How to Give Proper Critique

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How to Give Proper Critique; Ironic, huh?
Topic Started: Sep 22 2007, 04:12 PM (277 Views)
Kameshugener	Sep 22 2007, 04:12 PM Post #1
Shop and Drop: Your #1 source of suicide since 2008. Posts: 1,597 Group: Member + Member #1,045 Joined: April 30, 2007	I'd like a mod to sticky this if possible. [size=7]~[/size]KAMIKO'S PROPER CRITIQUE THREAD~ Step One: Big Issues The largest issue I see nowadays is the lack of constructive criticism. Now, what is constructive crit? Well, look up 'pokemon splices' on YouTube. Regardless of how horrible the sprites are, most of the YouNoobs are going to say "10/10 u rox!!" No. Just no. This is the worst critique you can ever give. It is so noobish that it is luckily contained only on YouTube, where most of the pixel-artists there are absolute noobs. On occasion, you'll find an average spriter (CanisAlpa and supertanooki are good examples of this.) that actually can do the stuff described in a beginner's tutorial. (In CanisAlpa's case, an expert tutorial.) They are also given this critique. But how could the noobs say such things!? For one thing, the best spriters there (SpritingGuides, MM, the previously mentioned CanisAlpa) are usually unlikely to have their sprites saw. Thus, the people at YouTube, who usually are not at serious spriting forums like here or C Spriting have little to compare to. Thus, they only have JPEGed, default colored, C/P mixes to see. But I'm getting off the topic. The critique that defines the best from the rest is constructive. For example, saying what the sprites are good in, what they need improvement on, and helpful tips. If I see that on YouTube, I'm going to burp the whole Constitution. If you can't contain this, just refrain from number ratings, which differ from one person to another. For some people, 10/10 could be one of the sprites on YouTube (let's hope not) or it could be a flawless thing from Shed's gallery. Also, no sprites are perfect, so don't say that. Step Two: When Receiving Crit Now, you think that your work is the best thing on earth, that no one could beat it in quality. Then, when you post it, you see someone tell you your sprite has several problems. How do you react? Well, sometimes, if you're a noob, you'll say something like this: "shut up u hav no experience so stfu" Often, most of the good critiquers have great pixel-art skills. As such, don't say this. It's warn-worthy in some cases, and also rude. Saying that basically tells that you're a person who will ignore what other people say, being the nasty king of a huge nation who will be too busy staring in the mirror to see his peasants. Let's take this example: Quote: RESPECTED MEMBER: The sprite has too much dithering. Also, the name is cliche. Everybody names their fakemon Randomname. The anatomy needs work, too. Quote: NOOB THAT DESERVES TO BE BANNED: wtf stfu and go away ur just jealous that im so good!! Now, I think that this would be much more logical: Quote: ROLE MODEL: Well, it's supposed to be like sandpaper. It's purposely shaded that way to give it a rougher look. Also, the name doesn't have many choices, going with the evo-chain pattern. Thanks for the crit, man! I will once again belch the Constitution if I see this. Take crit positively, and you'll be OK. ^-^ Step Three: Common Flaws Are you having trouble thinking of things the sprite you're rating has problems with? Here are some good things you can point out: Anatomy. This is the sprite's pose. If it looks like rubber or is non-realistically posed, it has bad anatomy. Anatomy makes the sprite look cooler. It's difficult to change though. An example of a problem with this is Charizard's DP sprite. One person said he looked anorexic. This is bad anatomy at work. Coloring. Example? The colors on sprites are sometimes a tint too bright. Sure, you can use custom colors, but make sure they aren't insane. An example would be a black Misdreavus with pink jewels. Misdreavus is blue-green to dark-aquamarine. This includes patterns on your sprite. Shading. Big category. Your sprite needs shading. It has to reflect the surface. It has to be notable. It's pretty difficult, and there aren't too many teachers in that category. Overusage of dithering, too much or too little shading, etcetra are important. Originality. C'mon, who hasn't used Diglett as a base? Originality is important with Fakemon, especially evolutions. Those are common. But, on occasion, you'll see a sprite that has a rare flaw. For example, when Shed first showcased Scykrow, someone noticed the wing was cut off by a few pixels. Finding flaws not listed here can help your sprite look better. Step Four: Examples I'd like to say that this community has a lot of constructive critters. So you probably won't need this section. But just in case... I'll use Scillade for an example. Posted Image There are five kinds of crit. They are, in order: UNUB LOL, Poor, Okay, Over the Norm, and Vegeta. More commonly referred to as Horrible, Poor, Normal, Above Average, and Brilliant (I'm not sure what the official term is). Let's see these people in action! Quote: UNOOB LOL: OMFG THAT SPIRTZ TEH PWN!11!1!! U ROX 1000000/10!1!! shoots the UNOOB LOL Quote: Poor: It's good. shoots the Poor Quote: Okay: It's decent, but has a couple of flaws in shading. invites to dinner Quote: Over the Norm: There are several mistakes in the shading, especially on the scythes. It's not the best sprite of seen, but it's OK. invites to stay at my house for a while Quote: Vegeta: Alright, let's state the obvious. The scythe on top is copy-flipped, thus making the shading kinda wonky. Maybe you should try scratching it into a more comfortable pose, as it appears to be an emo attempting to cut himself. Maybe it should be like this: insert bluelines here I also noted that you like splicing stuff with Scizor that way. Try using it as a sub for once. Vegeta out. HIS CRITIQUE LEVEL IS OVER NIIIIINE THOUSAND! I suggest you aim for Over the Norm. Going for Vegeta right away may cause in inadequate crit. The Last Step: Closing I really think that the level of critique is lowering. Serebii Forums and YouTube prove to be noob Hogwarts where most people are Slytherin. That's why I went out of my way to make this. I just want to improve the level of critique on this forum. Vegeta-ishly yours, Kah Mee Koh.



Neurogenesis	Sep 22 2007, 04:38 PM Post #2
say nothing and i wont kill you Posts: 1,858 Group: Veterans Member #1,106 Joined: August 3, 2007	._. Shouldn't this go in Tutorials?



Quate	Sep 22 2007, 04:48 PM Post #3
RUN HE IS BESIDE YOU Posts: 1,957 Group: Member + Member #578 Joined: February 18, 2006	No, when people go to rate sprites they'll see this. Tutorials is for spriting. :]



Neurogenesis	Sep 22 2007, 05:02 PM Post #4
say nothing and i wont kill you Posts: 1,858 Group: Veterans Member #1,106 Joined: August 3, 2007	Ah. My bad.



LandShark	Sep 22 2007, 05:09 PM Post #5
Forum Teenager Posts: 402 Group: Spriter Member #953 Joined: January 2, 2007	http://bringbackart.deviantart.com/art/Dev...ponses-56737953 saves you the trouble.



Kameshugener	Sep 22 2007, 06:09 PM Post #6
Shop and Drop: Your #1 source of suicide since 2008. Posts: 1,597 Group: Member + Member #1,045 Joined: April 30, 2007	Meh, I'm still making it. It just seems right.



Kameshugener	Sep 23 2007, 03:52 PM Post #7
Shop and Drop: Your #1 source of suicide since 2008. Posts: 1,597 Group: Member + Member #1,045 Joined: April 30, 2007	Sorry for the DP, but section two is up.



Quate	Sep 23 2007, 04:17 PM Post #8
RUN HE IS BESIDE YOU Posts: 1,957 Group: Member + Member #578 Joined: February 18, 2006	Leave Bush out of this, please. ;]



Neurogenesis	Sep 23 2007, 05:46 PM Post #9
say nothing and i wont kill you Posts: 1,858 Group: Veterans Member #1,106 Joined: August 3, 2007	Lol, Bush reference. Yes, I hate him too. Neewaiz, nice guide so far.



Luke	Sep 23 2007, 06:02 PM Post #10
nope Posts: 1,801 Group: Member + Member #800 Joined: September 6, 2006	Don't bring Bush into this. Although most people would agree, i'm editing it for the sake of peace. And stickied.



Quate	Sep 23 2007, 06:04 PM Post #11
RUN HE IS BESIDE YOU Posts: 1,957 Group: Member + Member #578 Joined: February 18, 2006	There's still some reference you missed, Cinna. There's Dubya Clone. Ctrl+F.



Kameshugener	Oct 6 2007, 10:34 PM Post #12
Shop and Drop: Your #1 source of suicide since 2008. Posts: 1,597 Group: Member + Member #1,045 Joined: April 30, 2007	Finished! Now to CP it to GSeA.


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