Out of curiousity, what are most artists here at the mlparena looking for when they post art?

Do you hope for complements (I know I do sometimes - they make me all warm and fuzzy inside) ^_^

Do you want critiques to help improve? (I think it's great to have another eye picking out things that could be better.)

Both? Do you prefer one over the other?

Let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks!

good question!!
personally, i'm not really look for critique.. i strive to improve myself by experimentation and mostly by studying the art of others. i have learned SO SO SO much from the fabulous artists here at the Arena. *flings hugs to you all!!*

I personally don't ask for critique. I know my art is FAR from perfect, but I'm happy with it.

Of course, who doesn't love the warm n fuzzy compliments.

well i love to get compliments, but i also like it when pple give cc;
real life example: if i have chocolate between my teeth youll tell me right?
so yea if my drawing has "chocolate" on it tell me!!
and if its pearly white^^ thats always great too

I'm always hungry for critique in both writing and art because people see what I don't *all* the time. Giving a good critique takes some time, so I appreciate the effort people give (and by good I mean considerate and not abusive--no one likes those kinds, of course. >_O). It actually makes me really happy when someone finds something amiss that I can actually fix, because that means I can...well...fix it! And then it's better! And hopefully I won't do it again.

And of course I love to get compliments, too, especially particulars (ie--why it's good) I try to give those, but I get lazy. >_< *thwacks self* I also try and respond to the work of those who have responded to mine, but I get lazy there, too....<__>

I prefer compliments...but will take critique. I've had such great suggestions as using more colors in my shading and buying a blending pencil (god's gift to artists of colored pencils lol), but I like my style and am always playing with it and experimenting. right now I'm working on expressions, bgs, and shading ^_^

I usually always expect a critque, but then again, I went through art school both as and undergraduate and as a grad student, so I'm pretty used to the critiques. I think it's both important to tell what's good about a piece as well as anything to improve it. Besides, I find that since I look at my art all the time, I sometimes need another pair of eyes to look at it fresh and tell me where I can improve.

I prefer critique.. It helps me so very much, it does. Like Marbletoast said, it's always great to have another person look over your art and pick out something you didn't see..

Unfortunately, alot of people I've run into take critiques personally, and get offended instead of helped, which is a shame.

I just like to know what people do and don't like, about my art, and I LOVE them forever if they're indepth about it. LOL

when i post art i like to hear compliments cause it encourages me and keeps me going,but i do appreciate some friendly criticism, that way i can improve.

Oh man, critique all the way, for me.

Hollow compliments are okay, in moderation, but it's often hard to tell if the person has actually LOOKED at the work and not just seen it and said it was good for the sake of it. I appreciate all comments I get, good and bad, but I really really like to get constructive critisisms as well.

Personally I learn by being told what's wrong and improving on that. If people constantly tell you you're 'awesome' and your artwork is 'amazing' you have very little incentive to improve! At least, that's how I look at it.

Um... mainly I'm just hoping people LOOK at my art. ^^;

I'm one of the sensitive lots. I don't mind if I get critiques from people I know WELL, but just some random joe that looks at my work and says nothing but critique kinda peeves me off. I need to be buttered up before a critique and buttered back down after.

At DA, it's easy to not whether or not you want critique--here it's a bit more difficult.

Really, I think I'd like people to tell me what they like and dislike about my style. I'm always dabbling in different forms and would like to know if people like one particular form over another. ESPECIALLY when I'm doing commissions, trades, or giftart.

I don't comment or even post much at all anymore because of the bad experiences I have had here from commenting on art. T_T I don't recommend giving anything but compliments here, as anything else seems to flick a switch.

Just my two cents. Shutting up now.

Rose wrote:

I don't comment or even post much at all anymore because of the bad experiences I have had here from commenting on art. T_T I don't recommend giving anything but compliments here, as anything else seems to flick a switch. Just my two cents. Shutting up now.

(it's funny cause it's true!!)

Poor rose. :hugs:

I guess constructive criticism every now and then isn't bad. I don't know how well it works for me since I'm lousy at drawing ponies, anyway. Of course, I wouldn't care for it if someone nitpicked my drawing to death, as it might seem to me that I didn't get anything right. Especially if the person only criticized and offered no positive comments at all.

I highly recommend constructive criticism. As long as it isn't crude and rude like some comments I've seen here.

Constructive criticism, when handled the right way, is very empowering to the artist. If it's handled the wrong way, it can completely crush them. I haven't given any CC in a while, but I used to at another forum and I would offer kind advice, such as shading techniques they ought to try to improve their work. I mean, I'm not exactly Thomas Kinkade here, but I love creating art and experimenting with new things. Art is a vast field of multiple and nearly endless choices, which all artists young and old should be taught through a decent balance of compliments and constructive criticism. Which I need to get back to doing...LOL.

^_^