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Nido's little critique howto
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To me; DeviantArt is about two things. First and foremost, it's about art. It's a real good place to waste some time being amazed of other peoples work. Secondly; it's about artists. Though some people just look for a place to dump their drawings; probably most post their work in order to get critique; helping them to improve. If you are reading this; you are probably one of these, and look for a way to give proper critique hoping to get some yourself.

I've written this little guide just because of that. So if you want to try out some of the things I've written here you're welcome to do so on my deviations. Though I don't consider myself a master criticiser; I've had several positive remarks about my critique and someone is even drawing me a picture because of it; so I must be doing at least one thing right. If you feel I'm totally off with something; feel free to critique this very howto. Because this too, can become better.

About Critique
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critique. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1).
Retrieved October 27, 2006, from Dictionary.com
website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/critique

    critique [kre-teek] noun, verb, -tiqued, -tiquing

    1. an article or essay criticizing a literary or other work; detailed evaluation; review.
    2. a criticism or critical comment on some problem, subject, etc.
    3. the art or practice of criticism.
    4. to review or analyze critically.

Within DeviantArt, I think it's safe to say the purpose of critique is to give your own view of a deviation; pointing out the good parts; and where things may have gone wrong. Critique is not burning a deviation down to the ground, neither is it praising it up to heaven. Good critique walks the thin line between these two. Critique should encourage deviants and at the same time provide pointers of how to improve.

What does critique need?
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First and foremost: Time. The artist put in a lot of time to create his deviation; the least you can do is to put some time into your critique. You will need the time to analyse the deviation; see the whole picture; pay attention to details. It doesn't take a good artist to notice little flaws but it does take time. Don't forget to read the artist's comments. There's no need to point out flaws the artist noticed on it's own. It is, however, encouraged to say how you would fix these problems.

Critique also needs a little praise. If you're criticizing someone's works for a longer time; notice their improvement. If it's your first critique to someone; point out some of the things you really like, keep the spirits up.

Not to be forgotten are the flaws. Say what you don't like about the picture. Be weary of this though. There are many different styles, each with it's own rules. Even if big eye's aren't your thing; it doesn't pay to mention this as a bad part on a manga drawing. If you are unsure if something is just style; check out the deviant's gallery for a while; see if it's a recurring theme. If you're still not sure; say so. End your sentence with ``but that may be just the style''; or something similar.

So how do you do it?
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Usually; I first just look at the picture for a while, mostly still in small view. I usually watch until I get bored with it. Mind you some deviations are worth looking at it for hours, but you'll know when you've watched the picture enough.

Then, I usually zoom in; and view the details of the work. This is also a great step to improve yourself too. By watching other people's work, you may find techniques or ideas which solve the problems with your current deviation. Perhaps gain some inspiration. This is perfect stuff for the `good parts' of your critique. I also look over the parts of the picture which look `weird' to
me, try to guess why it went wrong; try to think of ways to `fix' them. Put this into your critique too; also if you don't know what to do with it.

Afterwards, I start the actual writing. I usually start out stating my general opinion of the deviation. Something like ``Beautiful work''; ``Nicely done'', ``Not bad''. Then; I usually point out some of the points I truly admire of the piece, the `good points', so to say. Then I mention some of the things that are off. This is where you need to pay most attention. ``Your shadows suck'' isn't quite helping; neither does it encourage the artist to continue. ``Your shadow looks a bit strange'', looks a lot nicer. If you add some tips; it'll be great. ``Perhaps in your next piece; you should imagine the light source to be in some place; and draw your shadows where it can't reach.'' Giving some ideas of other stuff to put into a picture is also encouraged: ``perhaps it's an idea to try some highlights in your picture.''

Finally; I finish my piece with repeating what I think of it. It's important to be `nice' in your final sentence. It's what dominates the general feeling of your critique. You want the artist to feel happy about it. Not sad.


As with all my writing; I hope this is of value to you.

Kind regards; and happy criticizing.