Recent complaints of critiques in this forum ...

#1

Hello [insert your name here],

There has been a recent increase in the number of complaints (via PM) that I have received from users of this forum. The complaints have focused on the manner in which critique is being issued and recieved on this forum. The complaints have been from and directed at several different users. Therefore, I’m not going to spend my afternoon tailoring PM responses to each individual and notifying them of what’s going on or what needs to change. I’m posting a gentle reminder here of what this forum is about and what you should expect.

The 2D WIP forum is a tool to be utilized by the artist wishing to improve upon his/her craft. It is also is a place for those wishing to express their opinions and knowledge in regards to the art presented for critique for the purpose of helping the artists improve upon his/her craft.

Having said that …

The Artist …[ol][li]upon presenting a work to the 2D WIP gallery should expect to have his/her work critiqued by others of varying skill levels.[ul][]professionals - someone who has worked at some capacity in the film, television or gaming industry.[]students - someone who is currently enrolled in academic classes relating to the Digital Arts profession.[]hobbiests - someone who has a strong interest in the field and utilizes their free time pursuing their own personal projects in the medium.[]admirers - someone who just has a strong interest in the artists, their work and the media but doesn’t have any experience producing the art themselves.[]John & Jane Does - someone who has randomly stumbled upon the forum and has registered to leave a comment or two.[/ul][]should understand that the opinion and critique of each individual mentioned above should be considered of equal value. It does not take a qualified and trained Master Chef to understand when cheese has gone bad. The same principle applies to anyone who wishes to critique an image.[]is not under any requirement to alter their work as suggested by it’s critics.[ul][]Apply all critiques - improve your work or muddle it up with the collective opinions of the masses. That is your choice.[]Apply some - maybe you understand the relevance of some critiques but don’t want to sacrifice in other areas. That’s fine.[]Apply none - Yes, you do have the right to ignore all critique provided or dismiss them as irrelevant to your vision. However, don’t be surprised when your critics question your motivation to post in this WIP forum.[/ul][]should be courteous and thankful to the critiques provided, acknowledging each critique as helpful (even should the artist choose to ignore the advice provided). Someone just spent 2 minutes or longer writing an opinion of your work. Return the favor by (at the very least) thanking them for their time.[]should not take any critique of the art presented as a personal attack on his/her own character. Please understand that, “this is incorrect” and “you’re a douchebag” are two completely different statements. The first being completely acceptable behaviour on the forum, and the later should be immediately reported to one of the Forum Leaders.[/ol]
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The Critic …[ol][li]should understand that their opinion (regardless of how they or others may feel is relevant to the work) is never the final word of absolute truth and knowledge. That privilege belongs to the artist. The artist ultimately knows his/her vision and path that they wish to take to get there.[]may not agree with the artist’s decisions or methods, but it is not acceptable to impose yourself upon the work. The correct way to critique work is to offer suggestions that the artist may (or may not) choose to implement in their revisions.[]should remain mindful that artists can be egotists (not trying to stereotype here, but it’s a pretty common unwritten fact :smiley: ). Careful choice of words when providing a critique is often recommended.[ul][]Provide specifics when possible.[]Avoid use of negative words like bad, horrible, wrong, stupid, etc.[]Mention the parts that you like about the image as well as the parts you don’t.[/ul][]should not argue the opinions or critiques provided by other users. Focus on the artwork presented and allow other users to give their opinion as well (even if you disagree).[/ol]
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I’m forgetting something, but pretty confident that I covered most of the recent complaints. I’ll edit this if needed or if someone would like to provide additional insight.

Please, read this and abide by it. I do not enjoy being a wet nurse to people who can’t maintain a professional attitude and conduct on this forum. However, should the behavior continue, I’ll have no hesitations or remorse to forward user account names to the site’s Admins for corrective actions. What happens next is entirely up to you.

Thank you,

  • Kirt
#2

My first experience here at CGsociety was at the DWIV challenge. I learned more about art in those 2 months than in the last 26 years. It was, and it was incredible. Mainly because of all the feedback from other artist, all the good advice and C&C’s, and yes even from other amateurs!
So I would like to inspire other new guys like me to really pump people power and milk those C&C’s for all their worth, and try to get all the critics you can. If you can apply it with creativity you’ll see your work improve in incredible ways.
Thanks CGsociety,for this great environment to grow as artist! :cool:

#3

Hello all,

In my opinion, and not to brown nose, I totally concur with the moderator about what this section of the site is about.

A critique or 'Crit" is an invaluable tool for any artist.

As the moderator elegantly pointed out these “crits” are coming from all kinds of artistic skill levels, all kinds of people who KNOW how to express themselves properly in a constructive or not and in a sometimes destructive way, and all kinds of moods & dispositions.

Not everyone posting here has a college or university art education background, and may not understand that ultimately an offered “crit” by an individual should be constructive! My mother always told me “if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t sat anything.”

Unfortunately not everyone follows that sort of logic. I think commentators and the commented upon forget how attached people are to their art, and that even a constructive “Crit” can launch a bad reaction.

Wrapping up, I’ll just say I hope folks can take all kinds of “crits” in the right light.

#4

I have always loved this quote. Everyone with self doubt should write it down and carry it in their wallet:

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

.

#5

I still don’t understand why people complain about the critiques they receive…

From the moment they post on a PUBLIC forum their personal work, they should always except views that either agree or disagree with them. That is the whole meaning of a critique , isn’t it? To see a different view…! Now on how you are going to react on this view is another issue, a more personal i must add.

The world is cruel out there people, deal with it ;d
If you want only positive critiques then you can always post on deviantArt.

#6

I have to say that I have posted on here for some years and despite some of the crits I have had being very harsh every last one of them has been invaluable. I don’t say that I have used every guided piece of advice but even those you don’t use teach you how to assess and ultimately improve. So what if somebody doesn’t wrap it up in candy coated niceties, take the crit for what it means and get over any harsh words… I mean really, do they break your bones? If you want “WOW dude!” then as the last post stated go over to Deviant!

Sean

#7

Anyone can criticize, and advise, not every

A good job is one that like, not like?
Photoshop only simplifies the work up to 100 times
truly good work, This is the one that is drawn in pencil, ink on paper

#8

Totally agree with all of this, very well written.

If you are questioning the merit of a critique, and whether or not to implement the advice, check out that persons portfolio or recognize lack thereof. Some of us are biased to certain things we do and do not like.

I for one, am all about bold colors and high contrast which doesn’t lend itself well when critiquing baroque style paintings, but i offer what I can and compliment sandwich it.

#9

Hi,

I recently post a thread, But how come I can’t find it anywhere?

#10

FYI :slight_smile:
professionals - someone who has worked at some capacity in the film, television or gaming industry.

I’m a professional and I work in none of those fields. Although if I was just starting out those would be the best options.

#11

To offer a note from a person that is kind of self reflective:
In the old days, before I started learning the right way, I believed in Talent. And that every one of my Pieces was special and good. Until I was devastated by a girl in my art class that just was so fantastically good for her age, (She simply got the basics right) and then stepped away from a career in arts, because I thought my Talent was too small.

Now, as I am really learning important basic concepts (with the help of youtube, good drawing books and of course this forum) like anatomy, perspective, value, color and composition, I begin to understand that there is an important difference between rehearsing the same errors over and over on the one hand and really learning and improving upon deep understanding of underlying principles on the other.

The problem with the group of people that do not want to learn is: They sometimes still draw a lot, think their shit don´t stink and often are pretty successfull artists, because they can sell their stuff good.
And they give arrogant critique and react pissed when others critique their flaws.
I was member of this group of people for a long time. Now I realised that all my old stuff is pretty bad, cause I did not do my homework. I still love my old stuff, cause it is funny, tho.

The spirit of all critique should be to open perspective for lack of understanding of the specific underlying concept that could be improved to get not only the piece, but the artist to improve. Not to embarrass or be rude to people you perceive as worse then yourself, or better.

And on the receiving end, one should ask himself, regardless of the tone in which the critique is offered: What important concept could I improve upon?
Thats what learning to draw is all about, if you asked me, and applies for any level of skill.
Sorry for the not so short answer. I am rambling too much, every time.
Regards

#12

Good criticism is life changing if you actually listen to it. I posted a value study a while back of a disney background and I neglected an area where there were dark shadows, I didn’t understand the gravity of this error, instead I just painted the whole thing black and assumed that nobody would notice or care because I spent so much time rendering the rest of the image. I swallowed my pride took that crit and explored the concept of shade and shadows. It led me to realize why my mistake was so crucial and more importantly, it made me look at my favorite art works differently. I’ve always been fascinated by the dark portions of Rembrandt paintings. I actually thought that he too neglected those regions and only focused on the areas with light, but since then I’ve realized how important they are and their place in composition and value, the power of subtlety and value control and how the darks make the lights literally appear to glow on the canvas. This is a concept I had never been able to wrap my mind around. Changed my entire way of thinking. (Thank you Robert Chang!).