Am I really that bad?

Have to agree here, the art is very lackluster. It looks very unpolished and it doesn't seem like you're using any anatomical bases or frames of references to begin with when it's the quintessential basis of any figure drawing.

But you know what? It's normal. Your dA profile informs me you've been at it for about a year, but I'm gonna go and assume you've probably never looked at any help on how to do proper anatomy and proportions, but it doesn't come like this. It took me ages myself to get a clear idea on how a body worked, and I'm still learning to this day. You can't yolo this - a human body has too many complexities to just ignore the base structure of.

Your best tool would be references, really. Before tackling poses, though, you ought to tackle proportions first. Your drawings have a stick figure-esque appearance to them. They unfortunately look two-dimensional when inflation drawings are, uh, supposed to have volume. There doesn't seem to be much of a structural integrity to your bodies, with inconsistency in faces and body shapes indicating you don't use a beginning structure before anything. But you know what? When you were never taught the tools, that's also very normal.

The solution? There's no magic formula - just browse the web and look for anatomical references of male/female body proportions. Google will literally vomit you dozens upon dozens of how-tos, so pick multiple and try your hand at following the bases. Alternately, reach out to artists you look up to and ask them tips - they won't eat you, and might even share some of their ways to art. Look also for more specialized art sites and videos that propose you techniques they personally use to draw their figures, but there's no one technique - pick a technique you're most comfortable with and you'll slowly build from here, but I can't stress this enough: If you don't have a SEMBLANCE of understanding basic proportions, you will never be able to go anywhere in art.

And once you have them? Draw, draw, draw. You don't draw Mona Lisa-tier art on your first try. It's going to take you dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands of tries. But each time you'll draw something, it'll be marginally better than the previous art you did because it'll help print those bases you've learned in your brain, and after time has passed, it'll become second nature.

Are you using a mouse? Don't. Unless you're trying to pull off a stunt like all those guys who've spent years trying to master the art of mouse-drawing, mice are probably some of the most impractical shit you could ever have to draw.

Get yourself a tablet. Wacom's a popular brand and has really affordable stuff for amateur use. You don't need any of the fancier ones: The best value ones go for ~€70 (less than 80 USD) and can resist extensive use like an old-times Nokia phone being dropped from the Empire State Building thousands of times. I've been tablet-drawing almost daily for more than 4 years and never a tablet died on me, and my current one turned 2 a while back (because I wanted to swap out for a new one at the time). This shit's durable. Can't afford a tablet? Go traditional art with pencil and rubber until you can afford one. You might even prefer that medium, depends from person to person.

What software do you use? Stop using MS paint if you are. It's a joke. So many good drawing softwares are out there and tons of professional artists use them. Whether they be free like Gimp or FireAlpaca, or costing money like Photoshop or SAI, developers have created tons of art tools at your disposal. Use. Your. Resources.

You're gonna read all of that (or not) and I'm gonna bet my two cents it's going to hurt like FUCKING hell, and you're going to call me a prick (or not) for pointing out so bluntly all the stuff that's wrong with your art and how to seriously start improving it. But guess the best thing.

I went through the same experience, a few years ago.

First, I also cried like a brainless dumbass because "OMG THEY HURT MUH FEELINGSSSZZ!!!111!!" But then you know what? They were right. I used to vehemently oppose references because it felt like stealing, but all those classical artists didn't draw the Venus without a muse or some shit. So at some point I kicked my own ass and actively sought help. I even managed to get myself an informal art tutor and the quality of my drawing increased exponentially.

It never stopped. I still use references today. I still get advice from this same person, god bless his soul. And now I look at my art and I feel a sense of mother-FUCKING pride and accomplishment because I've attained an art level I wanted to attain when I was younger, and I know the journey hasn't stopped there. The fall's rough, but once you've sunk to the bottom of the swimming pool, the only thing you can do is swim right back up.

Also, prepare yourself to suffer from more art lows at times. Art is a cycle. As your perception skills increase and surpass your actual drawing skills, you may feel like your art has 'downgraded' in quality. It's just your brain playing tricks on you. Power through it, identify what feels lackluster to you and improve it. Or else, it's guaranteed artblock.

Tl;dr: Your art's really lackluster. But you can get better. Just give yourself the resources and make the effort to look for them. Get a tablet, a proper drawing software, and look for tips about proportions and anatomy online. Build from there. Don't expect immediate change. It'll come with time.

On a last note, other people might have different opinions on that matter and I'm certainly not saying my word is final, far from it. It's just my view of things since I've essentially gone through a similar experience myself. We can all be artists if we give ourselves the resources and time.

Source: I'm Poqat_o on twitter and my art's ok I guess.

^all this stuff

i think youy art looks amazing you can always get better but to me it looks amazing