Critique Folder Stuff! (Long, but please read!)

Heya, everypony!  As part of trying to get things together here in the group, one of the items that needs to be addressed is the Work for Critique folder - and, specifically, how it's basically not used for its original purpose at all.  Instead of being a place where artists can get valuable feedback on what they're doing, it's sorta turned into a catch-all for random art to get hits.  And a good part of the blame for that falls on us admins - both for not having clearly defined rules, and for not enforcing them!  So, we're laying out some guidelines and ground rules for the WIP/Critique folder!

1) The entry MUST be either an obvious work in progress (WIP), or mention somewhere in the title or description that feedback is desired.
2) It MUST be your own work being submitted.
3) To ensure that works in the folder are fresh for critiques, it will be emptied on the 15th of every month.

Right, so!  Rules without reasons are arbitrary and silly, so let's go through these.  The first should be pretty obvious - this is to make sure that what's in the folder is actually in there to be critiqued, and not just to gather hits.  If that's what you're looking for, there's no shame in it, but I promise you that there are bigger, better groups to accomplish that with!  If there's no mention, we'll reject the work with a standard boilerplate reply, so it doesn't seem like we're picking on anyone.  And, as a note here, even something like "Feedback is appreciated!" in the deviation's description will be considered good enough to satisfy this rule.

As for rule 2 - that's more of a politeness thing than anything.  If someone has not submitted a work to us for critiquing, odds are they won't be happy to have a slew of ponies they don't know chiming in with critiques out of the blue.  If you think they'd benefit, encourage them to join the group and submit it themselves!  We're always happy to have new members.

And finally, rule 3.  This is in place because otherwise, work in there tends to pile up, and it gets daunting to try and tackle; especially for other members.  So, we encourage you to please remove the piece if and when it gets feedback, and otherwise, be prepared for it to be removed on the 15th anyway!  If you're still in the process of getting critiques and the like, feel free to re-submit it if it gets removed during that time, too.

Now, all of this works, but is kinda pointless if there are no critiques to be had.  This is where all of YOU come in!

See, giving critiques helps you grow as an artist.  That process of trying to identify what does (and doesn't) work and why, and putting those thoughts into words, helps solidify and grow your ability to do the same with your own works as you do them, resulting in better final products!  Now, I know that jumping in and doing a critique can be a scary thing, especially as a starting artist.  Fortunately, I'll lay out a guide to get started, and you can grow your technique from there.  But before we go there, remember: YOU ALL are your own best resources!  Don't rely on other, "more experienced" artists to do critiques for you.  Even if only a few of you decide to try and help each other out by giving critiques and feedback, that's still a HUGE help to the artists under review, and will help everyone in the long run!

So, giving feedback on WIPs is pretty easy - the artist generally will have specific questions about the composition or whatever that they want answered.  But, what about a finished piece?  How can a new artist expect to critique that?  Read on; it's easier than you think.


How to Give a Critique

Let's start off with what a critique isn't, as that will help us figure out later what's acceptable.  Simply saying that you like or dislike a piece is not a good critique, unfortunately, as it doesn't give the artist any real information to work with.  Additionally, simply noting what is or isn't in the piece is not a good critique for the same reason.  These both seem really simple, yet they're extremely easy to fall into without intending it, so be alert to those!

Essentially, reasons are what make a critique.  If something works, why?  If something doesn't work, why not?  And what can be done to improve it?  Reasons and justifications for what you're saying make the backbone of a good critique, as it gives the artist something to think about and work with.

You're going to hear (and encounter) all kinds of ways to do critiques.  Some of them are going to be claimed to be better or worse than others, or whatever.  I feel a lot of that is very dependent on who is giving and taking the critique, what is being critiqued, etc. etc.  So, instead of offering a method that I claim is "best," I'll just give those of you worried about how to do one a method that works.  Odds are, you've run into it before, even if you didn't realize what it was at the time, and that is this:

PSP = Praise, Suggest, Praise

I like this method, because it helps prevent bruising egos by hammering negative points right off, and softens the blow of those by suggesting things to be done to improve them the next time; finally rounding things out by reinforcing what was done right.  An example:

"This was really nice!  I thought your lines were really great, they felt like they had a lot of motion.  It did feel a little flat to me, though - maybe you could make your shadows darker and highlights brighter?  It might help with that, and might make the whole thing feel more intense.  Overall, though, I thought that this was a great action scene, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do next!"

Now, that's actually a pretty thin critique, content-wise, but it also helps point something out: you don't need to know a lot of fancy art-terms to do a critique that can help the artist.  Even with simple language, both positives and negatives are pointed out, with suggestions on how to improve the latter.  And this is all in a package that helps to soften the blow against those negatives, which is a big plus for getting people to listen to you and take the advice to heart.  If all you do is point out negatives, the tendency is to become defensive or defeatist - both of which are counter to artistic growth.  Which leads us to our next topic!


How to Take a Critique
This can almost be trickier, and is a reason why some people don't put things in the critique folder.  After all, an important part of a critique is being told what didn't work in your piece - and after spending so much time and effort on it, that can be a hard thing to hear.  But, remember: when someone is honestly giving feedback on your work, they're probably not trying to make you angry or put you down.  They're trying to help you improve.  It can be difficult, but remember to be gracious about it, and more importantly, remember this:

Honestly consider what the feedback has told you.

Now, this doesn't mean that anything anyone says should automatically be taken as truth and immediately applied in your work.  Far from it!  But, it ALSO means that none of it should be outright ignored.  Think about the suggestions they've given you, and ask yourself if they make sense.  Try to look at your work as an outsider, and see if you see the same things they do.  If you agree with them, then consider making those changes.  If you don't, ask yourself why!


And all that is the long and short of critiques.  Obviously, there's MUCH more that can be done - paintovers, redlines, so on and so forth - but as starting artists, you shouldn't need to worry about trying to tackle that right off.  Just remember: Say what worked, what didn't, and be sure to give reasons why and why not!  This will help you think more critically about art (including your own), and will be valuable feedback for the person you're critiquing!

Good luck, and remember to help each other out!