Often, I’ve seen people submit something that they have put a lot of work into and feel quite good about, and then get ripped apart. That in turn starts a war of flaming that results in getting way off topic and the loss of what was initially important: giving one’s opinion on work. As you may or may not know, I’m currently attending school for art and I’m hoping to transfer soon to either RISD or MassArt. Anyway, being that it is my second year (fourth semester) of art classes, I have become accustomed to and enjoy the critiquing process. For this reason, I thought I would come up with a short list of pointers for anyone who is unfamiliar with the critiquing process.

First, be honest. Don’t hold back your opinions even if it may not be what the artist wants to hear. The only way a person will grow artistically is if they know where they need to improve.

Example of what to say: “...the edited sprites look too thrown together and unnatural. Try working on them more so they look more coherent...”

Second, be specific. Do not use phrases like, “I hate it”, “it sucks” or “I love it”, “it’s cool”. If you dislike the work, try to articulate your feelings so it is clear what needs improvement. And by the same token, if you like the work, why? What makes it a good example of its style of art?

Example of what to say: “...in some areas, the perspective is off. Shao Kahn’s leg looks shorter as opposed to it receding. But you did job on the contour drawing. The lines are create the form perfectly and denote the placement of the lighting very well.”

Third, when you do explain a work’s shortcomings, try not to do so in an aggressive manner. The idea of a critique is not to make the artist feel badly about himself, but to help him understand and see aspects of his work he may not have seen. Often times people become quite attached to their work and as a result, cannot see anything wrong with it.

Example of what to say: “...you made a good attempt at lighting Scorpion’s face, but the direction is also, instead of light hitting certain locations, the whole face seems to be glowing. Try adding in some shadows once you have applied the light...

Fourth, a word to the artist: do not start out saying, “well, this isn’t very good, but...”. We as the viewers, do not need to know that you don’t like your own work. Allow me to pose this question: how are we supposed to appreciate your work when you don’t even like it?

And fifth (last too, I’m sure you’re all thankful it is finally over), attempt to remain open to different art styles. I’m not a fan of “chibi”, but I still try to look at them objectively.

Example of what not to say: “ok, I did this last night REALLY quickly. I don’t like it very much, but I was bored so I decided to submit it. Please don’t hate it!”

So, that is it. Thank you to anyone who read this and I hope it provided some insight and maybe will save someone from being flamed for making Sub-Zero’s head too big.