So, something I have been noticing lately has to do with critique. Not critique as in the new deviantart feature, but just meaning constructive comments. Something I see a lot is deviants who totally refuse critique on every single one of their deviations, exclaiming “NO CRITIQUES” in caps, and jump down the throats of anyone brazen enough to mention anything besides how amazing the piece of art is. A good majority of these artists also draw in the same style, with no or little improvement, and even post journals complaining about how they are unhappy with their art, and want to improve faster.

I personally believe that being able to cordially accept and benefit from critique is directly related to improving as an artist. There is absolutely no such thing as perfect style, or perfect technique, or perfect anything in the art world. Sure, some people are completely satisfied with how they draw, or maybe they think that they can improve on their own, but is this actually possible? I do think that it is very possible to improve by your own means, but that involves being able to objectively view your own art, and doing a lot of research in anatomy and composition. Even though I do think this is possible, I also think that the attitude that one doesn’t need any critique goes hand in hand with an attitude of grandeur, and while that may sound harsh, this is something I have seen in many, many artists.

I do not understand the annoyance with hearing other’s view on what is wrong with your art. People are welcome to say what they like; they should be able to voice what they don’t like without fear of flaming or drama. It is not possible for the artist to know everything that is wrong with their piece, so the argument that an artist knows their mistakes is weak. I like to write detailed descriptions for my deviations, and if I see a mistake or problem, I will list it in the description. Chances are, if someone is going to take the time to post a detailed comment, they are going to take the time to read the description, and if they see you know that, say, the head is too big on your horse, they aren’t going to repeat that in their comment.

The same line of thinking goes with pieces you drew for a friend, or for sentimental value, or that you do not plan to make changes to. Just because you do not plan to change a drawing does not mean critique on that drawing cannot help you. Again, you can write in the description “I gave this away so I can’t change anything, but advice for what I can do next time is welcome”. That way, people can write comments that adhere to what you want.  If you do not write a description, it is unfair to get angry that someone has told you something you already know about the piece.  I have gotten critique on drawings I didn’t plan to change that explained many trends in my style and colouring in general, that were very helpful.

One main thing that is good to keep in mind is that even if you get totally useless comments, telling you things you already know, telling you something that is wrong, or even sounding rude, if you react by staring drama or jumping down people’s throats you will only discourage others from commenting. Simply saying thank you will not hurt you in any way, and it allows commenters to feel comfortable giving advice in the future. By disallowing critique and being rude to people, all you are doing is preventing people who might actually have extremely helpful comments from stating it.  A few useless critiques are worth it for the helpful advice you will get from simply being nice and open.

Finally, another thing to keep in mind, for all aspects of life, is that you cannot change other people. You do not control other people’s thoughts or actions, you can only control yourself. Take a step back, and ask yourself if the way you react to things is working. Other people may be rude, irritating, ignorant, whatever. You cannot fix that, but you don’t have to react to it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being nice, even if the person critiquing you is completely ignorant. In the end people will respect you more for being kind. Art can always be improved upon, but improvement does not just happen.

I have not addressed how people can give critique- this post is just for artists getting it. Sure, there is just a thing as a bad critique, and of course, people who are just out to troll, but neither will hurt you unless you react to it badly. (And, in the case of trolls, reacting simply encourages them.)

You can comment to discuss things if you want, doesn’t matter to me. Please don’t misunderstand this as me saying that I’m a great artist, that I improve quickly, or that I always react to comments in the best way, because none of those things are necessarily true.  These are just my opinions, things that I have noticed, and that’s all.

for fully coloured pencil crayon drawings, like:


in 9x12 size, it's $15USD plus shipping (ship is $2.50 canada and USA, $6.50 int'l)

and then I'm also taking cheap commissions on medium sized sculptures, so ones that are about 5-6 inches tall, such as:


and for these, I am charging just $25USD plus shipping ($15 worldwide)

So there you have it. I'm not sure how much interest I will get with this, but I probably won't take more than 5 slots for each. Please note me if you're interested! I take paypal, money orders, sometimes other things, depending.

TRADES
means done!
means working on it
means haven't started
means I don't have the ref yet.

=PolarisAstrum
*Rianne2k8
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CONTESTS
~I-Dream-of-Speed [link] waiting for judging since dec
~darkjaguar01 march 31 waiting for judging

if you want to invite me to your contest that's ok, just comment or note, but please only do it once. I don't need lots of reminders