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Vexel Article - Critiquing for Dummies - by Sarah
Think about this for a moment: Would you rather a suck up comment where somebody droolgasms all over the screen and flows out a whole heap of verbal diarrhoea into the comment box about how "omfg gorgeous" your vexel is, or would you rather somebody nitpicking at every tiny mistake in your vexel, and telling you how to fix it up?
You'd want the verbal diarrhoea, right?
Yeah, I thought so.
Everybody loves a suck up comment, but when it comes to the crunch, suck up comments are probably the most pointless comments that somebody could give. Why, you ask?
Any kind of art can be improved on. Even Monet, Da Vinci, and Michelangelo (to name a few) could have improved in some aspect or another. If no one critiqued their work, nit picked the little areas that needed fixing, how would they know for next time?
Now, not everybody takes critiques or constructive criticism very well. There are people like that on vexels, and we need to punish them with whips. No, just kidding. They will be punished though: Their next vexel will probably have the same mistakes as their previous one did, because they failed to acknowledge the constructive criticism they had been given. On the other hand, someone who reads and thinks about the constructive criticism is more likely to remember it next time around, and implement it.
I'm sure every one of you at some stage has disregarded somebody's critique on your work. So, how do you avoid this? When you read the critique, don't read it as if it's insulting your work, because it's often quite the opposite. Whilst reading the comment, look at your work, and look at what the critic is talking about. Try and fix these problems up, or remember them for next time.
So, in the future, if you get some constructive criticism, use it wisely. Don't reply with remarks such as "Whatever, it's my style," or "Fool, my vexels are better than yours, what would you know?" because it is a lot easier for someone who hasnt been creating the image to see flaws in it, than it is for the artist. If they say that this is wrong, or such and such is missing, they're probably right!
Remember though, constructive criticism is the only kind of criticism we want on www.vexels.net. Get a bad comment, or a critique you don't agree on? Don't get angry, just accept it, ignore it, or if it's particularly bad, take it up with an admin.
Happy critiquing everybody!
You'd want the verbal diarrhoea, right?
Yeah, I thought so.
Everybody loves a suck up comment, but when it comes to the crunch, suck up comments are probably the most pointless comments that somebody could give. Why, you ask?
Any kind of art can be improved on. Even Monet, Da Vinci, and Michelangelo (to name a few) could have improved in some aspect or another. If no one critiqued their work, nit picked the little areas that needed fixing, how would they know for next time?
Now, not everybody takes critiques or constructive criticism very well. There are people like that on vexels, and we need to punish them with whips. No, just kidding. They will be punished though: Their next vexel will probably have the same mistakes as their previous one did, because they failed to acknowledge the constructive criticism they had been given. On the other hand, someone who reads and thinks about the constructive criticism is more likely to remember it next time around, and implement it.
I'm sure every one of you at some stage has disregarded somebody's critique on your work. So, how do you avoid this? When you read the critique, don't read it as if it's insulting your work, because it's often quite the opposite. Whilst reading the comment, look at your work, and look at what the critic is talking about. Try and fix these problems up, or remember them for next time.
So, in the future, if you get some constructive criticism, use it wisely. Don't reply with remarks such as "Whatever, it's my style," or "Fool, my vexels are better than yours, what would you know?" because it is a lot easier for someone who hasnt been creating the image to see flaws in it, than it is for the artist. If they say that this is wrong, or such and such is missing, they're probably right!
Remember though, constructive criticism is the only kind of criticism we want on www.vexels.net. Get a bad comment, or a critique you don't agree on? Don't get angry, just accept it, ignore it, or if it's particularly bad, take it up with an admin.
Happy critiquing everybody!
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Comments (12)
| [DeletedUser] | [ Comment deleted at owner's request ] |
| Alyson | I think there should be an option when you submit your art, kind of like on DA, where you can say you want nice comments or constructive criticism or something along those lines. |
| Quyen | Very great article. Sometime I get annoyed by some critique, but I gotta take it and use it as a tip to improve on my next vexels. |
Sarah |
Thanks everyone for your comments! kayotee, your comment was a novel, but it was insightful, so thankyou! Shaz and nemesis: I do agree that it does come down to taste, and of course, some viewers are going to poo-poo certain art (hell, I poo-poo abstract art) - but there's no point in critiquing something if you hate it, because you'll deliberately find flaws in it and not notice the good. :P Oh, and nemesis, when i said "oh, it's my style" i meant it as a reply to a comment with constructive critisism that could actually be helpful, and the person just replying with a stupid reply because they don't want to accept the critisism. ;P Yes, Linds, i'm a mind reader. I'm sensing that you are now amazed..? |
| [DeletedUser] | [ Comment deleted at owner's request ] |
Linds |
When you said: "You'd want the verbal diarrhoea, right? Yeah, I thought so. " It made me LOL. It's like you read my mind. Are you a mindreader, Sarah? |
| kayotee1 | well said. The hardest thing for an artist to get is often an honest straightforward analysis of his or her work. We can do this ourselves but it requires an extended 'buffering' period to truly 'see' the work. I can see obvious flaws in earlier works that i could not pick out for many years tho i knew something was not quite right. each piece is like a relationship...you cannot see the flaws because of your closeness to the work. as such criticisms should be tendered accordingly. if you are going to point out the negative elements be sure to point out the positive things as well...in that order. Criticism comes from the greek kritikos meaning 'skilled in judging'. in our culture this has taken on negative connotations. when people critique something they are inspired by it in one form or fashion. one of those dead roman guys said it best. one has not fully achieved greatness until one is critisized...the gist is this...until that time we are just another face in the forum suspended in a state of perpetual mediocrity. when the songbird sings 'look-at-mee! look-at-mee! it is natural for the mocking bird to follow suit and the raven to caww. this is the highest form of flattery in two forms...imitation and dissent. not all take criticism as it is meant but too, constructive critiscism is an art form as complex as poetry or music. your goal is to inspire the artist not to tear them down. again with the dead romans 'non culpat sed laudat' when i critique i try to 'praise not blame'. as a result my critiques are often long and take some effort on my part although it violates the first law of literature and the net...least said best read. brevity is not one of my strong points. i refuse to reduce the world around me to simply, 'cool'. point is...if you would critique and your intentions are good then extend your art into your words. i like to practice at poetry.com (thats not an intentional plug) there is nothing more satisfying than to have someone thank you with enthusiasm bordering on the aformentioned droolgasm (great word ;-p) after you artfully, with the grace of apollo and hermes combined, ripped thier best effort to shreds. ;-p it does a body good. hmm when i put it like that it sounds something like 'giving the proverbial 'reach around'. thanks for taking the time to read this. sorry its so long....my oral fetish in overdrive. |
| Shaz | I was expecting a tutorial or a list man Sarah :( I think any newbie and advanced user should learn to accept critism with open arms. About 1 in 5 comments hold constructive critism, if you don't like it, think of it that someone has put the effort and extra time into focusing in on your vexel - take it as a compliment and not an insult. I do however disagree with if someone picks up on something, that there probably is something wrong... a lot comes down to taste I guess rather than technic etc... it's just sifting through the comment to find the critism which will help you with the technical side. I am trying to learn a new style at the moment, so I do appreciate the critism as a something to learn from. |
| Echoia | Nice... except... yeah I just want the kissy ones. Just tell me my stuff is great and that I am better than you and how humble I make you. It makes me paranoid and THAT is good for art ; ) |
| [DeletedUser] | [ Comment deleted at owner's request ] |
Carina |
*Hopes that people who hate critique will read this* |
zummi |
Well written, Sarah. :) |