Sensible Beginners guide to Critiques.Part 2

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Part 2

Ok OK whatever...So what is the difference between a "proper" critique, constructive, criticism, and someone just nitpicking?

Here are examples.

Example of a nitpick I have received on my art work quite often.

"Ugh.. you have drawn the boobs way to big on that character in comparison to how it is drawn in the comic book."

My Take on This Response
The person clearly voiced their opinion.But chose to only notice what they felt was a flaw in the work.I openly admit to drawing big breasts on most of my fan art.So the response was valid.But not fully explained.To me the artist I'm left wondering if the person just doesn't like big boobs or the drawing in general.The only thing they pointed out and "picked" on was how big I drawn the characters boobs. As the artist getting that response I'm left wondering where is this person going with this type comment. And you as the person posting the comment has just opened up a can of worms that you may not have the time or state of mind to deal with. Because this can be seen as a form of hating or art shaming someones work.

Example of Constructive Criticism

" You do realize the boobs are way to big on the character don't you?. And it doesn't fit the characters body type. The hands are not drawn very well and I noticed that you always draw your heads in a 3 quarters view or angle. And why don't you draw the full figure.You always seem to draw your figures ending at the knee. If I were you I would look at tutorials on how to properly draw breasts. And take some anatomy classes.You should work on drawing different poses as well."

My take on this response
The person was brutally honest to the point it came off as condescending even though they may not have wanted to come off that way.This person made an honest and straight to the point observation and offered very constructive criticism. But that's all they did. They mostly criticized what they felt were flaws in the work. They didn't acknowledge anything good about it. They also gave a very "know it all" way of giving me advice to address the flaws in my work. But you know what. I cannot deny I have those flaws. But what would piss me off is the fact they are profiling me as an artist. Because I do know how to properly draw breasts.I just draw what I like drawing.I have taken 2 different anatomy classes. And 3 different figure drawing classes. So all that knowledge may not come through in most of my work.But thats because I'm drawing based purely on aesthetics and what I like to look at and draw.First and foremost I draw for me unless your paying me to draw something for you.

Example of a Proper Critique

"Wow! Mack nice work.Great job on the hair and shading.The face is really well done and I like the attention to detail in trying to get the costume to be as accurate as possible. The body flow is very solid and visually appealing.
The breasts are a little too big for my taste but to each their own.

You might want to tighten up your hands though and be mindful of your proportions.They do work but sometimes the anatomy can be slightly off. I would like to see more dynamic poses in your work. You do tend to draw the same or similar poses a lot. Overall the work is solid.Keep doing what you do!"

My take on this response.
A well thought out and worded critique. This person noticed what I do well and mentions what they like about the art work.At the same time they do not let their own personal bias cloud their judgment and critique the piece for what it is. They also recognized all my flaws by telling me in a way "That hey maybe you would want to address these issues.Because it will make your work better". They also said what they would like to see in my work in hopes that it will stimulate my creativity. I can't bad mouth this person or get butt hurt for that type of comment to my work.Because they came off as liking my work,being supportive, and offering great advice on things to improve in my work. I could be angry and not accept this persons critique but that just would make me come off as arrogant art scrub.Who thinks they are to good to have their work critiqued.

"Fine I see what you are saying. But what if I genuinely feel that the person giving me constructive criticism or critiques is talking out of their ass concerning some aspects of my art. Or I feel they don't have the skills or street cred to tell me anything concerning art."

Hmm well I guess its time to address....

How to Take and Receive Critiques

Me personally has gotten it a lot of constructive criticism,critiques,nitpicks, and some degree of hate over the years for my art work. Many different factors come into play in how and why some artists get more love than others.And why certain artists don't get the attention they deserve.Times are a lot more different now compared to when I was going to art school. The standards were higher.Digital tools and even having access to the internet wasn't common. If you wanted to show off your work you either got a table at cons or attended cons. You had to mail off your art submissions to potential employers back then. Since the standards were higher the art game was viewed more as a viable trade to apply your craft more so than just as a hobby. A lot of top names got known from toiling in the trenches in the independent comic book scene. Some well known artists worked for free just to get known in order to get hired and paid as a comic book artist.

These days if you got the creativity,the time, and the extra income you can self publish your own comic book or webcomic.You don't need to travel to have editors look at your work or submit your work to them.All you need is a dream,time, and passion to get your work out there.Not too mention you can download a lot of digital art tools for free.You can read a bunch of tutorials and watch hours of Youtube videos on how to do art and do digital color work.So you can mentally convince yourself you got what it takes to compete with the big boys.

"Whoah! Whoah! What the hell does this have to do receiving critiques?!

I'm getting to that.Almost every thing is easily accessible these days. And this leads to instant gratification.Which in turn leads to a lot of derivative work being published and produced. Which lowers the previous standards that were set.

"Ok but why is this such a big deal? Isn't a good thing for more people to get into art?Shouldn't everyone have the opportunity to be able to create?"

Here's a question for you,would you accept just anyone into the NBA just because they learned how to do dribble tricks and dunk from watching Youtube videos? You have to earn your spot.And the standards for anything at a high level are very high. In order to develop into being in the NBA you got to be athletically gifted,court savy, and love the game to the point you don't half ass the process of getting better. And your constantly going to be coached and have not just coaches but players dissecting and breaking down your game as a player.

"But that's sports?! That doesn't apply to the art game?"

Yes it does. Not only do you got to bust your ass and constantly draw and study.Your going to have people,teachers,friends,family, and your peers in the art game either supporting you or not. How you learn,who supports your work, and how you take coaching and critique has a huge hand in your success as an artist. Granted there are different paths to success in the art game.Even still how you take and receive critique and feedback does determine your fate if you want to be a professional.

"What if I don't want to be a professional? And I just want to draw and tell my stories because I enjoiy doing it."

That's perfectly fine.But as soon as you start self publishing your comics and stories with the intent to sale you are jumping into an ocean full of sharks. You are no longer a hobbyist if you intend to profit off of your work. No matter how much you consider it just a "hobby".Putting in all that work and time to produce a book and not make any profit to at least cover the cost on it is a waste of time and finances. Plus you are flooding the market with derivative product if you continue to think of it as just a "hobby". There are people trying to make a name for themselves in the art game. How you take critique is essential to getting better. Getting your name out there and leading to more opportunities doing what you love for a living.

If you don't want to be a pro or take your game to the next level then that's fine. But most artists want to display their work and have it recognized.If you want to lower the amount of haters,criticism, and bad critiques you get well your still going to have to want to get better even if you just like to draw for shits a giggles. Once you put your work on display you got to mentally prepare yourself for various types of responses to your work.

"Whatever..So how should I react to haters and criticism?"

As far as hate your better off ignoring it.But you also have to know how to tell the difference between some one hating and offering valid criticism. That only happens from receiving a fair share of hate,valid criticism, and proper critique. And because their are so many new artists getting into the art game not many of them has had the experience of having their work properly critiqued. So many don't know how to take it. We got a lot of grown folks acting like whiny brats in the art game and geek fandom in general right now.

Before you get defensive about getting your worked critiqued you should know your strengths and weaknesses as an artist.What is your goal for your art?And how far do you want to take it. Sadly not many artists think this way concerning art. They just know their friends,family,and people in the community say their work is good.Or support their work because they are being supportive.You don't know how good your work is until you put it out there and show it off with in a community that has higher than average standards.That way you will either get valid feedback or your work will be just ignored.Even still its a humbling experience.

Here is a list of do's and don'ts when receiving critiques or valid forms of constructive criticism.

*Game recognizes game. 
If the person giving the critique is better than you and have earned their street cred by working in the industry.
Just shut up and listen.Because they acknowledged you as an artist by even just giving you advice or noticed your work to comment on it.

*Learn to be your own worst critic.
Can it be detrimental to your development as an artist? Yes but that's only if your constantly being way to hard on yourself. But knowing what you are,who you are, and testing your limits as an artist it will help you develop faster.Because you already have a sense on ways you can be better.

*Have a set of Standards for your work and do your best to meet them.
An artist or someone with an eye for an art can break your work down just by looking at it.They can identify on whether you are serious or not about your work. This leads to why many artists and art critics comment on others work. We are a very supportive community if you fully invest in being a part of the art game.If you come off as a fraud or half ass the work needed to getting better your going to get called out on it.

*Put up or Shut up
Basically it applies to you as the person giving the critique or criticism. Don't go off coming off as a art snob when your work can't back up the shit you post about others work.

* Would you like some cheese with that whine.
Stop whining and making excuses on why you do not choose to raise your game.Just own up to it and move on. It means less drama if you just own up to it.

*If you can't say at least something nice....(when offering an opinion on some ones art work)
Don't say anything at all.Yeah, pretty self explanatory.This will keep the drama to a minimum as well.

* Practice what you preach.
Same thing as Put Up or Shut up.Only difference is don't always stand on the sidelines being a cheerleader for others work.Practice and excel at the skills needed in which you give advice on to others.

*Say what you mean.Explain how you feel.
This is the key to giving proper critiques and not make you sound like complete douche when you give constructive criticism. Let the person know you care and not just trying to make the person feel bad.

*Style Looses to Substance.(most of the time)
It doesn't matter how creative your work is.How dynamic your figure work or poses are if your work has glaring fundamental technical art flaws.For all the hell that Rob Liefeld gets from many in the art community.On a fundamental level his proportions,shading, comic page layout,construction, and storytelling is better than most of the artists who talk about and nitpick his issues with anatomy. He knows he has issues drawing accurate anatomy but he doesn't care.Because his ass made about a million bucks in his prime. When he got into the comic biz his figure work was not as exaggerated.I know he is a bad example but he has thrived in era where art standards were higher than they are now. Basically learn how to draw properly before you break all the rules. All artists to a certain degree are crafty bullshitters. So most of us can see through bullshit.

And last but not least..

*F*** the haters.
Keep doing your thing.If you enjoy what you do then it doesn't matter what others think. But realize there is more to the art game than just putting pencil to paper.Once you put your art on public display you made your choice to be recognized as an artist.You have to accept the good and the bad that comes with that distinction.

In Conclusion.

I wrote this for me as much for any other artists taking the time to read it. All I want is a bullshit free community.I want an honest art community. And I want one not governed by warped popular opinions or political agendas. The art game needs to have layers like an onion. It needs culture and depth. And people willing to support the young talent who wish to uphold high standards. Be an artist with purpose.Because you need purpose and passion to thrive with in it.Otherwise your just a doodler.Don't be a doodler and expect to just be someone in the art game. Don't be an art scrub. Heed the advice and critiques of other artists.

And stop hating,art shaming, and being an art snob just because you got a stick up your butt.

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