Bad Animal Portraits
We often look for realism in art. We want the shading to be perfect, the proportions to be exact. But I ask you: is a photorealistic drawing of a cat really capturing the essence of the animal? Or is the true spirit of a feline found in a triangular blob with stick legs and eyes looking in two different directions? I argue for the latter.
These bad animal portraits are not failures; they are triumphs of expressionism. When you look at a drawing of a dog that looks like a melting loaf of bread, you aren’t seeing the dog’s anatomy. You are seeing the dog’s vibe. These artists—and I use that term affectionately—have bypassed technical skill and gone straight for the chaotic energy that makes pets so funny. It’s raw. It’s unflattering. It’s absolutely perfect.
I hope you appreciate the avant-garde genius we just witnessed. There is something incredibly charming about a drawing that fails so hard it becomes a masterpiece. It reminds us that perfection is overrated. A perfect drawing is just a picture. A “bad” drawing is a conversation piece. It’s a mood.
Also, let’s give credit to the pet owners who commissioned or created these. It takes a special kind of love to look at a sketch that resembles a goblin and say, “Yes, that is my beautiful Fluffy, frame it immediately.”
If you have a sophisticated palate for terrible art, we suggest you browse our other galleries featuring design fails, funny fan art, and hilarious DIY disasters.
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Alex Thompson has been chronicling internet culture and meme phenomena for nearly seven years. Starting at CollegeHumor and later becoming lead meme editor at Mashable, Alex has covered everything from vintage internet memes like Rickrolling to recent viral events such as Corn Kid and Grimace Shake. With a keen eye for what connects and entertains digital audiences, Alex writes with humor, relatability, and deep knowledge of online culture. At Thunder Dungeon, Alex is the go-to source for meme analysis, viral breakdowns, and internet nostalgia.
