You know you suck when...

Ghastly · Post by **Ghastly** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 4:50 pm

...Scott Adams is telling you that you can't draw worth shit.

Poor guy. That's a kind of humiliation no man needs. Anyways, I sent him some words of encouragement, art pointers and even redrew one of his strips.

Here's the original.

And here's the Ghastly version (click on image for higher resolution version).

Not quite Newspaper Friendly, but pretty tame by my usual standards.

Of course Jim North demonstrated what really needs to be done to punch the strip up.

Naughty/Bad Tentacle Box · Tue Jan 10, 2006 5:30 pm

True art! I love it!

MaryxTyphus · Post by **MaryxTyphus** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 6:27 pm

Woo, I love it Ghastly! Normally I'd say send one in and see what he thinks but I do have to agree with Brian on there. Who's he to critique someone's work like that out in the open? And quite frankly I can't even see a difference between the two (Even though I like some strips of Dilbert). In my opinion that's just low though. Anyone else find that Low?

CJBurgandy · Post by **CJBurgandy** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:10 pm

Ghastly and Jim North! Now that's an unstoppable team. Why did no one think of it before?

hillarious.

Swordsman3003 · Post by **Swordsman3003** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:12 pm

I'm gonna take a crack at this one.

HoneyNClover · Post by **HoneyNClover** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:55 pm

Whoa...very cool ^^

"nipple narcissism"...that'll be the new phrase I try to work into my daily speech for awhile xD

Squidflakes · Post by **Squidflakes** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:02 pm

Now I finally have a term to use on people who say things like "Look at my nipple and fear me!"

Of which, there have been one.

Naughty/Bad Tentacle Box · Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:10 pm

Did they have puffy nipples...that always scares me. In fact I freak out about it...I'm freaking out right now just thinking about it.

Kite-san · Post by **Kite-san** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 9:10 pm

that.. is absolutely blech (the asshole mockery on Adams's part)

and the redone strips far too funny.

Honor · Post by **Honor** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:20 am

um... while all y'all are busy bitch-slapping Scott Adams in absentia for being a critical SOB, I can't help but notice that there's really nothing in the entry's tone that justifies this reaction... In counterpoint, it reads more like the writer/creator of the strip feels his art isn't up to par with his writing and has asked Adams for help in finding an artist.

And yeah... I like yours a -lot- better, G

Moo Cow · Post by **Moo Cow** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 5:18 am

Yah, i found this kinda weird... but G, i like your entry and the changed dialogue on Jim North's part is priceless!

~sara

Ghastly · Post by **Ghastly** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 5:26 am

Yeah some of the people on Scott Adams blog I think misinterpreted Adam's post although you have to admit having Scott Adams tell you that your art is holding you back... man... that can't be doing anybody's ego any good.

That Unfit is a syndicated cartoon does make you wonder just how the fuck do the syndicates pick new strips. I mean do they litterally just pull them out of a hat? The guy must know somebody on the inside. Maybe he was an old childhood friend of Scott's and that got him invited.

Honor · Post by **Honor** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 12:44 pm

Ghastly wrote:...although you have to admit having Scott Adams tell you that your art is holding you back... man... that can't be doing anybody's ego any good.

on that part, I have to agree wholly... Even if the quote came from Belkin originally, you'd think it'd sting a bit to hear Adams repeat it. Although... If I had to judge, I'd say Adams' art was at least twice as good as Belkin's.

Ghastly wrote:That Unfit is a syndicated cartoon does make you wonder just how the fuck do the syndicates pick new strips. I mean do they litterally just pull them out of a hat? The guy must know somebody on the inside. Maybe he was an old childhood friend of Scott's and that got him invited.

I think it fits in well with the mysteries of how television shows get chosen... and movie scripts, non-fiction books, trade paperbacks, bands... This does seem to be a shining example of it, though... For me, even the subject matter is hard to get 'hold of... I have to do stuff like sword fighting, martial arts, horseback riding, etc. to stay fit... sitting in a gym is just... an intellectual death sentence for me.

Moo Cow · Post by **Moo Cow** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 1:43 pm

Yeah... i definitely know what you mean.

~Sara

Swordsman3003 · Post by **Swordsman3003** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 4:11 pm

Yay sword fighting.

Ce6 · Post by **Ce6** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 6:59 pm

Honor wrote:If I had to judge, I'd say Adams' art was at least twice as good as Belkin's.

It may be twice as good, but 2 * 0 is still 0

swordsman3003 wrote:Yay sword fighting.

I used to do some of that back in college. I've been meaning to track down a local fencing club since I moved to this area about 5 years ago, but that's kinda fallen to the side, what with working, the classical music lessons, photography/art/whatever classes, the recent tattoos and other general nerdery that I partake in on a daily basis.

MaryxTyphus · Post by **MaryxTyphus** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 7:21 pm

Honor wrote:um... while all y'all are busy bitch-slapping Scott Adams in absentia for being a critical SOB, I can't help but notice that there's really nothing in the entry's tone that justifies this reaction... In counterpoint, it reads more like the writer/creator of the strip feels his art isn't up to par with his writing and has asked Adams for help in finding an artist.

And yeah... I like yours a -lot- better, G

This is true but, he only picked out one guy and decided to say 'Your art's not good enough'. I mean just a simple e-mail back to him with critique I can imagine, but just taking that guy's entry and telling publicly that his art's not good at all, well, I don't know about anyone else but that's just terrible. It's almost spiteful

Ghastly · Post by **Ghastly** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:23 pm

I'd imagine this whole thing is something Adams and Belkin worked out together.

AkaneJones · Post by **AkaneJones** » Thu Jan 12, 2006 3:04 am

Hum, you know reading this topic make me realise art is subject in the first place. I mean clearly Ghastly's remdition is better but niether of them would get printed. I mean clearly no newspaper would print the second one. But then you think well is Scott Adams a crap artist too, if he's calling Belkin one. However I think it ends up that Adams has more talent clearly on execution and basic stylistic choice, where as Belkin's just look like the standard I'm a fan of Adams and Groening's work so I'll draw something like it problem. It just seems to lack heart and originality, and sort of character that would make me want to read it again and again. Although one alway has to wonder if it's right or not to basicly tell bad artist that they suck or not, because one way you have non-artists telling them they're crap and artist looking the other way as to not sound like assholes and not offend then. So maybe while it sounds bad, what Adams said wasn't too bad just more realistic.

Although all of this still begs the question, why is that the kind of art that newspapers look for in the first place? It isn't even an english exclusive problem either thought, yes there are poor art newspaper comics in Japan too. But while I'm sure good writing can over come crud art, most newspaper comics are too bland to ever really uses that argument.