u/Mean-Peanut-2490

Can you definitively prove that AI (which can produce images of any art form or style (quality development in progress)) consumes more energy and water than all of the traditional art sector combined?

That is, the energy and water consumed by all of the paper that goes into art (whether serious or casual scribbling), drawing mediums (brushes (that too can be ethical or non-ethical depending on hair sourcing), pencils, pens (and different types, including disposable ones)), and other materials (like palette trays, masking fluid etc), all combined, is lesser than energy and water consumed by Generative AI?

Across watercolour resources, one advice I keep getting is to almost never use black pigment, and that it is rarely used by professionals.

People advise to make colors close to black via mixing (ultramarine_blue+burnt_sienna/red+green etc), anything but not black.

I know I am free to do what I want, but why is this advice so common?

If you can, try to be more specific too

Across watercolour resources, one advice I keep getting is to almost never use black pigment, and that it is rarely used by professionals.

People advise to make colors close to black via mixing (ultramarine_blue+burnt_sienna/red+green etc), anything but not black.

I know I am free to do what I want, but why is this advice so common?

If you can, try to be more specific too

I can't make even single colour gradients (Dark/Concentrated to Light/Dilute)

One method I have seen in YT is:
(suppose you want to go dark to light as left to right)

1. You start with high pigmet concentration, going from left to right

2. You come in reverse with water, from right to left

The problem I face with any method is the water pooling above the paper. I am using 300GSM 100% Cullulose Hard Presses AND 25% Cotton paper Cold Pressed (two different sheets), and whenever I try to make any gradient, all of it mixes because of the standing water and I get one uniform shade across.

Note: I can't get sheets with higher percentage of cotton, I know it'd increase absorbancy, but I am well above my budget already (spent them in Artist Quality Paints and brushes).

What can I do?

---

Extra: How do people even do Wet-on-Wet technique? If one doesn't wait to dry completely, won't all of the paint mix to make one uniform colour, if not the entire sheet then for regions?

I can't make even single colour gradients (Dark/Concentrated to Light/Dilute)

One method I have seen in YT is:
(suppose you want to go dark to light as left to right)

1. You start with high pigmet concentration, going from left to right

2. You come in reverse with water, from right to left

The problem I face with any method is the water pooling above the paper. I am using 300GSM 100% Cullulose Hard Presses AND 25% Cotton paper Cold Pressed (two different sheets), and whenever I try to make any gradient, all of it mixes because of the standing water and I get one uniform shade across.

Note: I can't get sheets with higher percentage of cotton, I know it'd increase absorbancy, but I am well above my budget already (spent them in Artist Quality Paints and brushes).

What can I do?

---

Extra: How do people even do Wet-on-Wet technique? If one doesn't wait to dry completely, won't all of the paint mix to make one uniform colour, if not the entire sheet then for regions?

I'm a beginner

The watercolor pallete I have, it has small pits for paint, wide pits for mixing.

After using, I wash away my wide pits

But most YT painters I see, they don't clean the mixing pits and have it all messy and dirty

Yes, I know dried watercolors activate with water and washing off waste pigment.

But, aren't the mixing areas supposed to be clean? If they have a layer of colors already, when you try to mix new colors on top of them, won't the layer below lift and mix? Not bad if you want precision.

r/iam14andthisisdeep