How do you give good Critique?

[Aardvarkphil]

I get loads of good critique and things to do to improve. But I feel like I'm always taking and not giving back. Usually if I do notice something then someone has already seen it and commented.

So my question is 'How do you give good Critique?'.

I'm still new to art and don't really know what to look for. Are there any articles or books I should be reading to help with this side of my artistic development?

Or is it just a case of time and experience? I just wish I could help out people on CA.

[Qitsune]

Be the first to crit a thread, so no one could have found what you saw, there are plenty of thread that get very little attention and the posters would be grateful.
But seriously, even just saying "I like x because... and I don't like Y because..." helps. Don't worry, it will come with time, you don't have to give in depth clever crits à la Elwell from the start.:yayca:

[Jason Rainville]

Step one: look at picture
Step two: notice things that look wrong
Step three: find out and express why they look wrong to the thread starter.

Voila!

As for not being the first, etc, if I happen into a thread where I'd only be repeating what others have said, I let myself out and find a thread where I can critique what's going on.

[Grief]

using fancy-pants art words helps.

the artist thinks "shit, this guy knows what he's talking about... but i don't"

this way even if your opinions and advice are completely false, few will call you out on it.

okay thats terrible advice.

all you really have to do is understnd what makes up a 'good' composition.
there are a few guidelines of basic elements of design to look out for:
-anatomy
-line
-color
-anatomy
-shape
-form
-anatomy
-texture
-size
-balance
-contrast
-anatomy
-formal relations

on CA a safe bet would be to start with the anatomy, as many dive right passed the 'learning' straight into the 'creating' and then suffer greatly having to back-pedal their work and unlearn all the habits they picked up.

by filtering what the artist says about the work (usually the more they talk abotu the work the more helpful critiues are in giving accurate feedback) you can apply these design elements to better hone the artist's direction they seek.

i'd wager that 99% of the time the 'rules' of design will apply to improve the artists work. its a lot less often that the artist intentionally is distorting the rules knowingly.

people want praise and adoration for their successes, but what they want isnt what they need.
in mst cases having a fresh pair of eyes and giving honest feedback is all people really need.

i always try to have a colloquial conversation about things i see wrong as to make myself sound to not be arguing or conflicting with the artist. always offer positive feedback on things that work as well as critical opinions of flaws.

if all of your observations are negative the artist may shrug you off and say "fuck you, you're a jerk". but if you pat his back he'll be a bit more inclined to reason through the mistakes you point out.

as the others have said, it helps when you add new and keen observations to the discussion instead of saying "yeah...what they said!" (much like i just did in this sentence)

also anyone from deviantart is free-game to be a little bit more harsh on, they need the attitude adjustment that can only be accomplsihed with the wintery freshness of brutal honesty. don't worry about scaring them away, if theyre serious about art they'll lose the ego and take notes. the others will go back to the sanctuary of ass-patting and live in their bubble supportive nonconstructive comments.

[edit] also use the Edit button to get rid of really obvious typos. they make me look like an idiot

[Bowlin]

I think one of the keys to giving good critique is being Objective. Your setting aside your own personal taste and trying to give the artist another perspective to help strengthen the piece.

[deep_in_food]

think of it as in, how the picture can be improved, and if there's something that is just on the way of your eyes somehow.

[FactorZero]

Be clear and specific. Don't just say "your anatomy is off on those legs." Tell them exactly what is wrong. Are they too short? Too long? Telling them what's wrong is good but telling them how to fix it is better.

[Chance.]

Scathing, is the word.

I mean, heck, what do you expect? You think you should be giving them flowers and try to break it softly to them how gosh darned awful they are? Don't spare them, it's for their own good.

[all of the above is said in complete jest, ignore me I'm in a really weird mood tonight]

[Ilaekae]

Talk to the person you're critiqueing--don't just treat him or her like an example of how much you think you know. Explain WHY something could be improved, not WHY it's wrong. Always remember that you can learn as much from them as you can teach them--and the magic word here is TEACH. Yes, you'll run into idoits...like...oh...ummm...Chance!...for example, but think of that as your punishment for opening your mouth in the first place...the world doesn't like do-gooders, so you deserve to get bit...

:P:P:P:P Woof woof!

[Alzorath]

Well..depends on what type of critique you're giving imo...

Casual critiques (like most given here - which are generally "friendly advice" type deals) - it's usually a good idea to just find some good, some bad, and give reasons to as many as you can (it is better to say "That foot looks weird, but I don't know why" is better than avoiding commenting on it because you don't know why it looks weird).

As for structured critiques - in my art courses at university, we would sometimes do structured critiques (about once a week in some courses, once a month in others...varied on professor) - basically we were told to "Find 3 things you like in the piece, Find 3 things you think don't work in the piece - give reasons for all of the above" - these were done "on the fly", with the professor calling on a random few people to give their critiques on each piece (each student getting called to give a critique about 3-4 times each session). Critique was considered 10% of the grade for about half my courses.

[kev ferrara]

Philosophical point: You give advice to teach your student and yourself, that better art be done.

Make a serious effort to understand what the artist was going for. State the good you find in the work. Then be honest, but never cruel.

Never argue for your opinion about somebody else's work. Only state your opinion once.

If the artist reacts badly to your criticism, consider if you have been too insensitive, or whether the artist is too sensitive.

If you find yourself angry, leave the thread. If your crit was valid someone else will come along and agree... if the artist is lucky enough.

kev

[steve kim]

try to make a 'crit sandwich' thusly:

say something nice
say something constructive
say something nice

[Forecast]

I found this a while back, made a thread to link back anytime someone had a crit question: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=83014

:yayca:

[Seedling]

When in doubt, ask the artist what the goal of the piece is, and what their overall goal as an artist is.