Is It Wrong To Critique Artwork When You Don't Do Any? -

[Jewelsmakerguy]

So earlier today, I got a comment on dA by someone who "called me out" on giving anatomy lessons to someone who I thought could use is (not the artist mind you, he actually seemed appreciative of the advice). And this got the gears going around in my head making me ask this question. Should I, someone with little art skill due to constant life interference, be allowed to pick apart someone else's work? For that matter, should anyone with little to no art skills be complaining about the terrible art of someone else (like say, Andrew Dobson)?

I'm just asking this because while I like making fun of the artists with little to no skills (especially the ones who supposedly went to art school), isn't it a little odd to personally call them out on their lack of skill when you yourself lack it?

 

[Watcher]

It doesn't matter where criticism comes from. You don't need to make movies inorder to be a movie reviewer, and the same is true of the reverse. A lot of creators aren't good at giving criticism, and a lot of critics aren't good at making things.

Anyone who makes this argument is just insecure and wants an excuse to completely dismiss everything you say

 

[Hat]

It's not wrong; anything that one puts out for public view is subject to criticism. If you don't need to be a cook to know a good pie from a bad one, the same ought be true with art.

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

It's not wrong; anything that one puts out for public view is subject to criticism. If you don't need to be a cook to know a good pie from a bad one, the same ought be true with art.

And that's exactly how I normally see things- if there's something wrong with the image like a wonky body part or the shading looks weird, I'll point it out and maybe give suggestions to the artist to try and improve it so it looks a little less odd the next time he/she makes a picture (and that's what I'm trying to do every time I draw something, whenever I can draw something, that is).

I just don't want people (myself included) to turn into the kind of artist that doesn't accept criticism over their stuff. It's just there's people out there like the guy I referred to in my first post that seems you can't do that sort of thing unless you've proven yourself worthy to back that shit up.

 

[bradsternum]

Double-edged sword, methinks. Hell, it's a fuckin' Ninja star.

Opinion 1:
In another, brighter age, people would make informed decisions on taste. Now, with the democratization of opinion-giving provided by the internet, responses to artwork are largely uninformed and reactionary. So, to answer your question, no, most people should not give criticism unless they are prepared to back-up what they are saying with reasoned arguments and a grasp on the subject they are criticizing.

Opinion 2:
Everyone has opinions. Some things just don't sit right with some people. And sometimes, it's as simple as that. "I don't like that." As long as it's not a personal attack on the artist, restricted merely to taste, it's fine.

Opinion 3:
"You don't know what you're talking about" translates to "haters gonna hate," an idiotic response on the part of the artist in order to shield themselves from the possibility they're not as brilliant as their mother thinks they are. I loathe the "HATERS" comment. It's always good to listen to the audience, because, unfortunately, it's the audience who determines what's good. If you're getting a lot of (reasonable) responses stating why they don't like your work, maybe it sucks.

Opinion 4:
Most of the "art" on the internet is shit. Yes, this goes back to point #1, that every idiot can have an opinion now, even this idiot. But it is logical, I think. When you had a larger, more elitist system of cultivating artists, writers, whatever, you had higher quality work on display. Now, everyone thinks they can be a writer or artist. Look at Amazon Publishing. Search through that mound of tripe, and you'll find one good piece for every thousand. Quantity rarely means quality. So all this shit should be criticized, and the creators torn apart for having the audacity to believe that they could do great work without putting in great work.

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

Opinion 3:
"You don't know what you're talking about" translates to "haters gonna hate," an idiotic response on the part of the artist in order to shield themselves from the possibility they're not as brilliant as their mother thinks they are. I loathe the "HATERS" comment. It's always good to listen to the audience, because, unfortunately, it's the audience who determines what's good. If you're getting a lot of (reasonable) responses stating why they don't like your work, maybe it sucks.

This is true, and I've seen this happen plenty of times. The question I have is what happens if the artist takes the comment to heart, yet someone who isn't the artist comes in and shits all over your critique (with no real reasons other than "You shouldn't be talking" and acting like a raging sperg about it). What happens then? Is it the same idea, or a completely different can of beans altogether?

 

[bradsternum]

This is true, and I've seen this happen plenty of times. The question I have is what happens if the artist takes the comment to heart, yet someone who isn't the artist comes in and shits all over your critique (with no real reasons other than "You shouldn't be talking" and acting like a raging sperg about it). What happens then? Is it the same idea, or a completely different can of beans altogether?

Dismiss them as idiotic. You have every right to an opinion, as do they. The difference is in whether it's shouted or whispered.

 

[chimpburgers]

That's a good question. Often times, I've seen professional artists say that they listen to the criticism of what their peers in the industry have to tell them and that they place more weight on that than random strangers coming at them on Twitter. I can understand that mentality because there really are a lot of people out there that are more interested in attacking the person rather than actually making a comment about their work but it doesn't mean that they shouldn't ever listen to what the fans have to say or block people just because they're trying to voice an opinion about something. I think the problem gets worse if the artist has a lot of followers on those sorts of websites including Deviantart.

In my view, I think it's fine to be able to critique artwork if you can't draw yourself as long as you back up what you're saying and not trying to use ad homs to attack the artist and what you have to say is constructive and focuses on reasons why you like/don't like the artwork. The artist should be able to listen to what people generally have to say if they are trying to target a specific audience and need to know how to appeal to them in the best possible way. I might be leaning more towards the double edged sword option in this poll.

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

Dismiss them as idiotic. You have every right to an opinion, as do they. The difference is in whether it's shouted or whispered.

Oh this guy was shouting at me all right, I was calm and knew exactly what I was talking about. And I was trying to tell him to lay off me as I had a right to my own opinion.

That apparently didn't go over well with him, so he kept calling me a dick before calling me a dick wrinkle. You think that's a good way to address someone who's simply suggesting someone else how to improve his art? doubt it.

 

[Rio]

I don't think there's a question about it. Everyone is allowed to criticize everything. It's not wrong to criticize someone's approach to a craft that you don't parttake in, but still enjoy. There's nothing wrong with pointing out that you don't like something about a piece of art and explaining why you don't. (as long as you're not being a jerk about it) However there's an argument to be made that the criticism of technical aspects of an artwork might be of questionable validity when it's coming from someone who's not really all that aware of said technical aspects.

I like looking at art, but I can't draw for shit, so if I'm going around telling people how they ought to be going about making their drawings, I'm rightfully gonna get some funny looks and people aren't going to take me very seriously, because I'm probably not very good at it. However if someone professes to have made an attempt at depicting a realistic human, but the resulting drawing has a man with 3 arms and 2 elbows in each arm, I wouldn't exactly be out of line if I go 'hey, that's not what a human body's meant to look like if you were going for realism.'

 

[Red]

Let me give you an opinion of a drawfag: it is absolutely okay. As an artist that rarely receives critique, many times other artists can be "soft" around those who are learning. I'm not saying to be harsh... but often, in fear of offending someone, they can tiptoe around it, or be like "I used to make that mistake, they'll grow out of it." Often, those who aren't into drawing can offer some of the most objective critique because they're seeing it with outside eyes. As long as critique is presented in a polite and constructive way, I will accept it from anyone.

 

[Pina Colada]

My advice is that you learn your own way by drawing in your own style, and improving the appearance and anatomy as time goes on.

You live, you learn, you positively criticize others (and vice versa) in order to give a boost to both parties' confidences! It's as simple as that.

 

[DNJACK]

My advice is to do abstract art. No one will dare to criticize you for fear of coming out as ignorant and they can't tell you don't do art.

What can people say about this? The lines are too curvy?

Plus it doesn't require any effort.

 

[Rammspieler]

That sounds like some SJW shit right there. In fact, I think one of Chloe Sagal uses this very same defense when people criticize her games.

 

[MayMay]

Well it really is like with movies. For instance you may not have made a movie but you've hopefully seen lots that are better than what you're criticizing. With art, if you spend long enough staring at a human body you're gonna know how it's supposed to look whether you draw it or not.

I kinda hate the "no crits" culture myself. I keep doing things horribly wrong, I know I keep doing things horribly wrong but I don't know where I do things horribly wrong. So I can't get anyone to step forward and do redlines or some shit even though I really want it...

 

[John Furrman]

If something you think is shit then say it is shit and move on. It is an opinion they are entitled to, even if it is different.

As for art, as for anything in life: there will always be someone better and worse than you. The only real difference is those who learn how to properly interpret criticism and use it to improve, whether it comes from themselves or others.

The short answer is yeah, everyone is entitled to an opinion, but some people's opinions and insights are more valuable than other's, such as actual professional and master's opinions. Again, it is up to the artist to choose who they listen to.

 

[Konstantinos]

No! No, not at all. Its hypocritical if you yourself are unperceptive to criticism but its perfectly acceptable to critique the artwork of others nonetheless.

Let me try to illustrate a point: suppose you go to a restaurant because you're not very good at cooking for yourself. You order your food. When the waiter brings it to you, you discover that it doesn't taste very good. Just because you're not a skilled a chef doesn't mean you're not allowed to say that the food tastes like shite.

 

[Megahertz]

Yeah you can criticize a piece of artwork, but if you want to critique it, you have to know what you're saying, and usually (but not always) knowing your stuff when it comes to art requires dabbling a bit in making it yourself.

But generally if a piece of art is true shit, anybody will recognize that and has the right to call it shit.

 

[John Titor]

I don't feel very articulate today so I'm going to copy and paste something I found:

Spoiler

Receiving Criticism

• Not every critique is created equal. On an anonymous board, anybody can say anything. Use your good judgement when weighing and accepting critique.
• Be courteous and open minded. If someone has written a relatively civil critique of your work, be thankful that they took the time out of their day to help you improve.
• It can be pretty saddening to hear that something you put lots of time into is mostly wrong. But keep things in perspective. You will do many pieces of art that are better, precisely because you have learned 'what not to do' here. You cannot succeed without first failing.
• There will be other drawings. Don't get too attached to 'this' one.
• Don't just take a critique at face value and change the one picture. What is the critic really saying and how can that apply to the rest of your art?
• Don't make excuses for the art being bad. Be honest with yourself about whether you actually want to improve from critique.

Giving Criticism

• If you have nothing very relevant or helpful to say, consider saying nothing.
• Remember how hard it was to place your shitty art on display for people to sneer at. Try not to be too caustic.
• What is the artist going for? How could they achieve that better? Don't judge a piece solely by your tastes.
• If you did like a piece of art, can you think of any reasons a person might not like it? And vice versa?
• If the artist does something well, mentioning it is always nice.

 

[DNJACK]

remember how hard it was to place your shitty art on display

oh i remeber.