This is a repost of an old post I once made on GimpTalk, it might be of general interest though.


Posting your art - be it a sig, a photomanipulation, a digital painting or anything else - on the internet is implicitly inviting people to give comments on it -- critique. No, "critique" does not mean "negative comments". Critique include both positive and negative constructive feedback. I thought I'd put down some ideas and suggestions on this subject. This is of course all just my personal take on it.

For you getting critique:

First of all, if you don't want critique you should mark that directly in your post. This is fine and should be respected, but don't expect too many people to comment -- people don't like censorship. You should really remember that critique is always a good thing. Critique means a person have really looked at your work, taken it in and formed an opinion about it. They might not like what they see, but at least they are not indifferent to it, it's the difference between having an audience and having a group of people just passing by. Heeding critique is also - by far - the fastest way to improve your art.

Things to think about:

• Try to properly address the constructive critique you get. If a person spent time writing detailed points of critique for you, you should reply in kind with a detailed response. You certainly don't have to agree with any of it, but then you should say so and why. Critique is a dialogue and also the one giving critique must feel the effort they made at least registered with you. If you don't take this time, chance is that next time they won't bother.
• There are real people behind those nicknames who spent some of their time writing feedback for you. Always thank people for their feedback. Always. Also if the critique is jarring. You asked for feedback, you got it. Even better, go give feedback and critique on their works in return.
• Also a simple one-sentence "That's great!" or "Nice!" is also a sort of feedback. A lot less useful than real critique for sure, but worthy of a thanks too.
• If you feel people don't comment enough on your work, start posting critique and feedback on the work of others, they will hopefully reply in kind. If everyone just waits for others to comment on their work, noone will get any responses, ever.
• Don't get defensive. If you get (negative) critique, you must take it for what it is -- an opinion of your latest work. It does not judge you as a person. If you feel personally offended, you have failed. Take a step back, take a cup of tea and return when the feeling subsides.
• If you do get flamed with a clear non-constructive personal attack ("This sucks, you suck and you could just as well stop doing art altogether"), ignore them for the trolls they are and report the post to staff. Schmucks like that do not belong here anyway.

For you giving critique:

Few realize it, but giving proper critique is an art in itself. And I'm not talking about knowing any fancy art terms. No, the art lies in delivering your critique in a way that actually helps the artist, not just brings them down or makes them defensive. Critique is a sensitive thing. The artist has probably spent much time and put a lot of love into their work, it's not easy to hear it's not perfect, to have the flaws pointed out.

Things to think about:

• Never forget that your goal is to help another person to get better. If you want to be critical just to be mean or to show off, don't post.
• There is a real person behind that artist nickname. If the artist becomes defensive and feels attacked, you have failed. No one will heed your advice if you do not respect them. The artist is the master of this particular piece of artwork, not you. It's their work, their choice to hear you out or to reject your advice. Deliver your constructive critique in a respectful way, making it clear it is just your personal opinion. It will give the artist a chance to "save face" if you will, to accept your advice without having to swallow any pride. It's simple human psychology.
• Sometimes the artist don't agree with your critique. Accept that. People have different opinions and it's their artwork after all. At least they now know others see things differently.
• Critique do not only mean negative feedback, but also positive. If you like something, say so. Artists are not mind-readers, there is no such thing as "I don't need to comment because they already know it's good".
• Any feedback is good feedback. A one word "Great!" is better than not responding at all, but you should really try to at least get together a coherent sentence on why you thought it was 'great'. On the other hand a one-word "Bad!" is not acceptable at all -- if you give negative feedback you are supposed to explain why.
• If you give negative critique, make it constructive. "I don't like the right part of the image" is an opinion, but it does not help the artist at all. What is the problem? Is it the colour? Should there be something more there? Is the image too wide? If you can't put your finger on what's wrong ("it's just a feeling..."), say so, but don't leave the artist hanging with just a loose statement.
• Of course flames and personal attacks are not acceptable at all. If you feel the urge to flame, just don't post.
• There is always something positive to be said about any piece of art. Even if you have a lot of negative feedback to give, always try to squeeze in one or two things that were well done, even if they are trivial.

If you have more ideas and thoughts around this issue, post them!
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Griatch

This should be stickied and marked as Read before Critiqueing

But put in Arts...

I so agree with what you posted! I just want to expound on one thing.



Although this may not be critique in the sense of giving someone advice to help them improve, it still helps to build and artist's confidence in their ability. As their confidence builds they are more apt to keep making art. If I see that the advice I would give is already posted, I will either agree with the other poster, or comment on the positives in the image.

I'm a realist. I know that everything I post could be improved in one way or another. The point is, sharing our art benefits us and others, when we respect each other. Griatch really hit the nail on the head with this!

Thanks G!

I would also like to discuss a few other points that are related to this topic, but not included as often.

The viewer's eyesight. I'm getting older, my eyesight is getting more reliant on contrasting images for me to make sense of what I am seeing. It doesn't mean that the artist has done anything wrong. It means, more or less, I'm a bit handicapped with the eyesight, but I am still enjoying the artwork. I want to say "something" rather than nothing.

Another point that comes to mind is where we all think we sit, personally, in skill levels. I love art, been drawing, painting, sculpting, repairing, etc., images since I was a small boy. But I also know where I sit at the round table of skill. Note I said "round" table. What I mean is, I know I have something to bring to the table, but I don't put myself at the head of the table in my realm of art. Surely, somewhere out there, is someone far better at what I do, than I. So, my opinions are always based on how I feel in regards to my own skills. In other words, I am limited to my ability to express my opinions based on what I actually know about the subject, if that makes any sense at all. I've seen far too many trolls in my lifetime trying to be the "art critic" of the art world by making comments that undermine creativity. Things like "that really blows" or "I've seen better". Really? I guess the rest of us are blind.

The point is, if you don't like what you are seeing, and as Griatch has already pointed out, if you have nothing of value to submit in response to that opinion, please, do not respond. Life is hard enough without have to do battle with people whose sole ambition is to take everyone down a few notches, "just because" they want to.

My last point, is don't read into the text you see. It's easy to do. People kill each other over miscommunication. Really. Sit back, sip that cup of tea that Griatch suggested, because unless you are a bonafide pure psychic with telepathic powers, there is no way you could possibly know the emotion, mood, or intent of the writer who uses text on a screen to convey their opinions. I've made this mistake so often in the past, learning from it was most cruel. It's hard. Take my advice, wean yourself from trying to judge what you are reading. The odds are against you being right. Take it from someone who has walked that plank repeatedly.

Just a little addition to the above and this applies to both normal forum discussions and critiques. This forum and for that matter most forums are in English. Whereas, I am blessed with being able to count myself as a native English speaker, there are a lot of people on this forum who are not native English speakers. Even though they speak and write it well, they may still not be able to accurately put in writing what they are thinking. As such their criticisms may seem harsh or too glowing. Read the critique carefully and see if perhaps the wording or syntax seems unfamiliar or stilted and if you suspect that the comments are made by a non-English speaker treat the comment accordingly! Another issue is the difference in age groups. My English is different to the English of my children and even in our home we find that we have misunderstandings due to our different ages. What I find as "aggressive " or "brash" language is not necessarily seen or intended to be as "aggressive" or "brash" by others. Just think of the differences between American, British, Australian and European taught English. Think of your high school French, German or Spanish and try to do a critique or formally communicate in one of those languages before you come out with statements like "What part of this ..... don't you understand!? "

Excellent! Great contributions. This topic has been moved to Gimp Art and made a sticky.

As personal attitude when looking to a GOOD artwork i feel more focused on criticism then on praise

As example for me is clear that Griatch artwork are excellent, so i will not spend much space to state what is cristal clear,(if not maybe the very first time ) instead i will feel more prone to critic what may be improved

On the contrary i may seems more nice if commenting crap but only because i think critics are a waste of time when there are few traces of creativity and/or talent..on the contrary i may try to search something good there and ackwoledge what may be good
Creativity is seldom a gift from god, more a state , a dimension that may be accessed by everybody,...and talent grow up with pratice...and in case encouragments are very helpful

In few words if i critic something is because i like it, so i hope critic may help to improve even more

I often feel that art is such a personal thing that not knowing exactly what the artist is trying to achieve makes it difficult to advise him unless he points out what HE feels is weak with his work. (or she of course)

Lots of interesting opinions on the subject, thanks!

I can certainly agree on the difficulty in judging "tone" over the internet. As a non-native speaker of English myself I sometimes find that expressions that just sound kinda funny or quaint to me has connotations that are far worse to native speakers.
As someone who encourages critique on all my work, I have often come across cases where I read the tone of the critique as surprisingly "hard" ... until I lean back and ponder the alternative ways one could interpret the words. English is a highly imprecise language. Interpreting ambiguous sentences in the "nicest" way is a good way to keep your blood pressure low.
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Griatch

It is also a good way to keep your thread on track and capable of providing useful feedback. And isn't that what you want? (Or would you rather engage in a five page flamefest with one particular commenter?)

The philosophy that "you are successful if you get what you want" has, in addition to serving me well on the Internet, kept me out of many a barroom brawl over the years.