Click here to start at the beginning of this story arc.

Having been around the internet quite a few times, visiting many art-related websites, I’ve seen some rather disturbing tendencies that I’d like to comment on today.

My beef is with criticism. I’ve seen too many people posting “constructive” criticism that is anything but. Let me give you an example:

“Hey, your window is broken. You should fix that.”
That is not constructive criticism. Simply adding “you should fix that” or “work harder” at the end of your paragraph does not make it a constructive comment. Here’s another example.

“Hey, your window is broken. You should consider going to this store I know downtown, they’ll fix your window good and they don’t charge much.”
You see how that work? Any idiot can point out a broken window, constructive criticism is supposed to offer ways of fixing it.
Also, I’m being metaphorical, it’s not just for windows, it’s for art, too.

So here’s a tip for all you critics: Don’t point out what’s wrong. Instead, point out how problems could best be handled. This brings me to my second point: Know-it-all-ism.

Now, I don’t pretend to know-it-all. When I’m wrong, I’d rather someone tell me. I’m sure everyone who’s been around any art site (deviantart, youtube…) has seen a critic like this. The kind of guy who’ll go:
“This is clearly not how a tree is supposed to be drawn. The branches are all wrong and leaves don’t fall until autumn. You need to learn how to draw trees better.”
Guess what? There’s nothing constructive about that comment. That is a destructive comment, it’s only purpose is to point out what’s wrong. A constructive comment would include actual ways of fixing the problem beyond “Work harder.” Also, personal preferences should be mentioned as such instead of being stated as an obvious truth. “No one draw eyes like that anymore, it’s a dead technique.” should read “I’m not a fan of eyes drawn that way, seems like an older style to me, but if it works for you, that’s fine.”

So that was my constructive criticism on criticism. To recap:
- Adopt suspension of disbelief and look/read with an open mind. Consider the artist’s intent and personal style.
- Personal tastes should be pointed out as such instead of being stated as absolutes.
- Never point out a problem unless you have a tangible solution beyond “try again, only harder.”
- When putting together a solution, make sure it fits with the artist’s style. Saying “make it more realistic” to someone who likes drawing powerpuff-girl-style cartoons is not going to help.
-Remember that this sort of criticism applies to all forms of creativity. From art to writing to film and more.

I think I’m done ranting for now. Comments?

Click here to start at the beginning of this story arc.

Well, for those of you who haven’t noticed yet, the character bios section has been updated and is now nearly complete. Be sure to go over and check it out, lots of useful information there.

I’ll have a more elaborate post once my brain gets sleep. See you later!

• Botched, a 2007 horror-comedy about a thief who ends up on a floor controlled by a mysterious psycho killer;
• Zombie, a seriously scary Italian film about zombies taking over the world;
• The Last Winter, a rather mediocre psycho-thriller;
• Black Sheep, a film about zombie sheep (Frank and his friends seem to have a thing about zombies. Is that a Canadian thing?);
• Dog Soldiers, a 2002 film where werewolves attack a military training camp; and
• Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, an interview with a serial killer.

None of them were seriously scary, though. My favorite was Black Sheep, because sheep are cute even when they’re eating people’s livers. :D

I’ve also started reading A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony. It’s my first Anthony novel and I’m liking it so far. Frank seems to be reading various comics these days; I’ll let him blog about that.

We’ve finally decided to step up the marketing, which explains the little Vote buttons you see on the sidebar. So if you think we rock and you want us to rule the internets, just click on any of ‘em or leave a comment. :)

Click here to start at the beginning of this story arc.

Click here to start at the beginning of this story arc.

So Frank and I are finally together, and we’ve just finished the first comic we did in the same time zone. We’re still getting used to working side by side, but save for the overwhelming urge to poke him every five minutes, everything’s going well. :)

I don’t have much else to say, so I leave you with a picture of fried eggplants because they’re the coosiest food on the planet.

Click here to start at the beginning of this story arc.

Click here to start at the beginning of this story arc.