Dutch! wrote:I mainly get offended when other comics complain about getting feedback such as 'you draw like a ten year old', mainly because I reckon most ten year olds can actually draw better than half the crap that's out there.
Last year there was a nine year old who could almost draw my characters just as well as I could.
Man, the set-up is just too perfect...
But I think the feeling I get from the complaint is more that it doesn't offer any specific critiques. Something like "You draw noses too large," or "The arms are clearly out of proportion with the torso" or "characters seem to vary in height from panel to panel," is much more constructive (and, incidentally, harder to ignore) than "you draw like a ten year old."
And hell, I'm 18, and I can hardly draw. Age has nothing to do with drawing ability; practice does. "You draw like an amateur" is much more fitting.
"You draw like a dairy farmer!"
"How appropriate. You draw like a cow."
I set my ATM card's number to "0001" because I'm number one!
No one likes negative feedback, we all want to be liked and actually put effort (even if it's a marginal amount or a great deal) into our comics. Negative feedback of any kind is going to strike a blow even if it's small and the feedback is constructive.
Bull hooey on you if you say it doesn't, all that does is make you a liar
I'd settle for any feedback really as I don't get it often.
As for the kinds I'll tolerate much like everyone I like constructive comments, like "you're backgrounds are lacking detail and existence" or "that shading style doesn't really work for your art" .
Comments like "Eat shit and die" or "this is crap you suck!!1!!" are not tolerated, but so far I have not received any of the like on my recent comic.
NJ: "You know the drill, you're AWESOME!"
I am the artist formerly known as M2
Personally, when my comic gets bad comments it puts wind in my sails. I tend to be more motivated by people telling me how to improve or where I need to imporve than people who blindly praise me, because I know my comic is crap.
I wish other people could be motivated like that.
(example, someone who is put down a lot for copying somone's style, but yet has proven over and over again that they're a cool and humorous person, instead of defending their idea of copying someone's style should take that pent up energy and find their own style. I'm not going to name names, but I think those kind of people know who they are)
Seriously, instead of letting insults be a fire that slowly destory you, it should be harnessed and forge you into improving.
cjburgandy wrote:Personally, when my comic gets bad comments it puts wind in my sails. I tend to be more motivated by people telling me how to improve or where I need to imporve than people who blindly praise me, because I know my comic is crap.
I wish other people could be motivated like that.
(example, someone who is put down a lot for copying somone's style, but yet has proven over and over again that they're a cool and humorous person, instead of defending their idea of copying someone's style should take that pent up energy and find their own style. I'm not going to name names, but I think those kind of people know who they are)
Seriously, instead of letting insults be a fire that slowly destory you, it should be harnessed and forge you into improving.
words of true inspiration!!! *grabs pencil* crap, so unmotivated now...
I participated in a short leadership course once... One aspect was dealing with criticism and feedback.
One bit that grabbed my interest was the description on how humans react to feedback in general and criticism in particular:
Förgöra - First they try to Destroy the source of the criticism.
Förneka - Then they try to Deny the criticism.
Försvara - Then they try to Defend their actions.
Förklara - Then they try to Explain the reasons behind their actions.
Förhandla - Then they try to Bargain with the source of the criticism.
Förstå - Then they try to Understand the criticism.
Förändra - Then they try to Change their actions in response to the criticism.
That is of course, the full chain of events. Optimally, with good feedback and understanding on how you yourself react to it, you can bypass the early stages and go straight to understanding and changing.
If the feedback is poorly formulated, or doesn't see you well, you will never graduate to one of the later stages of the chain.
All criticism has a reason.
On the internet, under the guise of anonymity, the reasons can be as petty and childish as you can imagine, and the criticism can be as poorly formulated and performed that you wouldn't believe it, but there is still a reason, some inexplicable reason...
Last edited by Czar on Fri Feb 02, 2007 4:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Så länge skutan kan gå, så länge hjärtat kan slå, så länge solen den glittrar på böljorna blå...
When i do leave feedback, it's along the lines of, "I found your comic entertaining, thank you for the time you put in..." Not so much a critique as an acknowledgement of the time spent. What's bad to me may be good to someone else.
Friction Fit Theatre. Updates 7 days a week after 3pm Colorado time.
I remember getting one "u suck" message that I managed to get some useful feedback out of, since it also commented that it looked like I didn't spend any time on the comic, and that I should use color (at that point I just did it on Sunday - now every day). And I figured at least I was getting *some* kind of reaction...
Of course, that still didn't make it very pleasant to get a "u suck" message.
I'd love to sit here and say, "Constructive criticism is great, I can totally take it!" but it'll knock me back just like everyone else. Or would, if I ever got any. ^^ The only real criticism I ever got was way back shortly after I started by some guy who apparently thought he was being clever or something by pretending the fake evil corporation in my comic was real, and he worked for them and they were all offended by my portrayal, or something. It was really just plain stupid, and only annoyed me by the fact that I couldn't delete it. But the whole site he left it on is gone now, so time deleted it for me. ^_^
About the only feedback I get from people besides my roommate is actually looking at how my stats go up and down. But right now, I guess I'm okay with that too. A dip in stats bugs me a bit, but it's not a major thing.
I'm a pansy when it comes to criticism, so I prepare myself by being extremely critical of myself. Then, when people say, "This kind of sucks," intead of saying "Aww " I can say "Ya I know!"
I'd say it does... at least, at first, in respect to all that I do, whether it be a webcomic or RPG Maker XP game, or even in my line of work.
But, sometimes, they have a point. Bright blue backgrounds and bright green grass, for example, are a nightmare for viewers. Rushed gameplay (or a rushed comic) leads to poor quality. Perhaps following peoples' advice is the way to go.
Just sometimes, like someone saying the art is too simple, or the backgrounds are lacking, just bothers me because I'm GOING for simple. I feel like the fun is sucked out of doing a comic if you're expected to do things that you didn't plan on. But also you want to please people, unless you're mainly doing it for yourself. Ah, I guess I just need to let it slide off me like water off a duck's ass. Or something.
Czar wrote:Förgöra - First they try to Destroy the source of the criticism.
Förneka - Then they try to Deny the criticism.
Försvara - Then they try to Defend their actions.
Förklara - Then they try to Explain the reasons behind their actions.
Förhandla - Then they try to Bargain with the source of the criticism.
Förstå - Then they try to Understand the criticism.
Förändra - Then they try to Change their actions in response to the criticism.
Wow, yeah, I can see that.
I tend to start right at Försvara, though. I usually try to defend myself from criticism, and if I can't justify my arguments, I slip ahead to figuring out if it's valid.
Constructive criticism is good, and I do like it, even though it generally feels a lot like a kick in the teeth to me. It's sort of like a massage - it hurts, but you feel better later.
...Uh, yeah.....negative feedback......I totally get that.
By the time I put a tagboard on my site, all the people who didn't like my comic had apparently left already, because all I get is a bunch of g1rls waxing eloquent about how awesome everything I do is.....
It actually gets a little annoying after a while. If I just had someone drop a negative comment every now and again, I think I'd actually feel more popular, because even people who didn't like my comic would give it enough time to diss it.
note: any l337 used in the previous post was used ony to avoid the poster's Cybersitter.
I deeply consider all the criticism I get, and then I usually take steps to alleviate the perceived issue. If I don't think it's valid, I usually ignore it, but may reevaluate my opinion later and change it. Sometimes I just have to out and out ignore criticism.
Czar wrote:Förgöra - First they try to Destroy the source of the criticism.
Förneka - Then they try to Deny the criticism.
Försvara - Then they try to Defend their actions.
Förklara - Then they try to Explain the reasons behind their actions.
Förhandla - Then they try to Bargain with the source of the criticism.
Förstå - Then they try to Understand the criticism.
Förändra - Then they try to Change their actions in response to the criticism.
No one has managed to say anything about my comic or my art in general that hurt my feelings so far. Anyway having grown up with my parents incessant unsincere flattery, people's comments in general have lost their effect on me. If it came from an artist I truly admired and respected, then yeah, I'm sure it would hold more weight. But either way I assume those people would be too professional to bash my work : )
Well i heard for stand up comedians a whole crowd can be laughing but those 1 or 2 guys at the back who don't laugh will kill his vibe.
I do believe when you think you've written something so good and you think to yourself damn everyone is going to love this one - that one person who doesn't like it will out weight all the people who loved it.
" I can say "Ya I know!"
