I think you're all kinda saying the same thing. However, the hand-painted part goes a few ways. So, let's break this down in this thread, unless someone would like to start a new thread on the subject, but for now..... here goes.
As for today's computer generated graphics, pictures, prints and whatnot, you merely press a button and it's completed perfectly. The person inputting the information either has an eye for design/layout or doesn't. The end result will still be a perfectly made ugly or nice finished product.
In the hand-painting days, you had those who weren't as good as others and they tended to not get the good main street work, just the mediocre jobs.
Difference is... there were off-the-brush guys who could paint anything from large lettering to fancy pictorials and do it outta their head. Sure, they'd make a few guidelines and go from there, but when the computer came along, alot of us got lazy and used the machine to create paint masks or pounce patterns and it become more like coloring in a coloring book, where all the lines were drawn in and all ya hadda do was stay in the lines. Because using a brush, some still call it hand painting, but not in most old-timers eyes. There are those who frown on using tape for the tops & bottoms and there are those who still think building letters isn't as good as just slinging the brush, whether it be a quill or a flat. Learning all the ins & outs of palatting, paint consistency, which paints to use under what circumstances and once it's down and dried, it a done deal all goes with it.
Perhaps, we could post up some old work we did when only brushes were available would be a nice touch..... say pre-1980 ??