Responses to avoid when reviewed/critiqued

[Cope]

Sheesh, mcDuffies. Try thinking outside the box.

[robotthepirate]

Sheesh, mcDuffies. Try thinking outside the box.

Not something comic authors are known for really.

On another note I have no idea what this "comic [direction of choice]" is about.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

On another note I have no idea what this "comic [direction of choice]" is about.

you might enjoy this bad boy

it is actually quite appropriate to this thread as well.

[RobboAKAscooby]

On another note I have no idea what this "comic [direction of choice]" is about.

you might enjoy this bad boy

it is actually quite appropriate to this thread as well.

Thank you for plugging the topic.

[robotthepirate]

Nice. I look forward to reading your reviews of each other. It'll help me get my head around criticism and criticising better than just saying, "Yeah, cool." which is pretty much all I do now.

[RobboAKAscooby]

Nice. I look forward to reading your reviews of each other. It'll help me get my head around criticism and criticising better than just saying, "Yeah, cool." which is pretty much all I do now.

Join the fun dude, seriously the best way to get used to reviews is to get reviewed.

[robotthepirate]

I will in time. But I decided when I started RTP to wait till Chapter 1 is completed before I do anything like that. That way I've got a decent chunk of storyline worth reading and reviewing. Only about 8 weeks to go now. I only update every week and a half so there's actually only 5 comics left to go but I need to update this slowly for now.

[McDuffies]

Sheesh, mcDuffies. Try thinking outside the box.

*cuzzle-sacks Cope*

[Cope]

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

[johnsimcoe]

Just wanted to chime in and say "great advice."
I work as an editor "in real life," and the writers I deal with are usually great at taking constructive criticism, but the wrong kind of criticism gets their blood boiling. When you review someone's work you need to word that criticism properly. Comments like "this is stupid" or "I don't get it" or "that's ugly" are not helpful criticism. You need reasons for the criticisms and, most importantly, ideas on how they can fix things.

[McDuffies]

Just wanted to chime in and say "great advice."
I work as an editor "in real life," and the writers I deal with are usually great at taking constructive criticism, but the wrong kind of criticism gets their blood boiling. When you review someone's work you need to word that criticism properly.

Word. For instance, I can't believe how many online reviewers stoop to personal attacks. Saying that comic author is "retarded" or something like that should be a strict no-no.

[JustSarah]

I agree for the most part. Thing is, instead of actually getting legit critiques, in some places I just get "Man, your comic just sucks man." instead of "This character seems a little flat, your spelling is just a little off, and your comic is littered with bad puns."

The latter, I can actually use to improve my work. The former more often than not just causes me to give up. My general perspective is, if they can't tell me why something sucks, or seems tacky, its a useless critique. I usually give them the chance to explain why it sucks. But if they don't after the third time, I just block them.

I actually had a critique the other day, from this one member at another place where it went "Nobodies going to read your comic, because your personality is crappy and you need to lighten up." First of all, thats attacking me and not my work. Those are the critiques are usually throw in the garbage.

Basically a good balance needs to be met, don't overly praise members work. But don't relentlessly trash the work either. I met some people at another place still, where all they do pretty much is praise. Which is why I don't show my work there either.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

Not that what you've said isn't true, but this thread is advice about receiving critique, and I believe at one point or another it was mentioned that not all critiques are necessarily valid and that some can surely be ignored. Blatant attacks usually fall into that category, and it's best to dust yourself off and move on. For the most part, at least recently, we haven't had any outright bashers here- most reviewers on this site are pretty good at separating artist from work, and as a corollary, good at knowing which one to level the critique toward.

But never fear, I'm sure Schoob will start a new thread soon about Actions to avoid when reviewing/critiquing

[RobboAKAscooby]

But never fear, I'm sure Schoob will start a new thread soon about Actions to avoid when reviewing/critiquing

Well at the moment I'm busy scrambling to get ready for Supanova next weekend (I haven't even watched the new Swifty DVD yet that's how busy I've been) but I do have a few ideas for topics here in the TT&T.

For the most part, at least recently, we haven't had any outright bashers here- most reviewers on this site are pretty good at separating artist from work, and as a corollary, good at knowing which one to level the critique toward.

Yes, and usually it's directed towards my inability to draw hair (and previously boobs)

But honestly I haven't experienced any bashing critiques, one particularly lazy one last year but that's it.

[JustSarah]

Oh god, I know hair is hard.:X I actually briefly contemplated just finding an artist.

I'm sorry, didnt mean to sound accusatory.

[McDuffies]

Hair is ok, but haircuts are bitch. Fashion magazines are a save.

[JustSarah]

One tip that really helped me in this one drawing class at Anime Weekend Atlanta is, don't draw hair like individual strands. So latelly I've just been attempting hair as clumps.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

One tip that really helped me in this one drawing class at Anime Weekend Atlanta is, don't draw hair like individual strands. So latelly I've just been attempting hair as clumps.

An important thing is to remember that while you don't draw individual strands, hair is still made up of individual strands. They do form shapes, but not the way that say, playdoh would. Reducing the hair to stylized forms is important, but it's also smart to make sure they don't become like one big hair-soft-serve, like they are Borg.

An analogy would be remembering to draw the forest with the trees, or the trees with the forest

[robotthepirate]

You've just reminded me of a dream I have last night which was an advert for some sort of hair gel that always made you hair go back that way you wanted it. There were a lot of strange haircuts in my dream.

Just sharing the strangeness.

[McDuffies]

My thought process:

1. hair has a shape of haircut.
2. there are individual strands that should be accented somewhere in the hair, depending on the lightning. I think this is what Robo-Scooby was missing: you got's get to feel the texture of hair.
3. tips of individual strands should also be accented, depending on how fluffy hair is less or more.
4. sometimes people can't place hair on the head, so hair and head might look like they're seen from different angles. I think I have that problem sometimes.
Of course, my hair could be crap and I wouldn't even know it, in which case all my advices are in vain.

Now, clothing folds: I didn't know how to draw it. Then I realised I had to stop thinking and just started improvising and it got somewhat better.