Tips and Tricks to Write Helpful Critique!

A critique is simply a review of someone’s artistic work: comments on the good and bad qualities. A good critique is one that, while mentioning the good points of a work and why they are good, also talks about the points that need work and what specifically they need.

One thing I noticed when I joined DeviantART is that this site seems to have a shortage of good critique comments. I don’t know whether it’s laziness, shyness, or indifference, but I find that most of the comments I read on art are simply things like, “omg cute” or, alternatively, “dis sux.” Though “cute” is a compliment, don’t you think an artist wants to know what is cute about it? Tell an artist what is good, and what isn’t good, but be polite and give them pointers as to how it could be made better.

So, my mission for all of you? Try to write some helpful and polite critiques!!

It can be for anyone; nobody is perfect, and even some of the best artworks out there can be critiqued. From the most popular deviant to the most unknown, from your best friend to someone you’ve never spoken to before, critique can be used anywhere. Just don’t be mean!

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Here’s some examples of good and bad critiques.

~Poor critique~
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“Dis art sux.”
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First of all, that is not critique. I have seen so many people here thinking that unnecessary insults are critique, and they are most certainly not. Keep in mind that critique in its purest form is solely meant to help the artist and should in no way be an excuse to mindlessly abuse them. Now for a better example.

~Good Critique~
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“I like the pose you used for the child in this piece, and doing a full-body picture will really help you practice your anatomy. Her expression is sweet and inquiring, perfect for that of a little girl. This picture is very good, but there are a few things you could do to improve on it.

First off, though your anatomy is getting much better, it seems that her left arm is a bit longer than her right here. Perhaps that was to help keep both her hands behind her back, but it looks a little awkward. Also, the placement of her feet looks unnatural -- try posing in the mirror next time you draw, and it’ll help you practice on your anatomy and how things should look.”
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This is, obviously, a much better critique. Notice how it is informative, but polite: it tells it like it is, and also what the artist could do to fix it, but refrains from rudeness and insults.

Critique is supposed to be a tool that artists should want. It seems that a lot of people here shy away from critiques or even become offended by them, because what they think is a critique is actually not one at all. Remember, critiques are helpful, informative, and polite. Their purpose is to help any artist, regardless of age or skill, to improve.

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~Quick Tips~

~ Try to refrain from those two-word comments that so many people leave. They do nothing to help anyone, trust me.

~ Politeness is key. Would you pay any attention to a mean, abusive comment that basically insults the art you worked so hard on? Right. So be cordial, even while writing about what the artist needs to improve on. It’ll get you much farther.

~ Please, try to sound smart. Leaving those, “gawd u suk, dun drawl evr agin” types of comments will insult your own intelligence (or lack thereof, in this case) more than the artist.

~Look at the artwork while you comment about it. It’ll help you remember what specifically was good and what was not.

~ You do not have to be a brilliant artist to give good critique. So often have I seen a long, lovely critique written, and then all of the replies given were things along the lines of, “You’re not a good artist, so you have no right to give critique.” Please remember, anyone can give critique; you don’t have to be the best artist in the world. You don’t even have to draw or paint or write, yourself. As long as you appreciate art and see a lot of it and know what you’re talking about, you can write critique.

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So please, do keep in mind that critique is a tool meant to help and only to help. Too many people here leave such bland, two-word comments that don’t do anything for anyone. From now on I hope to see more of you writing good critiques for any artwork out there -- even your own! Sometimes going over your own artwork will help you improve as well. Just remember to be polite and informative, and if you pay attention to these tips, you can do a lot of good for some needy artists out there.

I really hope I see some more good critiques out there from now on! Remember, don’t be shy: any artist who wants to improve will want to read your critiques! If you take a little time to give an artist your opinion, even you can help improve their work, because sometimes all an artist needs to get better is your humble critique.

Thank you for reading!

~Bijutsu-No-Himesama~