Ok, let's start again. I did trace the basic shapes for one reason: precision.
I did it so I can measure later work by literally using the select tool and making a selection and seeing how many pixels did my drawing deviate from traced lines.
I was accustomed to this way of measuring at my web development classes, not while learning art, where I had to re-create website elements just as the designer put them in the design.

For example I was expected to be able to make a button with in-pixel precise dimensions, shape and the exact background color code and so on... Of course it's unnecessary in the art world, but it's just a habit that I obtained during that period.

As for the color part, I do understand that this is the oddest part of all, but as I said I'm not hiding it.
I didn't get into the details with this because most of the layers I merged in the process, and I thought that the before shown post will be sufficient. I used a a bit darker and less saturated shade of blue for drawing over the shapes, then I made a copy of those layers and turned the shapes black for later when I need it. And later I changed the blue color using adjustment layers.
I'm well aware that this is much more technical and mundane work that artists find boring and unnecessary, I do think the same, but I' doing it to get a good hang of color theory while creating.

Of course there was a lot of moving and color changing in between the steps.
To further clarify, I also assume there are better techniques that are used in professional artist training, however I want to mention that pursuing art career is not my goal, this is just something that I love doing.
And if I were using the algorithm to generate colored strokes the first time, I could do it the second time to get slightly different results and then just make them black and it would make.

I'm also well aware how the image processing algorithms work be it the AI or not, some with obvious flaws, others with better output.
I understand that the painting can look like it has been generated in such way, but there's a flaw in every algorithm that exists, and this is lighting which doesn't belong to the input image.

This is why I wanted to ask you if adding something that that is not present in the original image could change your mind?

One thing worth adding is that I don't have a reason to lie here. I'm leaving both hive and steem blockchains, and I made that decision weeks ago, and this has no connection to the accusations. This is the fact that you can check as my powerdown is about a half way done.
And the reasons for that are concerning centralization of blockchains via communities and Sun's hostile takeover.
The other reason is that many people aren't interested in being part of the network, but just gain money from posting, this is why I lost belief in the community throughout the years.
And the things steemit inc has been posting somehow gave me hope, but now for me there is no hope.

I may be wrong and things may change on hive, but I'm not so optimistic. Now if this was not enough to make you believe I haven't used AI, if I return I may make a video of how I'm working or do a traditional painting or maybe a cave drawing (no sarcasm here), whatever suits you best.

I also wanted to thank you on your time to bring up arguments into this discussion. It certainly makes the impression that, contrary to the majority, you care about the hive community members whether you like them at first or not, and whether you have a direct interest in their well being or not.