My Thoughts on Critiques (Patreon)

"Did you ever send your art to someone better than you for critiques? And if you did, how did you do it?

Did you just send random images of your work, or did you send the best of your work, or did you send your work with a common idea in mind? 
Basically, what do you think would be the best way to send a bulk of work for a critique?"

I figured I'd post my reply, as it could help others:

Hmm.... I have asked for critiques before when I was on forums. But that was more than 15 years ago... What helped me was friend's input or else seeking out help from a teacher. I once paid for a critique session with Daryl Mandryk in person, but it cost $125 so I couldn't afford more than once. But at that time I was at my wits end for how to improve... I felt I needed advice from a pro, and that doesn't come cheap. At that time it was when I was just starting to do card art, so my entire portfolio was already geared toward that. I didn't show a mixture of things, it was just the best finished works I could create ( maybe 15 pieces or so ) and all were in the same subject matter, so the critique was very focused. 

I think the more broad your work is, the harder it is to give advice. Yes, you need to show a lot of work, but not a lot of variety in that work. Like if I wanted help on drawing faces, I might show 10 pages of my very best faces that I could do, even including sketches and things, but only after I had taken it absolutely as far as I could on my own, and even then, the faces would be very similar in style and technique so that the person I'm seeking help from can really see what I am doing, how I am thinking, and then can easily tell me what I need to fix. 

If you're not specific you will end up with critiques like, "You need to draw more."

If you seek critiques from people who aren't high level, you may get advice that is actually harmful if you take it.  ( And there is a tendency for people to talk with more authority the less they know about a subject. )

If you are not giving your best work, you might say, "Oh, I already know that." ( which is wasting the critic's time )

The worst are people who ask for critiques but then when you give them a critique they explain why they can't really do that...  ( I've had people ask me very earnestly for help in how to improve their drawings or paintings and explain in great detail how they want to become a professional, and this is their dream, and then send me work that's from years ago, and if you ask how much they're drawing they explain how they really don't draw much because of some excuse or another.  And if you tell them they need to draw, they will let you know how they can't do that right now, but if I could offer them some advice on how to get better...  There's really nothing I can say at that point )

I personally take critiques very seriously and when I ask someone for one, it's no small matter for me.  I've usually prepared a lot for it. 

When it comes to forums, I think it's a very mixed bag, because you don't know who is going to give you a critique, so you have to take everything with a grain of salt unless you know the person who is critiquing you is high level and knows their stuff.  I think forums are better for giving you a motivation to work hard.  You can see other people posting and it can inspire you to stay on track with your work.  You also have a place to see and document your improvement.  And finally, it's very helpful for finding art buddies, if you find someone around your level, who wants to get better as much as you do, and is willing to put in the hard work.

Really, I am not a huge fan of critiques. I think if you're a student, it's better to just draw a ton and read books/watch good videos and try and figure as much out on your own as you can. When you're finally in a crisis and can't find info out there anywhere anymore ( and there is tons of info out there so this will probably be a while ) then I think a critique can really help. 

If you're a working professional, it makes a lot more sense to me to seek critiques from your peers as then it's more a case of being limited by a deadline and just needing a second pair of eyes to help you see your mistakes, or if you're lucky, you may be able to learn something new... But that's quite different than a student spamming someone with work and asking for a critique, when really the work isn't that focused.

You may get critiques ( asked for or not ) from non-artists which are often not very helpful if taken at face value, but can be invaluable if you can decipher them.  For instance, a non-artist may look at your work and say something like, "I think the arm looks wrong."  Now, you may have used reference for the arm, and maybe you

know the arm isn't 'wrong', but the point is, the arm looks wrong.  This means that something about what is on the page isn't reading well, at least not to the person who critiqued you.  You can get this even with photography, where things don't quite make sense, so it's not really about things being right or wrong, or referenced or not, but more about how well the message you intended is being conveyed.  Still, it depends on who you talk to, and in the end, it's up to you to decide whether a critique is helpful or not.

There is one last thing I want to mention with critiques, and it's probably not valid for a lot of people, but for people who become easily defensive ( I put myself in this category ), it could help.  That is, be weary of your defensiveness, and if you find that a critique is haunting you ( you keep thinking about the critique, maybe it makes you angry or sad, but you can't seem to shake it ), chances are that within that critique ( even if it might have been delivered poorly or without consideration ), there is a hint of truth, and that's why it keeps haunting you.  Try to face this truth.  I've gotten so many comments over the years, mainly from YouTube, that sort of sting, and stick to me...  Most of the time I find that they bother me so much because they've hit a nerve and I need to explore why I'm getting so upset.  Once I find that reason out ( and I can overcome my ego ), I find that I usually have some work to do to improve, and also, that I am no longer haunted by the criticism.

Well, that's all I have to say on the matter for now.  It's quite a lot, but congrats if you made it this far, and I hope it helps, and thanks for reading.  ;)