Now, I’m in my first year of college at wonderful RDC (and I’ve got the sweatshirt to prove it), and I’ve finished my first semester in Fine Arts. On the first day of class, our drawing professor said this. ”When I went to school, my professor told the kids that either he liked the work they did, or he hated it. He wouldn’t point out the good in the work that he’d like, only the bad in what he didn’t like. He would pick apart any drawing he wanted too, and he would crush any faith you ever had in enjoying a good critique in his class. I would watch some people break down and cry when he attacked their work, and this is definitely not an experience that I ever want any of you as my students to have” Now, after suffering a few horrid critiques in high school, I paid close thoughts to these words, and to what he had to say about how to do a proper critique.
To do a proper critique, the method that often leaves the best in both the idea of being a critiquer and of being a critiquee is the kick and kiss method. It’s like, first you fight, and then you make up, which is basically how many people deal with problems, so why not use it in the art world too?
If you were to see a piece of artwork that you found had flaws, instead of saying “Ewww that’s so ugly, it looks like my cat hacked up a hair ball on it, and then scratched any form of talent out of the picture”… you would say “Hmm, well I think this needs some work, and possibly this too… but I also think this really works well for it, and that this looks pretty cool.” Basically kick’n kiss.
By doing this, you start on a negative, and then end on a positive (which in my world, is what most people like.)
So lets play a game! I’ll critique one of my own pieces to show you what I mean.

Hippocampus. Hippocampus
For starters, the overall composition of this piece, is weak. It lacks a proper background, and it is smack dab in the center of the page. On top of this, it lacks interaction with any creature, any object; basically anything, making the only thing interesting on it, the hippocampus itself.
By adding a background on this piece, I could easily make the picture more grounded, and more pleasing to the eye by giving the eye more to look at, rather then a dark spot on a piece of paper.
Technique wise, I got very lazy, in the rear of the hippocampus, instead of drawing individual scales, I did scribbly swirls… (which I actually changed into after getting annoyed with doing individual scales which you can see on the right side of the creatures tail). Also, the hair on the shoulder and leg of the beast, has been put in poorly, showing overly long length to it, making the picture a bit more amateur then what it should actually be. However…
The facial expression of the creature, leaves nothing lacking, it looks peaceful, and calm and is well able to hold the gaze of the viewer in place for at least a brief moment. In itself, it is an interesting topic, because not many people really draw hippocampus (not peophins, hippocampus!) nor do many people draw them with antlers.
Plus, by having it with no background, dead center of the page, and by it being a fairly dark picture, it centers the viewers eye, leaving them to examine the lines.
Overall, the general form of the beast, is well done, and I am very pleased with it’s position. If I were to add a background to it, I’d fear messing up the overall character of the piece itself.
Now… obviously; most people aren’t going to write something like that… and that’s ok. But if you do feel the need to point out a flaw in a piece put something nice in there as well. And if you have to try to find something nice about the piece, you shouldn’t be posting on it at all. Often, people can tell that you don’t like it, and the words you do say/write sound hollow and ill put. And when you sound like that, it doesn’t make you sound very good.
Another thing, that I shall mention, is that often, people who don’t ask to be critiqued, don’t want to be critiqued. If a persons just posting their artwork to show, it may be a good idea, not to critique it. It’s not fair to the artist who may have worked very hard on a piece of work, that you don’t like, to be put down, even if you say something nice about the piece. Blows like these can be very crushing, and very hurtful; and they do not benefit anyone in the end. Also, if you’ve got more experience then someone, and you’re a ‘better’ artist (I use this term lightly, because frankly, in my mind, nobody is better then others at art, everyone is on the same playing field, it’s only the teams and the rules of the game that are different… if you catch my drift), or because you know how to use a program better then somebody else; in no way does this give you a right to be a total jerk. Nobody has the right to be a jerk when it comes to someone elses artwork! Nobody!
You could be Picasso on a drinking binge for all I care, you still don’t have the right to downright insult someones work. And unfortunately, I have been witness to some of this happening on PPT. So I do know that it happens on this site. Now, this has just been dealing with those who are giving the critique; people who are receiving it are a whole different matter.
I rarely ask my peers for help, believe it or not, I’m the most arrogant artist on the face of the earth when it comes to taking criticism about my art. I can say things to myself about my own artwork, but as soon as someone says something to me it’s “Oh… really? Well I don’t think so. Wow, that’s wrong… I quite like how I’m working on this piece…” or… (in my mind) I just start singing the meow mix cat food commercial song to block these comments out.
Some people have issues with taking criticism (like me!) and these people, really need to learn how to take criticism (like me!). Now I’m good, and honest about it, and I don’t mind being critiqued (really I don’t) I’m getting better, but if I do feel the comment is unfounded, I will hold a grudge for quite awhile. (I currently have one going now, against someone in my program… long story short, she angered me while I was pouring myself into a piece of artwork… came up, critiqued it, told me what I was doing wrong, didn’t tell me anything was good… and was high and mighty about it. The whole “I’m better then you” complex…) However, seriously… a lot of people who offer critique, mean it for the best. And that’s always going to be something that you as the artist keeps in mind.