Jump to content

"What do you like most about it?"


FlynnCoyote
 Share

Recommended Posts

Anybody else get this? You offer a brief but positive comment on a piece someone has uploaded and then they come back at you asking for more details? It always catches me off guard and I find it off putting. I know it isn't necessarily the case, but it feels like they're clamoring for more positive feedback as though they need it to validate the effort they put into the art they just made.

I dunno about you, but I don't have the right mindset for critiques. I either like it, I don't or I'm indifferent. Sure I could point out the obvious flaw here and there, but nine times out of ten the artist is already aware of that little slip up. Beyond that I have nothing for you.

So, how about you post in the description that you welcome critiques, and let the users so inclined to give those critiques on their own? Would sure beat trying to drag it out of people.

Has anyone else had this issue?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, when an artist presses you after showing you a picture, I'd say its arguably the universal casual way of saying they'd like a critique, big or small. When I ask a client, "Whats your favorite part?", there's an area I focused on that I want to know if I conveyed what they wanted accurately, or if a technique I tried was useful, you know, things like that. Even then, sometimes it can be just as simple as, "I like the whole picture, but the way you drew the face is my favorite!"

An artists hobbies are more often than not for visual scrutiniy- they don't just get better in secret. Feedback narrows their trajectory. If you told an artist, "my favorite part is how they did the face", you could assume that the artit, going forward, will continue with how they draw faces. 

However, straight posting "I want critique" is an invitation for a more serious approach to talking about the piece. "Whats your favorite part" is more, "please notice an area I worked hard on, or tried something new", and critique is more, "please notice the areas that I can improve upon" it ah, like, two sides of the same coin, I imagine. You can elect to ignore the artist, or you can just pick something random when they ask you. Cuz hey, who doesn't like more compliments at their base?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

like what lemon said, getting an idea of what someone likes about a piece gives the artist a subtle cue on what they're doing well/what's working for them and thus helps them know what (or what not) to focus on in future work, without having to stop and get too in-depth with critique. 

as someone who occasionally draws stuff, if someone says "i like this", my immediate reaction is to wonder why.  i'm glad they like it, but i'm more curious about what actually drew them to it.  it's not just fishing for compliments; i'd feel the same way if someone said "this sucks".  ok, but why? 

that said, i'm pretty bad at being constructive with comments, myself.  i've also been asked to elaborate on what i liked and been stuck on "idk, just all of it?"  sometimes it's hard to pinpoint things or put them into words that are actually useful.  this is partly why i almost never comment on things--which is bad, though, because i know how it feels on the other side to post something and never get replies.  but at the same time, "that's good" doesn't tell the artist much about the viewer's thoughts or opinions, and part of the whole reason for sharing work is to get feedback of one kind or another.

and as the artist, it's really just kinda hard to respond to a comment that doesn't give any further insight into the viewer's opinion.  the best you can say to "i like it" without asking for more input is "thanks", and when that is the overwhelming majority of responses you get, it becomes empty pretty quickly. 

so i would not think of "what do you like most" as a grab for more positive feedback so much as for more feedback in general, because everyone likes to have an idea of how others are viewing their work and whether they're achieving whatever it was they were going for. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe it's hard for me because I never really did pay attention to technique, and if I like an artist's drawing style then that's literally the only point I can offer and I can only really say that once.

I never ask for specifics, and I never ask for critique on my own work. I'm always happy to receive it, good or bad, but the idea of forcing that kind of feedback turns me off. A lack of feedback is preferable to me than pointless platitudes and those incessant rp type garbage posts that end up on certain pics. The issue of needing feedback to improve doesn't really factor in for me, since I learn by mimicking what I see in streams and the like anyway. Plus at the end of the day I'm drawing for myself so impressing other people isn't high on my priorities list.

The whole thing has put me off commenting on art in general unless I know the artist won't push for more feedback.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^yeah, it gets kind of uncomfortable/annoying if you just wanted to give a simple comment and get poked for an essay.  i feel for both sides tbh...  as the "artist", i can never decide which is better/worse between lots of empty comments or none at all.  on the one hand, the more insight i get on how people feel about my work, the better, and saying "thx" over and over makes me feel awkward.  on the other hand, i still like that people appreciate it enough to say anything at all, even if what they're saying doesn't necessarily help me improve.  and as a viewer, i don't wanna be put on the spot; what i comment (when i do so at all) is probably all i have to say/am able to articulate.  but then i feel kinda bad if i don't have enough to make a "meaningful" comment, so i don't say anything at all more often than not.

why is life so hard :U

 

as far as improving and stuff, though, sometimes it's not even for that.  like, i don't care much about technique most of the time.  if i want to learn how to do something, i'll ask or look it up.  usually the responses i prefer to get are... i dunno... feelings about the style or the nature of the image?  what people do or don't like about the subject matter itself, or what it makes them think of, or something?  i guess what i want is a response to WHAT i drew, not just HOW i drew it.  if that makes sense.  like, critique is useful and all, but i'm not really assed about the technical stuff because i don't draw purely for the sake of improving my skills.  i draw for fun, and to express stories, characters, feelings, etc.  i guess what i really want out of sharing art is to know that i have some form of connection with the viewer.  and really short comments that don't mention anything other than technical elements don't give me that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not gonna lie, I tend to feel like it's not worth the bother to comment if you don't actually have anything to say. That's why you have a favorite button, so you can show your appreciation without having to leave something short and lame like "Nice" or "I like this". I love getting comments but it's my personal preference that if someone comment they actually have something to say, like a commentary, critique or even conversational remark relating to the piece. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 6/19/2016 at 4:02 AM, Red Lion said:

Not gonna lie, I tend to feel like it's not worth the bother to comment if you don't actually have anything to say. That's why you have a favorite button, so you can show your appreciation without having to leave something short and lame like "Nice" or "I like this". I love getting comments but it's my personal preference that if someone comment they actually have something to say, like a commentary, critique or even conversational remark relating to the piece. 

I'm late as fuck, but I was browsing this forum section and literally was talking about this with a friend.

Having pruned all porn bots and counting the 100 people or so that follow me on multiple accounts, I have nearly 8000 followers total across my Tumblr, Weasyl, and Pixiv. I have an upload that has quickly become immensely popular with about 3000 notes on Tumblr alone.

The ONLY comment is "<3".

That frustrates me. I don't care about likes, favorites, retweets, or reblogs. Just SAY something. Something I can respond to. Like anything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"What's your favorite" / "what do you like best" / etc rubs me the wrong way, because even as an artist that understands, I don't like the act of self-esteem baiting.

"Is there anything you feel like I should work on?" / "Do you have any criticism? It's okay, I don't bite!" / "Should I fix anything?" are MUCH better, imo.
Little bit harsher, but eh. Know your craft, know your faults, and fix them, and all that.
Art is an uphill battle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...