I am really excite about this blog, and not only because I was the one coordinating it, but because it really gives you and inside about why we do what we do, and if you are half the curious I am you will want to know why someone takes the time to write a whole paragraph about one of your art pieces. Long? maybe, but it is worth the time for sure. Don't rush through it, fav it and read it at your own pace you won't regret it.
Love CatherineCruz
kuschelirmel
Why do you critique?
Because when I came to dA I met lots of people
who I looked up to art-wise and they gave me advice freely. If it hadn't
been for them, I wouldn't be where I am today with my own art (even
though it's "just" a hobby). I want to give that back wherever I can, be
it through critiques or tutorials
What moves you in an art piece to sit down and write a critique?
I often write critiques because I am asked to, so there is no real
connection there aside from the fact that I know that the critique will
be appreciated. Other times I look at something and may think, "what a
wonderful idea! Now if they'd just been able to pull it off
technique-wise," and then I often know what it is that I would do
differently so I share the tips. I also need to be able to find
something to praise. I refuse to just write a string of "you should've
done this differently" because I find it must be extremely frustrating
for the artist to get such a critique. Not to mention that everyone will
find it difficult to thank someone for a critique like that - at least
if we're honest.
How do you work, explain what your process to write a critique is?
First I try to look at the image without thinking too much about technique
and composition, trying t find out what it might try to say to me.
Should I feel sad or happy or screaming with joy? Is it a calm scene or
energetic? Then the brain comes in and I may find stuff like "it looks
like a peaceful scene, but why on earth is it held in blood red, which
is not the calmest of colors?" Those thoughts I try to express (the
good ones just as well as the ones that make me go "what the heck?") and
then I try to give some practical tips on how to improve. For example,
when the lighting is off, I try to find out what different light sources
there currently are and which ones should be there instead and then
give some advice on what exactly they can do to recognize where the
light is coming from or how to implement that in Photoshop. I will
rarely write everything into that critique that I've found while staring
at it. I try to keep it to the important points of colors,
composition, perspective issues unless of course the artist is so
advanced that you kinda need to go into the details for the critique to
make sense. No one wants to read a critique that just ticks off points
that went wrong, at least I think no one does.
From your point of view what's integral to the work of an artist?
I'm not so sure there is something like an integral part here - after all,
anything can be art and each artists' intentions are different. Some
just want to provoke a reaction, any reaction, some want to express
their feelings. Some do it as a hobby and yet others want to be able to
live off their artwork. I think it's important to keep that in mind when
doing a critique. Personally, from someone who aspires to live off
their art, I expect a certain knowledge of techniques (in their chosen
medium, can be knowledge of a program or more traditional things like
paint and canvas) and basic "art stuff" such as composition and color
theory to name just two.
What art form do you most identify with?
I'm a digital girl throughout - I do photomanips and I also critique those
pretty much exclusively. While I think everyone can give valuable
feedback no matter how well-versed or talented they are at the genre (or
art in general), I think that for a critique some technical tips and
tricks are always a plus. So I keep to what I know most of the time.
What's your most frustrating/rewarding experience as a critic?
It takes time to write a critique. So needless to say if someone just
throws it in your face afterwards (I don't mean disagrees with your
points, but behaves like a 6 year old who didn't get the toy he wanted),
it is beyond frustrating. It's the reason I don't give random critiques
on deviations that don't have the critique feature enabled. I mostly
critique "on demand" because of the time constraints (full time job,
boyfriend, personal manip time or I'll get cranky,...). But when I do I
really love to see that it helps. It's the same reason why I write
tutorials. That warm fuzzy feeling when someone tells me my tips are
useful beats everything
What's your favorite art work right now?
Just one - that's tough! But if I have to choose, I'll choose:
What drew you to it?
The colors are well dosed and chosen brilliantly to mesh with the flowing,
silky background and the textured, exploding parts. Detail and room to
let your eyes wander are so well-placed, it's a joy to watch. And
there's a link to detail shots in the artist's comment that you
shouldn't miss!
What do you like/dislike about being a critic?
I like being able to help. As I said before, I dislike instances where
people pretend to be open to critique but actually they are not and
they'd rather throw a hissy fit than accept that, no, they are not
perfect (like everyone else). But I have developed a good feeling for
selecting who to give critique to and who to let be so I#m not much
affected by that any more in any case. Life's too short to waste time on
idiots
As critics we are all about giving advice but as an artist what's the best piece of advice you've been given?
To take a step back sometimes, look at things in a new light. And to not try to force something unless I absolutely have to.
Jasmin
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TriZiana
Why do you critique?
I feel that everybody who is serious about their art, will welcome a
critique. And at the end of the day, there' is only two ways to grow in
being an artist ->! by practicing and 2-> by improving on faults
your viewers point out to you. Therefor I feel I am doing anybody to
whom I provide a critique, a favor.
What moves you in an art piece to sit down and write a critique?
Usually when I can see the effort the artist put into the piece, but also exactly
where he/she went wrong, I will sit down and try my best to put into words how
the mistakes can be corrected. Also when I am asked for a critique I try my
best to provide it.
How do you work, explain what your process to write a critique is?
Ah well first I sit and stare at the artwork, I try and take it apart with my eyes.
Then after I am pretty sure that I have gone over every detail in the artwork, I will
start at one point (starting at what was done correct and what stands out in the
piece) to work myself towards another (what I scheme went wrong and how
to fix it, in my opinion) I also always add that they must realize that
the critique is only from my point of view and whether or not they agree
From your point of view what's integral to the work of an artist?
The passion. I must be able to see the will to create something new in
an artwork. It doesn't matter whether or not the artist is an expert or not, if there is
a burning flame for art within them, then they will improve over time
to become an expert. Also a certain level of talent is needed, I don't
think everybody who loves art can be an artist, unfortunately. I don't
know, I think it's something you get born with. (I hope I understood
your question correctly here)
What art form do you most identify with?
Because I started of as a sketch artist doing traditional drawings, I still very
much identify with that.But I have long since moved on from the traditional mediums.
Now I focus on photomanipulation, and as such I try to mostly give
constructive feedback on manips, as it is an art form I think I know a
thing or two about.
What's your favorite art work right now?
WOW, that's a very hard question, as my favorite artwork changes every hour, lol.
There's so much talent on DA,it's impossible for my mind to stagnate to one piece.
Although I will tell you this specific piece is something I have loved for a very long
time.
But Dali's Masturbate is my all time favorite artwork!!
What drew you to it?
'The First Snow' - There is something dark and morbid about it that I
love,plus the artist is freaking brilliant at digital painting.
'Dali's Masturbate' - Really? Have you seen it? Dali was a genius and for
somebody to come up with that concept, I don't know, your mind has to be
far gone!! And I love the idea of insanity, so that's probably what
drew me to it.
What do you like/dislike about being a critic?
LIKE - I love it when I give a critique and it's actually helpful to the artist.
When they are actually appreciative ofyour input.
Dislike - in the same breath I can say that as many
people there is out there who are appreciative of my feedback, there are
just as many people who think I am super bitch number !. Lol, I've been
cursed at so many times for things I said trying to help the artist. I
don't get why people ask officially for critiques on their work, when
they can't handle a bit of negative feedback.
As critics we are all about giving advice but as an artist what's the best piece of advice you've been given?
Oh I have been privileged enough to have received a lot of very useful advice on my
artworks. The most useful I would say, and this is a technique I still
use in every artwork I do, was given to me by :devPartrick2011: He said
that the last thing he always does before he saves the jpeg of his manip
is make a new layer, fill it with white, and then lower the opacity to
about 7%. Now I play around with that, I fill the layer with the most
predominant color in the artwork and I play around with the opacity
until I am happy. But this definitely gives the artwork a more
'finished and well blended' look.
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miontre
Why not start with the most obvious question: why do you critique?
There are four reasons which I think it's worthwhile to write critiques for
others. The first is that I'll hopefully be helping someone to improve -
and I know that's something I would want. If there's nobody there to
critique, nobody will get critique! The second reason is related to the
first. It feels really good and satisfying helping others out and
knowing you may have encouraged them to improve. The third reason is
that writing critiques gives you an opportunity to meet new people. A
lot of people ask, "What's in it for me?", and this is where my fourth
reason comes in. If you are able to teach something to someone else - it
means you yourself must know it well in the first place. And you'll
improve a little bit yourself.
What moves you in an art piece to sit down and write a critique?
I never critique really bad art - if the artist doesn't seem to have put
any effort into their piece of work, why should I put effort into
writing a critique? I don't often critique really good pieces of work,
often because I have difficulty finding flaws. I usually am drawn to
critique works which show that the artist has put effort into creating,
and also have areas which I think the artist could improve on.
How do you work, explain what your process to write a critique is?
I start by writing my overall impression on the artwork. Was it good,
bad, in-between? Then I write what I liked about the work, and what
stood out to me. I include what I think the artist did well so that they
can remember to do that next time. Then I start pointing out the things
I think the artist could have done better. I give the artist tips on
what they could do to improve the specific point, and use my own
knowledge rather than suggest they try something which I can't be sure
will work.
What art form do you most identify with?
Photography, because that's what I do!
What's your most frustrating/rewarding experience as a critic?
The most frustrating thing as a critic is when I get nasty responses from
the people I wrote a critique for. If I put time, energy, and thought
into writing a critique, I find it downright rude if someone responds
nastily. It's alright if the receiver of the critique disagrees, but
it's not alright if they leave a rude response. The most rewarding
experience as a critic is seeing people improve, and getting the
satisfaction of helping someone and not receiving anything in exchange.
What's your favorite art work right now?
At the moment, I really love "The voices in my head" by DianaGrigore:
I also really like "A Terribly Uncertain Future" by nile-can-too:
What drew you to it?
The moods, colors, and feelings these photos express really drew me to them. I love the creative use of depth of field in each.
What do you like/dislike about being a critic?</b>
I think it's the same as above. I like being able to help people out but I don't like getting nasty responses.
As critics we are all about giving advice but as an artist what's the best piece of advice you've been given?
I don't know, because I've received so many helpful comments
Something a lot of people have been telling me recently is to crop my work. I've
never experimented with cropping my photography, but in some of my most
recent uploads I've tried employing some cropping.
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ziinyu
Why do you critique?
To me a critique is the most important piece of feedback an artist can receive. It provides the one thing that no artist can give or teach themselves, outside perspective. We create art to communicate an idea (at least from a design perspective) - and through a critique we can both learn how well that idea came across and (hopefully) how we can do better next time!
Personally my history as an art student began online, through the mentoring from a notorious Merekat over on the Megatokyo Art & Drawing forums. Her in-depth, succinct, and brutally honest (but kind hearted) feedback totally changed the way I viewed the creation of art. I started to think about it academically, and began to realize that by directing my own course of study I'd be able to one day really make the kind of art that I wanted to. That was the first time I ever thought about one day creating professionally.
I critique in hopes of someday inspiring that in someone else too.
What moves you in an art piece to sit down and write a critique?
When I see an artist really trying to improve themselves, someone who takes themselves seriously and really wants to be something someday - that, inevitably is what inspires me to critique. I think it's an unfortunate truth here on devART that too many people just post their work to show off (regardless of technical ability), they have no desire to improve themselves and the aren't really self-aware. I honestly don't care what level an artist is when I critique their work, they could be drawing symbol portraits or sweeping visages in oil on canvas - what matters to me is that they want to go somewhere further than they are (and are willing to put in the work for it).
How do you work, explain what your process to write a critique is?
Usually my first step is to actually ask an artist what they want critiqued (if they haven't already included it in the description), I use this to help direct my critique and make it applicable to their own efforts and studies. After that the structure is pretty formulaic.
1. Overall impression of the piece, including description, interpretation, and ambiance.To be totally honest, most of my critiques end with an apology for all the text.
2. Positive aspects - start with the best things first, what really worked, what was unique, and what shows progress?
3. Negative aspects (the body of of the critique). What could use improvement, and why doesn't it serve the piece very well? A breakdown individually of the major points, why they don't work, and how they can be improved.
4. Referencing of various resources and general theories of study (abstraction, harmony, structure, readability etc.) - linking to relevant tutorials and examples.
5. Exercises or homework (usually I ask if people are interested in some homework assignments and then follow up with about an hour's worth of directed study suggestions).
6. Final impression, back to what's good and how those aspects can be used to improve other parts of the piece.
From your point of view what's integral to the work of an artist?
Probably the most important thing to know about a work (or to infer from it) is the concept behind it. Everything we do is a conscious choice, and should be a deliberate one - I want to know WHY an artist made all the choices that they did. (Continuing in that trend, self-awareness as a creative individual is crucial - the better grasp you have on that the better you can direct yourself in your progress.)
What art form do you most identify with?
I have to say drawing. Not just because it's my most frequent medium, but to me it is the most raw and unfinished. It's true, you can have a fully rendered and exquisite drawing - but most drawings speak of process. Often it's the first step for every other medium; paintings have underdrawings, designs have concept sketches, sculptures have structure studies, architecture has blueprints, etc. You can draw anything.
What's your most frustrating/rewarding experience as a critic?
Most frustrating is easy - it's all those times I pour myself into a critique, write something that I'm really proud of, only to be met with some variation of the following. "Well, I wan't really going for anything with this one, so I guess whatever." … I'm sorry - WTF does "I guess whatever" mean? I get that you're defensive, I tore that apart, but I did it in the nicest way possible and gave you lots of direction for getting better! Don't give me "I guess whatever!" You don't have to "guess" anything! It's all written out right there!
Because of these sorts of responses I now only seek out people that really want critiques. I also archive all of my comments, so I can at least make use of them later even if the recipient ignores them.
Most rewarding was a class I taught here a few summers ago - it was called Figure : Technical Study. About 15 people participated and we went through a curriculum of various techniques for rendering and understanding the figure. Each week presented a new method (gesture, envelope, structural anatomy, abstraction, modeling) with a full tutorial, examples, and 1-2 hours of homework. People would post their work, participate in group critique and provide feedback to help me refine and expand the tutorials. We only made it through three weeks before school started up and we got too busy (poor timing) but the planned culminating project was the development of an individual technique (including theory and process supporting it) by each student and the creation of a tutorial for that technique!
Thinking about bringing it back in :devgroups: form on a slightly smaller scale. Crowd-sourced education, let's do it people!
What's your favorite art work right now?
Probably (at the moment) the Sketchbook Project. Traveling library, hundreds of sketchbooks from all over the world, interaction with new people - how could that not be fantastic?
What drew you to it?
I want to participate in this year's!
What do you like/dislike about being a critic?
The best part is all the people that I meet through it, and all the different perspectives I get to see. It's a learning process for me too (I get too close to my art, like most people, so often I can't see the direction I need to go until I help someone else start working towards it). Probably the most wonderful experience as a critic is seeing your words influence an artist to broaden the way they see their art.
The only thing I dislike about it is the time drag - I need to get working on my projects too! It's too easy to get detracted writing critiques and watch an for or two float by. The solution I cam up with though is to make it all functional - I want to write a textbook someday, so I'm archiving everything I write now to source some of it for the content of the book!
As critics we are all about giving advice but as an artist what's the best piece of advice you've been given?
I'd have to go with a more general piece of advice rather than any one specific critique. It's one of the fundamental rules of representation: Good Design is Intentional. It sounds really abstract, but really it's applicable to everything! Basically it means that every single choice is made for a reason - even if you don't realize it. By learning to recognize and understand those choices (and learn more options for them) you can make stronger ones, and gain better control over your path and work. Why do you have a hard time drawing from memory, or why do you use limited color palettes? Maybe it's something you never thought about before, but once you really start analyzing your decisions and process you can begin to direct it! The most important question you can ask yourself is "Why?"
Thank you everyone for 'having the time' to share your knowledge!