#12 Ryan, thank you! :)

#13 Vice, thanks man! I’m in agreement with you on all points. Being able to remain objective about your own work while listening to constructive criticism is a mark of a professional.

I just want to address all the pros out there – please don’t stop giving adivce because some of the people don’t appreciate them. I know the feeling of trying to help out and then being crapped on because of it. But I can tell from my perspective (a guy who’s giving it all to improve and make it in the industry). Thanks to all advice I get from selfless people on different art sites/forums I continue to improve on daily basis. Without them I’d be dead in the water.

Now – I’m not an expert by any stretch of imagination, but the way I see it there needs to be a certain “disconnect” between a person and his work. In a sense that you need to be objective about it. Recieve a criticism and don’t take it to heart. I know it hurts when your’re proud of your work and someone comes and takes it apart, but that’s exactly what’s gonna happen if you ever get to play with the big boys. So bite through it and try to work on whatever just got slapped :)

Also I can’t tell how many times I thought “Yeah there’s no way it’ll look better if I do that, but the guy seems to know what he’s talking about so I might aswell listen”. In 95% of the cases I end up saying – “Yup, he was right, and it’s a good thing I listened”. Sometimes it’s not in the mood or direction you want your piece to go in, but very rarely, and even if that’s the case you still end up learning something.

Sorry for the long rant, I just wanted to say it would be a sad day if people with skill and the know-how gave up on us newcomers because of idiots that publish their work just to stroke their ego.

Yet without fail, there will always be a couple of people out of every group I give critiques to who go ballistic and flip their lid at the very idea that their work might not be absolutely pristine and perfect.

Of course they always insist on “critiquing me back” this seems to consist of calling names, telling me that my work “sucks” so I have no right to comment on the art of my “betters” and generally abusing me left, right and center. It’s sad that a small percentage of artists apparently believe that the person who write “kewl” on their work is someone who cares about their progress and that anyone who spends up to an hour on actually writing something detailed and considered about their art is just a big meanie out to hurt their feelings.

Most of them usually accompany the huge fit over the critique by pointing out how many fans/other marks of popularity they have and insisting that some arbitrary number of people liking it means it’s perfect.

Of course such people make people like me not want to help anyone.

What are even more baffling is the odd one who asked for critique then goes ballistic at getting it. I don’t get people who ask for something they don’t really want.

With so many great, huge art forums its hard to know where to begin.

Great article and very necessary advice.