Neat article, but I'm skeptical of machine learning to make art easier.<p>I spent some time using PaintsChainer, a ML tool to autofill colors based on a few starting choices and the results were... rough.<p>The problem with ML art, is that it lacks the ability to polish. 90% of the impact of art is in the the last 10% of work, where the artist meticulously refines the piece to turn it from a loosely colored sketch, into a cohesive and complete picture.<p>Many of the tricks and tools to create this polish are heuristics that are not quantifiable or teachable via image sets. They come from an understanding of the "Gestalt" of a picture, or what the "gestalt" should be and then doing the necessary steps to get it there.<p>The other problem is you can't teach an ML algorithm about the hidden volumes in art. Much of drawing/painting is about tricking the eye into perceiving volume when none exists. An ML algorithm can perceive volume and identity after color/light have been applied, because those categories carry data. However, an ML algorithm can't infer what color/light a circle should have to give it the correct volume/perspective. A circle can be a doorknob, a pie, a ball, an eye. Each needing different data applied to it, which the ML algorithm doesn't (and won't ever) have.<p>Personally, I'd welcome a tool to make painting easier. It'd be amazing. However, I don't think we are all that close to a machine creating polished artwork.