So... I was going to make a full SFM guide on the basics of poster making like my previous two, but there were so many other guides that have come out recently that are 10x better than anything I can write, so instead of saturating the guide section here's a short guide on critiques.

To be completely honest, I dunno if this guide is pointless or not, but I wanted to talk about something that hasn't been talked about much, and that is the art of critiquing... Well, art. O H Y E A H.

In this guide, I plan to go over the basics of giving a critique. Of course, there's no set rules when it comes to critiquing someone's artwork, though I guess there are "better" ways of doing so that not only help the individual you are critiquing but help you as well.


I'm an amateur art maker and don't have a ton of experience when it comes to art (just the basics), so these are merely suggestions. Any feedback is welcome (would be ironic if it wasn't, eh?).

Let's begin, shall we?

In the world of... really anything, though in the context of art, a critique is a way of interpreting and exploring someone's work. Basically, how it all comes together technically and your overall feelings on the success of the piece.

A critique is generally split into four parts:

• Description
  
• Analysis
  
• Interpretation
  
• Evaluation

Description: Look at and describe the surface aspects of the work. For instance, look at the elements and principles, subject, qualities, story, title and description, etc.

Analysis: Look at the work technically, as a complete composition. For instance, how does the artwork express itself? How do the elements, principles, qualities, and other pieces work together to meld itself into the artwork? What's the story on the characters if any are present?

Interpretation: How does the artwork make you feel? Can you relate to or relate other things to the art?

Evaluation: This is your chance to give your thoughts. What works in the picture? What doesn't work or what areas could be improved? Stuff like that.

Of course nothing I said above is set, but should give you a good idea where to start.

As I mentioned, giving a critique is valuable for both the donor and the recipient. Giving a critique can help someone find direction in how they need to improve upon there work while also knowing what works in their compositions and apply that knowledge to their work as such. The individual giving the critique also gets to analyze, and potentially learn, how aspects of a picture work together to tell a story or present something, maybe leading to ideas they hadn't thought of previously.

Quick note

I would like to point something important out. I'm sure a handful of us are familiar with the original SFM art thread in the SFM community discussions tab, right? Well, we all know how that ended. I shouldn't have to say this, but let me make it clear: a critique is NOT an attack on you or your artwork, it's a way for creators to discuss artwork and lend other a helping hand. I will touch a tad bit more on that near the end of this section.



(Big thanks to my friend Crimzone Pegasi for providing the images in this section)

So you see a piece/an artist you really like that has some potential and you want to give a bit of feedback. First and foremost, analyze the image as stated in the previous section. Now, obviously there's no true formula to giving feedback, it's your thoughts, feelings, and overall analysis, however, I personally like to use something called the "hamburger method." Basically, it goes like this:

1. Compliment (Bun)
2. Feedback (Patty)
3. Compliment (Bun)

So for instance:

"Hey Gallup, I like your poster! The scene building and posing is excellent and really conveys the idea that you were going for. However, I would suggest lowering your field of view to give your poster a cleaner and more balanced look. Overall though, good poster and I am looking forward to seeing more or your work."

It doesn't have to be that formal, it's SFM after all, not a management position:

"Excellent poster, the lighting is phenomenal. I'd suggest posing the character's shoulders to help clean up the posing a bit though. Still, nice work."

Or:

"Cool poster man, the scene build is great. Personally I think it'd look cool if you added a couple more cars to the street to make the city feel more vibrant. Good job."

The hamburger method is a perfectly fine method for providing feedback, however it is not the only method (duh). If you find it hard to compliment a piece, you could simply say,

"I would suggest you use a rim light on the Heavy in your poster. It would improve the focal point on your piece."

Basically, as long as you don't do anything I mention in the don'ts section, you'll be fine.




So, you know what one of the worst things you could do in a critique is? Be a ♥♥♥♥! Whoa, that's crazy isn't it?

Pardon my French, but when you're giving a critique, seriously, don't be a ♥♥♥♥. You come off as a pretentious tool and additionally discourage the artist. It doesn't necessarily make the community look good either, besides this is just SFM, not a race to get into Pixar. Yeah, it's the internet, but you don't know who's behind the screen. Act as if you're doing a critique in a hall full of artists.




When receiving a critique, it's equally important to be a polite person back, duh. Don't spout off how much you hate them, or tell them "wElL iF yOu DoN't LiKe iT gO eLsEwHeRe lOL." I don't care if it's an SFM poster, guitar playing, or painting. Art's a world of open minds and conversations.

Tell 'em you appreciate their feedback, maybe give a little explanation, and/or tell them it really helps or you'll keep their suggestions in mind. Really anything like that.

Now, if you give fair feedback to an artist and they are an absolute ass-munch jack-wagon back to you, or vice-versa with receiving, move on. It's not worth sitting there having a keyboard warrior argument on who's shlong is bigger over a piece of artwork. After all, it's their loss and art probably isn't for them. Or many things in life, y'know like a job. Basically grow some skin or prepare to suffer.

Lastly and obviously, not every piece of feedback you receive is necessary for your work, but it's always a good idea to take someone's thoughts into consideration, especially if it surrounds an integral part of your work like composition, lighting, posing, janky areas you may not have caught, etc. Sometimes it's a lot of fun to think about what others had to say about your work, opening your mind up to some new ideas or interesting considerations for your work or future work.

As per some feedback, I feel it's fair to talk about a point I didn't emphasize in the Do's & Don'ts section where I basically said, "don't be an assmunch."

Criticism that is referred to as "constructive" is as the following:

"...the process of offering valid and well-reasoned opinions about the work of others, usually involving both positive and negative comments, in a friendly manner rather than an oppositional one."

See constructive criticism as one of my hamburger examples above; each piece of feedback offers both positive and negative points all within a friendly manner.

Criticism that is "destructive" can be defined as the following:

"Criticism performed with the intention to harm someone, derogate and destroy someone's creation, prestige, reputation and self-esteem."

Anything that is meant to harm rather than to educate. I.e. as one commentor on this guide put it, something along the lines of "lol it's bad." Another example could be, "the posing is junk, it looks bad."

Remember, the goal with constructive criticism is to educate not harm.

Yep, bad apples are everywhere, especially considering this is the internet, but to repeat what I said earlier, don't be an assmunch.

Well, here's the end. That was pretty fast.

In any case, like I said I dunno if this guide really serves a purpose but y'know. Hopefully it does something for someone and equally hopefully it provides decent information surrounding art critiques and what-not.

In any case to make this conclusion worth-while, here's some of my favorite SFM guides made by talented people to help you with your varying needs:

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1684499173
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1425763014
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=881610592
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=899499881


In any case, have a good one and happy SFM'ing! Have a cigar while you're at it.