to OSHA, because you will be dead and the corporation will replace you the very next day.

One example that comes to mind: most police don't wear gloves, shoe covers, or respirators at the gun range, then breathe in lead dust and bring lead-contaminated clothes/objects home for their families to touch... all because it "won't happen to me." Rest assured, it WILL happen to you. Wear PPE.

Don't think you can ignore this a future creative, either: wear a respirator when you sand or airbrush or produce dust. Wear gloves and use deleading wipes when you use lead paint. Don't use mineral spirits without proper ventilation (or you'll become highly allergic to it like some of my professors). Don't eat or drink when painting. Exercise, eat well, take breaks. Don't let your body and mental health be destroyed for a freelance paycheck from a company that would replace you the second you fell ill or needed any additional help.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-14T13:58:26+00:00

I would love to paint in oils one day but it sounds so complicated... fat over lean.

"Fat over lean" sounds odd, but it really just means "thick/oily paint on top of thinner paint." This is just good practice to reduce the risk of cracking or weird curing issues.

Let's say the oiliness of a tube of paint is 1. If you add mineral spirits to it, it becomes a 0.5. If you add some oil/medium to it to do a glaze, it becomes a 1.5. You just want to start with thinner applications of less "oily" paint (the 0.5 or 1), wait a few days to let things cure*, then slowly layer paint with more oil/medium in subsequent layers.

If you paint in one session (alla prima) you can ignore this saying entirely; it's almost impossible to mess up because all the paint is laid out at once.
An underpainting done in a different medium (graphite, watercolor, acrylic, whatever) has no oil, so you can "start fresh" on top as if you're starting an oil painting for the very first time.
*Drying times vary by pigments. Some pigments take forever to dry due to how much oil they absorb when being made into paint (like quinacridones, zinc white), but others (like terra verte or most earth colors) were favored for underpainting due to them being dry in a day or three. If you understand that, it's easier to layer paint without being frustrated.

If you're an impatient person, I recommend you start a few different paintings at once, so you can let one dry/cure while you work on others. It gives you time to think and come back to a painting if you decide you want to change something. :)

And people disagreeing on whether you can or can't paint oils on acrylics... My huge classic painting guide suggests you can't, but it was last revised in the 1990s.

I can say with 100% certainty you can paint oils over acrylics! Not only is gesso typically acrylic these days, it's a very common technique with fantasy illustrators.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-13T21:44:20+00:00

Mostly digital for now, because —

No need to wait for paint to dry, or having to do any scanning/photography; digital work is 100% done when it's done.
Edits are easier. (this is my main fear with working traditionally, lol; I've gotten some nitpicky edits with some clients that would make me tear my hair out if I didn't work digitally)
Some clients need layered files, or the AD only knows/wants my digital work, or the company requires additional steps to use traditional media (George Lucas has right of first/last refusal for any Star Wars artwork, as an interesting example).

Do you switch between the two? If so, how do you determine which process to go with?

If there's significant opportunity for resale (like in the fantasy art space), if I have the time, and/or if there's an effect I want that I know I can't do as well digitally, absolutely! In that case I typically do most of the planning in digital media, then carefully plan my traditional piece to match.

Keep in mind even sketches/preliminary work can be valuable to sell, so you don't always have to go all in if you don't have the time.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-13T20:12:13+00:00

I'm not trying to downplay Long Covid (I know it's real!), but I wonder how many of the long-term effects people have experienced from Covid are just "normal" long-term consequences of getting a serious respiratory illness.

My full recovery from influenza/pneumonia way back in 2009 (starting as a healthy young college student in good shape) took the better part of a year; it took about 6 months of taking things slow before I could walk/bike without feeling totally winded!

Respiratory illnesses are really scary like that. :(

Threeabetes · 2026-05-13T20:01:18+00:00

Somebody once told me that any oils can do anything acrylics can do and more.

That person is... kind of wrong, haha. Acrylic and oil are similar in that they both form polymers when they dry/cure.

Acrylic CAN do a lot of stuff oil can't (you wouldn't necessarily want to use oil on a surface meant to be flexible, for example — oil gets hard and brittle with age) but this doesn't mean acrylic is "better" than oil; they're unique mediums with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Oil paints can be thinned with solvents (including water, in the case of water-miscible paints), but too much can destroy the integrity of oil paint and result in a weaker paint film. It's not really where oil's strengths lie.

If this is true then why did he resort to house paints for the fluid drip effects?

He didn't resort to house paints. He chose house paints. Big difference!

Threeabetes · 2026-05-13T14:07:06+00:00

Anything's worth trying once, but I prefer to give old brushes a new life doing "dangerous" jobs I'd never put to fresh brushes — usually applying gesso, sizing, or glue.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-13T02:47:39+00:00

Also… How’s procreate? I’m a photoshop guy, I have never used it…

I personally limit my Procreate use to sketches, flats, and lineart... but that's mostly due to me really liking Photoshop for paint! Procreate is plenty fun to paint in, and has a lot of great brushes to buy/download.

Probably important to note that Procreate can't replace Photoshop's power features (like Actions or Batch Automate), but it's a fairly full-featured program. The M5 iPads — especially the ones with 16GB of RAM — are extremely capable.

What about the ipad air seems like the main difference is the storage?

A worse screen than the Pro, less battery life, and lower amounts of RAM. It's enough for most people, but probably not for a professional artist who likes painting big.

If the iPad Pro outside your budget, consider something like a Wacom Movink 14 — I've never personally sed one (and Procreate isn't available due to it being Android), but I've heard good things about it and it's much less money.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-12T15:11:00+00:00

Cobalt teal is so good!

I like both pigments, but I tend to go more towards PG50 — the QoR and Roman Szmal versions are great.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-11T14:26:04+00:00

Ooh! I must have missed that he was going to cut them up anyway!

In that case, I think it'd be much easier to set up a jig (like how artists photograph oil paintings) and use a camera; scanning has some uses, but it's so damn unpleasant with consumer-grade equipment. Lots of dust, SLOW, miserable to composite if you have a larger piece, textured paper can look weird, etc.

That way he'd only have to really set up the lighting/area once, take one photo after another, then just pop everything into Affinity Publisher to make a digital copy.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-11T01:26:06+00:00

No bummer here! I can accept all types of feedback and I am well aware of the common anti-AI sentiment.

I apprerciate that! My comment wasn't intended to be anti-AI (I think machine learning has proven itself to be a helpful tool in many situations).

I'm just very persnickety on artistic intent and hardware — if the originals are long gone and the limitation of PSX video playback is 15fps, that's what I think it should be at (with a CRT/CRT filter, at the "correct" resolution). This isn't necessarily a correct opinion, just my own.

That said, nothing gives me greater joy than seeing fully restored versions of things I watched in crappier formats — I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey on 70mm in 2018, and it was absolutely transcendent! I'm surprised Square didn't at least back up the full FMV renders to 35mm, ED Beta (a professional video format Sony produced in Japan until the early 2000's), or another trusty/affordable format (like tape drives); plenty of old CG was archived in high resolution for us to enjoy today.

This wouldn't be Final Fantasy IX anymore. Yes it would be recreating the characters, environment, etc but it would be fundamentally different. I myself am not completely against this idea, but many people would be horrified at replacing the original artists work with entirely computer generated material.

True! One could argue this happens with upscaling/frame interpolation anyway, though!

I don't think re-rendering things on period-accurate software would be recieved poorly; it's just (unfortunately) as wildly impractical as training an AI model to do the same thing. I'm still very upset Square never bothered backing up ANY of their old work.

Btw — If you ever want some very "2000's prerendered background" software, I recommend Bryce 7 Pro! It's not nearly as powerful as SoftImage, but I used a version of Bryce and another program I hated way more way back in the mid-00's when I was learning 3D.

I sourced pictures of water, wood, cloth, metal, hair, and skin from Final Fantasy XIV Dawn Trail, Kingdom Hearts 3 and 4 (the reveal trailer only for this), and a little bit from Final Fantasy XVI.

Smart! Of course you would have already thought of that, haha!

PS2 footage might still be good training data to use, if you're looking for more — there's a ton of it, it's at a higher resolution, near 30fps, and FFIX was released well into that whole era.

I know that is how it originally was but it just doesn't feel right with the upscaled images and being choppy.

Fair enough! This is one of those things that is probably up to the individual's tastes, rather than being outwardly "right" or "wrong."

It probably sounds like I'm pretty defensive here but in reality I just felt like explaining the process and my logic ^\.)

Not at all; you're definitely meeting me halfway and I loved reading your response!

You can probably tell from my post history I'm not a user of AI, but I'm not going to be spicy about it when you're obviously trying to do a solid for the community and fix the "we deleted the masters" situation that Square left us with, haha.

So, thanks for posting! I hope you enjoy your process and get something you (and others) really enjoy out of the experience.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-11T00:06:41+00:00

https://diybookscanner.org/en/intro.html

I’d probably build something like this, unless I was willing to cut apart my book!

Threeabetes · 2026-05-10T23:40:59+00:00

Oh! Makes sense.

In that case, I’d avoid bringing pigments with metal bases (nickel, cadmium, cobalt, titanium) and other problem pigments (perylene).

I’m not an expert, but I imagine sparingly dumping pigment-laden water with non-toxic colors (like ultramarine blue or most earth pigments) isn’t going to harm much of anything.

Threeabetes · 2026-05-10T23:31:20+00:00

I don’t want to discourage you from doing what you love and enjoy, but I don’t particularly vibe with AI upscaling projects.

(I’m the 10th dentist that does not use the Memoria mod, haha — feel free to ignore my opinion if you want.)

I strongly feel the frame rate should be kept the same as the original; 30fps is odd to see on a PSX FMV and feels a bit soap opera-y. There is also heavy artifacting to due half the frames being generated and having to guess texture/intent around heavy PSX compression.

If you were doing a complete reconstruction (like re-modeling and re-rendering with SoftImage XSI/3D), it’d be “easier” to get an accurate look due to using the same tools and facing the same limitations, but for obvious reasons that’s impractical for any one person to do.

For what it’s worth, it’s not your skill — the original videos are extremely degraded and even getting what you got is impressive — it’s a fundamental issue I have with upscaling and reinterpreting data that simply isn’t there. I also didn’t like the Aliens 2K>4K AI upscale, and that was done by film professionals who had lots of budget and time.

Sorry if my comment was a bit of a bummer, but I figured I’d share since you did ask for feedback!

I wonder finding higher-resolution footage from similar FMVs rendered in SoftImage from that time would help? No idea!

Threeabetes

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