robboakascooby wrote:Believe it or not most reviewers are quite capable of putting aside personal bias and doing a proper job of things, especially voluntary reviewers who usually have plenty of good advice to offer
RobboAKAscooby wrote:BIG TIP FOR ALL REVIEWED:
Take a breath, step back, re-read the review, re-read any parts of your comic pointed out as needing work, really think about what was said, ask for second opinions.
Then when you've actually taken everything in, without the knee-jerk emotions, feel free to respond.
robotthepirate wrote:I'm not sure I can completely agree with the objection to "It's my style". Obviously there are times when it is a simple exuse but all artists have a style so there must be a point when your reviewers only complaint is not the quality of your work but the style in which it is done. This is when your only response can be that it is your "style".
I'm not going to presume you meant that artists aren't allowed to have their own style, because everyone does.
So I'd put it as something like:
#1 Don't hide behind the exuse of "It's my style" to defend poor art work or quality. Everyone has their own style but that doesn't mean you can't improve and develop your style for better over time.
I'm bias of course. My comic is riddled with what I would call "my style". I know that as an artist I am limiting my skill growth with such a constraint but the challenge is to improve and grow within my self imposed boundaries to promote simplicity and minimalism, aiming for iconic rather than realistic.
I don't know if that makes me sound defensive of my comic. Tell me if it does, because that wasn't what I was aiming for.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:robotthepirate wrote:asks question
Once you've read a few reviews/critiques or even "help me" topics you'll understand the whole "It's my style" argument.
It is very much used as an excuse against badly done art - not against having a style - whether it's minimalistic or realistic doesn't matter.
More often than not the reviewer will comment on something like the proportions being off or the line work being shaky (legitimate things to comment on no matter style) and then we get the whining.
VeryCuddlyCornpone wrote:said stuff
VeryCuddlyCornpone wrote:Personal example: My Band Geeks comic is pretty representative of my "style" back in high school. I drew all people that way with that same format. It doesn't look horrible, and it suited its purpose. But I took an art class and drew some people and my teacher encouraged me to draw them in a more realistic way for one of our projects. She wasn't pushy about it and I politely refused saying it was "a stylistic choice." Looking back, I know this is bullshit, because if it was a "choice," that would mean I had other options, wouldn't it? And I didn't. I hadn't drawn a realistic body since 1904. And once I started working on Loud Era it took a LONG time for me to break out of that rut. I now don't have a problem with necks and shoulders (well, I mean I'm sure I DO, but not glaringly), but extended anatomy is troublesome. I have problems with torsos, with legs, not so much with feet or hands because I had been drawing them all the while, but I ended up putting myself many steps behind where I could be because of my refusal to open my mind to other things I could do with my art.
4. "It's just a hobby I'm not trying to be a professional"

RobboAKAscooby wrote:I think it's more a case of if you are asking for the review/critique you should be decent enough to respond - if some blog or such site just reviews you without warning there's no obligation to respond but a polite thank you doesn't hurt.
Edit: Sorry McDuffies, I realize that I'm just reiterating your point. Guess that's what I get for glossing over.
VeryCuddlyCornpone wrote:Interesting... I always thought it was good form to respond to a critique. Not to critique the critique, of course, but to clarify things. I know that when I write a review for someone I always appreciate when they continue the conversation and ask about the points I've made, and feel kind of eh if the response is just "Thanks!"
Then again, to me, I look at critiques as an interactive process. When I get critiqued, I like to prove that I have read and digested the person's review and didn't just lightly look over it, and also sometimes I like letting the reviewer know perhaps the "whys" (which are reasons but NOT excuses) of certain errors I may have made. I always thought that the reviewer would like to hear back![]()

robotthepirate wrote: So bring on the reviews, the encouraging, the harshly critising, the unconstructive abuse that will be ignored! Just not yet, give me about 9 weeks to finish the chapter.
robotthepirate wrote:After reading this thread I was a bit scared of when I finish my comics first chapter, which is when I intend to advertise it more and ask for peoples opinions etc. I didn't want people tearing into my innocent creation for obvious reasons and although I still always wanted to carry on I did get rather nervous.

McDuffies wrote:It's perhaps a good idea to expose your comic to scrutiny of people you know, or people you know will be less harsh before John Solomon and people with similar discourse get to it. That way you have time to get used to criticism.
RobboAKAscooby wrote:Which reminds me we need another "webcomic above" topic soon.

McDuffies wrote:RobboAKAscooby wrote:Which reminds me we need another "webcomic above" topic soon.
Why not try webcomic below?
VeryCuddlyCornpone wrote:McDuffies wrote:RobboAKAscooby wrote:Which reminds me we need another "webcomic above" topic soon.
Why not try webcomic below?
or webcomic beside

Return to Technique Tips and Tricks
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests