Remember when everyone just cranked the saturation on their digital paintings?

Honestly, I see it all the time in online galleries. People push those sliders way too far, trying to make their art pop, but it just ends up looking flat and fake. I used to do it too, back when I first got my Wacom tablet about 8 years ago. I'd finish a piece and think 'needs more color!' and blast the vibrancy. It took a mentor at a small online workshop to point out that real depth comes from value contrast, not just pure saturation. He showed me how to use a black and white filter to check my values first. Now I see so many otherwise great pieces ruined by that one mistake. It's like they're scared of using actual shadows. Has anyone else noticed this trend getting worse lately?

3 comments

3 Comments

tylerr292mo ago

It's the same thing with phone photos now (everyone cranks the HDR and sharpness until it looks like a cartoon). That oversaturated look is everywhere, not just in paintings.

tylerr292mo ago

Hey now, I kinda like that look sometimes! It makes things pop on a tiny screen, and honestly, a lot of regular photos just look kinda flat and boring without it.

ivan822mo ago

Eh, it's just a filter. People get so worked up over phone pics looking a little extra.