My man, my comments on your work were intended to be 100% constructive and in good faith, don't take it personally
While you might not be interested now, Nature actually offered a good solid summary of edges with regard to lighting. It's quality advice
I wish I had your mindset Akumatica. I'm just too critical of my own work to show more than a bust. Drawing outside my comfort zone is stressful, especially during times when other things like school demand more time and effort than usual.
You're doing great trying to get yourself out there.
I dont mean to quote these posts specifically, I just dont know how to "quote" usernames any other way.
This will be long and rambly. This could be a future GDC lecture if polished but Im going to go off the cuff. Sorry in advance.
Lets talk about criticism. I know a thing or two about it. My art school, The Joe Kubert School, was the kind of place that 100 students would join and only 25 would graduate and part of that was the grueling schedule but another was the completely crushing way everyone was encouraged to critique you without giving two shits about your feelings.
Gotta weed out the weak and all. Right?
I was pretty much a convert. Make this experience as hard as possible so that "the real world" seems easy by comparison. I thrived in that environment and gave as good as I got. I gained critical analytical skills that I use daily, 19 years later. I learned the "constructive" in "constructive criticism" over the years and smoothed my edges over time. After all, I'm a professional with a high skillset, a dope job and a great support group so this method of teaching worked, I was proof of it.
However, I think a lot about the 75 people that dropped out. Im friends with them, theyre great artists but they work at Home Depot, their local grocery or just stay at home. Many got fulfilling jobs in other vocations. No shame at all but I always think about
"How can I help them"
"How did we fail them"
At the end of the day, people are responsible for their own happiness so Im not here with arrogance saying it was "my job" to steer their careers but it has made me realize over the past decade that the hardcore "hey, here is a thesis on your illustration, this is constructive! dont be mad!" should NOT be the default approach. That kind of critique, while seemingly helpful in nature can become very masturbatory, in a way, a method to distribute how much about a subject matter and I found the perfect artwork to disseminate my analysis. For the average artist, especially a hobbyist, it is NOT a good feeling to post something you worked hard on and you get something that YOU feel is helpful but the artist will probably read it like this
Maybe these artists would have become pros if we acknowledged that there are other ways to improve and make a living in the arts? Maybe somebody reacts better when given some room so they dont feel attacked all the time? Did you know that there arent a lot of female artists in games but there are TONS of female freelancers in anime and comic cons who are complete badasses and run their own businesses? Did you know they were told they werent tough enough in college or "couldn't hack it" when they joined the games industry?
Theres a lot of art, from my peers, from my friends, from my family, etc, that I have ssssssssstrong opinions over. Over the years I have been THE critique person and what always ends up happening is that you become the asshole, the sergeant, the "tough love" guy ... and you start believing it. Artists will stop showing you their work because theyre tired of always getting a lecture, tired of always feeling like shit for daring to draw something for fun. Does a heavy deep dive into a piece of art help the artist? Maybe! Sometimes! However, it MUST be desired by the artist, it MUST be communicated because that artist is not under your rule. Im a professional artist, I have a strong foundation and I can dissect strong opinions, grab whats useful and ignore the rest, my ego is not tied to that at all. I've been through the fires and I thrived, but thats not how most artists are because most artists are amateurs who should not be expected to be able to deal with a giant paragraph out of nowhere.
For instance, if Im a college art teacher, its my responsibility to learn each students quirks, to learn HOW they can learn better. At work, I'm actually in charge of handling the feedback we get from LucasFilm DIRECTLY to the artists, Im essentially "the bad news" guy so I have to take each artist into account and also mix in my OWN feelings about the art into account. Its fucking difficult! Heres how I recommend you do it in this forum
You start with common ground. Make it a conversation. Dont barf advice at anyone, even starting with "this is what I like" feels contrived. If you see art online that makes you feel a certain way just reach out to the artist and ASK questions about it. How long did it take, are you trying some new stuff, is this a color palette youre trying to get better at, would you be open to some in-depth opinions, what are your art influences. People, and artists, react well to others being INVESTED in their output because then it feels like a relationship between equals instead of an imbalance of power between the critiquer and the artist, one which is often uninvited. Empathy goes a long way here.
You can also offer critique slots, I did it last year and received a good response. "If you have something you want me to do a through critique on, Im available for "x" time" Once you build a certain level of trust then you can start dropping advice more often. Theres a handful of artists I have in a permanent open critique situation and I will send drawover and advice at anytime. Once you build some good faith and some common goals ("I want to get better at anatomy", "Id like to color the way you colored this piece") it can become really beneficial for both parties, I have learned a lot from teaching other people as it has allowed me to reconsider my process and basics.
Thats what I mean when I say "help each other out!" get INVOLVED in each others work, ask questions, collaborate, cheer, elevate the conversation when both parties agree theres something to gain out of it and thats how we will build a lasting art community here on ERA
Well, like I said, rambling and incoherent. Hopefully this resonated with someone out there. Im just a dude and I dont make the rules but I do think about this stuff a lot.
