Now, maybe I’m a hardass but the crossroads I come across when critiquing someone’s work is if I should compliment to make them “feel better” or compliment because I personally feel it is something worth noting as a positive.

I am a difficult person to impress and will only “soften” the critique whenever the critique isn’t asked for but hasn’t discouraged it. If someone discourages critique I don’t leave any.

If someone invites/requests critiques and they happen to have work that is mediocre or (sadly) subpar, I feel it is dishonest to give them compliments short of the literal encouragement of “It’ll be hard, but I know you can do this with practice, I have confidence in your skills, you just need to work towards it” and resources that I feel would help them improve.

As for compliments given as incentive to improve from critique- I think this is potentially some of most flawed ways to deliver it, and should only be intentionally used when dealing with younger authors/artists.

I ultimately feel that an author’s/artist’s incentive for improvement should be for their improvement, not validation from others.  And authors/artists do need to recognize that encouragement can come in forms beyond compliments (noting a work’s strengths is not necessarily synonymous with a compliment by the way).

But ultimately, if the creator feels like the critiquer doesn’t understand their work or supply helpful critique, it’s fully within their right to say/think that. If they choose to reject critique, my role as a critiquer for them ends there and it’s up to them to succeed or crash and burn.  Free will and consequences and all that jazz.

That’s probably more of a wall than you bargained for, but I hope that addresses it.

I think a lot of crits aren’t constructive. It becomes about ripping apart a “dumb anime writer/artist who gets butt hurt” instead of helping a starting artist and encouraging them.

Have critiquers considered that everyone on a website isn’t a whiny baby, and that they are just being assholes?

:T Guh, I’m just so tired of starting artists being treated like this.

Asking for critique is not synonymous with asking for encouragement nor are compliments the only way to supply encouragement.  Especially when someone is asking for critique, a critique giver will likely point out what needs to be fixed, anything not mentioned is implied to be “fine” as is. 

Critique givers are supposed to help you address what needs to be fixed in the fastest/simplest way possible, not give your esteem a push, critique givers are not cheerleaders.

Some critique givers are “mean” in their bluntness and/or lack of compliments and (fun analogy time!) sometimes the critique giver is left with no option other than calling burnt food burnt; should we congratulate you for being able to turn on the stove in the same breath?

[“It’s Time for Cake” is my ramblings about about webcomics, art, writing and other stuff that comes to mind, feel free to read it or reply to it as you see fit.]

Today’s SUPER wall-o-text was inspired by reading a comic that featured a near-comically handled antagonist and an almost Mary-Sue like protagonist.  The comic’s name and its characters’ names will be omitted for the sake of discussion.  I’ll be talking about how to potentially craft stronger antagonists and how their interactions with protagonists should not be simple binary (win/lose, right/wrong scenarios) as well as touching on some points of MarySueisms and how it can harm a story.

As usual: You’re welcome to like the comic (if you can figure out what it is), I am merely using this for academic and discussion purposes. (Again, HUGE wall under the cut.)

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theyoungdoyley:

Fastest way to get on a writer’s bad side

“this twist is so cool!! did you really plan this from the beginning?!!”

Yes, I planned it from the beginning - it’s the premise of my comic.

Not directed at theyoungdoyley specifically (consider this a luck of the draw on what shows up on my dash), but every writer should consider the slight possibility that they may not have dropped enough hints or foreshadowing for a respective twist or development in their story.

If a majority of your readers express surprise in a fashion you deem to be not ideal or as understanding your intent, you should reflect on your execution.

This applies as much to writing as it does to art.  The author is more than welcome to of course be the judge of that (they are the ones that ultimately decide what should be changed/revised, if any), but often the creator of a work can be the their own worst critic or their most biased one.

Just like some artists can justify or make excuses for how their art may appear (style being a frequent topic), writers can do the same for how their plot or ideas come about.

For more information, consult resources dedicated to foreshadowing, pacing and delivery of writing.  Know the rules so you can bend, break or revolutionize them.

Research, review and reflect when met with criticism (good or bad). Linger on an issue only so long as you intend to do something proactive about it (eg: change, revise, revisit, examine,  etc.)

Remember, if you find yourself being met with this sort of reaction on a majority basis, step back, examine the situation and see what you can do about it and determine what has a more lasting impact, content you have full creative control over, or scolding individuals on an individual basis.

Also consider how you react as well, you may find yourself regretting your public reactions in the future, god knows it’s the Internet, and the Internet never forgets.

[Once again a reminder that this is not directed at theyoungdolyey specifically, this is merely what showed up on my dash.]

Questions, feedback, discussion? Go for it.

archiaart:

People wanted to know how tall (or short) my boys are! Image embiggens on clicking.

• Guthlac’s taller than most people at 6’4”
• Arin is approximately average height at 5’9”
• Fidus is my favourite height at 6’2”
• Scarrow is 5’6.5”, and that extra 0.5” is very important to him ;)

I hope that was informative :D

Alright Archia this is where I’m a mean asshole and you’re going to have to bite the pillow ‘cause it’s surprise critique time.

Remember how I mentioned to you a while ago your design could use improvements and I suggested you focus on that?

You are making some progress to varying up their faces but overall all their facial proportions are exactly the same, don’t be afraid to exaggerate some of their features a bit, I really mean it.  And don’t fall for the trap that since the characters have different expressions that they have significantly different faces.  Think about what the face structure says about the character or what it tries to say about the character.

But more noticeably, think about their bodies and what it says about their lifestyles.  I can sorta let the vampires slide because they’re mythical but Erin and Scarrow have nearly the same build and that makes little sense considering how different their lifestyles are. Don’t be afraid of putting some muscle onto Scarrow or a little fat on Erin, it’s OKAY to have body variety, little things like that is what makes characters visually endearing and helps these characters register to your readers, it also has the added bonus of giving more believability to your world and their untold back stories.

More on faces specifically: Erin and Scarrow have somewhat of the same faces, both have very pentagon chins and if it weren’t for Scarrow’s scowl and tired lines under his eyes, they would register as being the same age (I don’t think they are either, but that could just be me, Erin’s hair creates the illusion that he’s a larger child or just stands out as being more “anime” compared to everyone else).

Guthlac and Fidus both have the same flat chins and as a result have the same “feel” to their faces despite how different (they so far) appear to be in nearly every aspect except that they’re both vampires.

I know you can do better than this Archia, just try pushing your designs more, test the waters and you might find something you enjoy more.  I also know you’re busy trying to juggle 2.5 comics and I worry about you falling victim to spreading yourself too thin- but seriously, I think your design needs more work than your coloring at this time.  Work on that since 1.5 of your comics ARE in B&W.

Stronger foundations lead to better artwork.

Things you can think about- do naked, hairless, silhouettes of your cast, ask your fans to guess who is who (and no, guessing by HEIGHT is a copout, I mean builds and physique).  If they can guess all of them right you have strong body types and design and congratulations, you have become a better artist.  For faces, set everyone to neutral (avoid colors as well) and disregard their hair.  See if they can be guessed again and be sure to carry over these design changes to the comic itself.

It’s challenging but I’m only telling you these things because I’m confident you can meet these challenges and because I’m doing good on the request you had in terms of critiquing Enthrall.

Well, wish granted.

rapeiskawaii:

PHEW POSTED THIS BEFORE THE DAY GETS BUSY!

Always gonna reblog crits!

Anyway, all things noted and will be worked on, though outright humor may not be possible, however I do understand the gist in breaking up the tones/scenes with lighter scenes.

-Mags face probably looks odd because it is drawn long-ish compared to most other characters, I’m still trying to work that one out. Blankd, you bad artist!

-I wouldn’t say Sid fails all the time thus far, but yup his successes are tiny. I can give the assurance that it will be addressed within 10ish 15ish pages soon, but words are cheap, pages are proof. :)

-Weird as it is to say, I’m glad you don’t like Raz as a character.

Anyway, thanks again for the review, I’ll do my best to improve the comic!

Let’s talk about why Don’t Like, Don’t Read isn’t a respectable response in 99% of the instances they are used in. I’m not even going to talk about why it’s bad from an argument or discussion standpoint, I’m just going to talk about how they are nearly paradoxical scenarios with those who MUST defend the media in question (in this case, comics).

I will also sort of address why some critics will read a whole work even if they hate its content.

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Uh, yeah…

EDIT: ahaha, this is not me, btw, this is ~someone else~ Something about robot titties. I’m not even sure I understand what it was even talking about

[“It’s Time for Cake” is my ramblings about about webcomics, art, writing and other stuff that comes to mind, feel free to read it or reply to it as you see fit.]

Today’s wall-o-text was inspired by reading a comic that does not know how to use source material in a good way or use the precious art of foreshadowing/WORLD BUILDING.  The name of the comic and author will be omitted as usual.  I will go so far as to say the artist in question has improved their art but it still needs a lot of work and their writing is EASILY the weakest I have seen and primarily what this is about (though I may reference the art since at TIMES it does hinder the “story”).

As usual: You’re welcome to like the comic (if you can figure out what it is), but in my humble opinion, it is terrible by a majority, if not all academic standards out there.

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[“It’s Time for Cake” is my ramblings about about webcomics, art, writing and other stuff that comes to mind, feel free to read it or reply to it as you see fit.]

Today’s wall-o-text was inspired by a response/recommendation from a previous CAKE TIME entry- some other parts of this ramble came from thinking about the recommendation.  I’ll be giving some personal thoughts about the work in question as well as other points tied to it. This is definitely one of the more subjective/opinionated ones, so take that as you will.

And did I mention this one is REALLY long?

*I use the word robot, android and killbot interchangeably, hope that doesn’t peeve you.  Also I pretty much spoil Artifice, so you might want to finish reading that, my nit-picky ways might ruin it for you.

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Thanks for taking the time to drop by to give such kind words!

However, to be fair, BL isn’t the only genre guilty of this but yes it is one of the more notable offenders (your mileage may vary of course).

As an aside I haven’t really done a specific writeup on why the comic isn’t good (from a more academic/critical perspective anyway, if it’s your guilty pleasure or kink, sure, partake in it- but still recognize what’s wrong with it), but maybe I will if enough people express interest in it?

For now I think a cooldown period would be better given the recent drama.

But again, I’m glad you like the critiques; and who knows maybe honest/blunt critiques will start being “in-fashion”! 8)

[“It’s Time for Cake” is my ramblings about about webcomics, art, writing and other stuff that comes to mind, feel free to read it or reply to it as you see fit.]

Today’s wall-o-text is talking about FORCED DRAMA/how NOT to add depth to a character/how to [possibly] avoid shitty writing. It was inspired by a terrible comic that made me roll my eyes SO HARD I simply had to have CAKE TIME.

[Warning: I will be talking about trauma/traumatic experiences being used as “gimmicks” to characters under the cut.  The main one talked about is suicide in media, the other events are mentioned in passing.

Disclaimer: Despite my ranting/rambling this time around, I am confident enough that I am not a hypocrite or grievous offender of this but I am not an expert in it, do NOT take my word as absolute on this topic. (This rambling does not address parody or satire, it is aimed at dramatic or otherwise serious works.)]

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[“It’s Time for Cake” is my ramblings about about webcomics, art, writing and other stuff that comes to mind, feel free to read it or reply to it as you see fit.]

Today’s wall-o-text is talking about the wonderful world of BL/Yaoi; I’ll touch on the problems so as to complete the rambling but my goal for this ramble will mostly be on creators, consumers, the genre/niche and related observations and I guess my lament/hate relationship with the “genre”.

[Warning: This is talking about BL/yaoi and briefly about all/most of the less than savory aspects that are associated with it under the cut.]

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[“It’s Time for Cake” is my ramblings about about webcomics, art, writing and other stuff that comes to mind, feel free to read it or reply to it as you see fit.]

Today’s wall-o-text is a continuation of sorts from the first of these- aka how to address common self-delusions, flimsy fallacies and other detrimental coping mechanisms that arise when a work is criticized.  I will attempt to talk about the ones I see most often, I am sure there are several more so please forgive me if I miss them! (Click the cut for more).

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