On critique

[bladespark]

I have had several people now imply that I can't handle hearing anybody say anything but happy-fuzzy compliments of my fursuit work.

I am going to explain why I get annoyed, upset, and pissed-off when I get public crits of my fursuits.

It goes like this: Fursuit making is how I pay the bills. It is my job. I have no fall back, no day job, no other source of income at all. So when I post my fursuits to a public community do you know why I'm doing it? It's NOT to improve my fursuiting work. I do that in other ways. (And yes, I am always trying to improve, I know I'm not perfect yet.) I am posting because I want more customers, so that I can pay the rent. So when there's a negative comment, especially when it's the very first comment there, it completely undermines what I'm trying to do, which is trying to sell the suit. I want everybody to see only good things, so that they will want one like it, and will give me money so I can afford to live.

This is not insecurity. This is trying to make a freaking living.

Also, probably 90% of the so-called critique I get is from people who are less experienced than I am and don't know what the flip they're talking about, or is simply a matter of style and taste. I go out of my way to NOT have my work look like anybody else's, so getting crits based on how other fursuiters choose to do things is worse than useless. Nobody ever gives me technical critiques that would actually be useful, it's all "You should use plastic bowl eyes" "You should have bigger noses" "You should use fur instead of wigs" Yadda, yadda, yadda. None of that helps my improve my abilities, if I took that advice I'd be different, but not better. Switching stylistic stuff like that just means that I'd look like every Latin Vixen wannabe out there. Screw that.

Comments

[gas-mask-dragon.livejournal.com]

I think constructive criticism is always a good thing, but I do understand if you need to make a living off of your stuff.

Either way, no one should leave just asshole-ish comments. Only constructive criticism if anything. But I don't like how people are like "OMG! It's not LV style it suxxors!"

I personally like how there's differences in fursuit style thank you, if everything under the sun is the same style, (even if it sucks), than it's just boring. I like a bit of variety thank you..

[end-rant]

sorry... ^^()

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. Latin Vixen does lovely work, but with everybody imitating her, it gets boring fast. (And heck, SHE imitated Scribblefox, so it's not like her stuff was original either.)

[gas-mask-dragon.livejournal.com]

Frikkin A! Before I forget again! Are you going to be bringing any of your Loonakits to FC?

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Hadn't planned on it. I don't have a booth this year, so I'm not selling. Thought I'd actually attend the con for once. :)

[gas-mask-dragon.livejournal.com]

Understandable. ;)

O_O

[aazhie.livejournal.com]

dude! totally need to stalk you! lol, jk. hope you enjoy! are you going to wear any suits?

Re: O_O

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Yep, I should have my calico finished, and if all goes well I'll have some purple deer hooves to just wear around without a head or anything too.

Re: O_O

[aazhie.livejournal.com]

*bounce!* yay! i will be amused, hope i can run into ya! my badge name is aazhie. Will try not to be stupid and awkward, but i may need a calico hug.

[tk-creations.livejournal.com]

That'd piss me off too
It'd be like telling an artist "well, instead of doing your eyes like this, you should do anime eyes! & her hair shouldn't be in a ponytail, but it should hang down her back. & be purple instead of brown"
Who does that? Seriously.

style crits SUCK

[aazhie.livejournal.com]

asking an artist to draw a certain style isn't unforgiveable if you are commissioning them, assuming you haven't completely misjudged their willingness to imitate other styles and think they can reasonably do it. but telling them that as a "critique" is kind of dumb....

Re: style crits SUCK

[tk-creations.livejournal.com]

I had a guy who always used to commission me & then tell me to draw in the style of a different artist.

I eventually told him to get bent. It was annoying, if you're going to commission an artist, then ask them to draw in a style that's different from what they normally do in order to imitate someone else, then you should just be commissioning the artist that you want the person to imitate

(I really hope that made sense)

Re: style crits SUCK

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Made sense to me. I've had that happen before, and it really is annoying.

Re: style crits SUCK

[aazhie.livejournal.com]

yeah it made sense. :D for the most part i agree!

To a limited extent i enjoy commissions that give me a challange of sort of imitating a style, but i want to artistic liscence to do my own thing. I have never commisioned an artist whose style i didn't like, because that's a waste of both our time and my money!
In all seriousness, if you want a goldenwolf drawing, you need to find someone who normally draws in her type of style, or better yet, HER!

That guy sounds like a dipshit....

Re: style crits SUCK

[tk-creations.livejournal.com]

yeah, he was.
I remember once he commissioned a doberman. He sent me a photograph, to use as reference for the markings, & I coloured his commission (I work in traditional media - this becomes important in a minute)
When I showed him the finished commission, he told me that it wasn't at all what he wanted, because he wanted the doberman mostly black, except for a couple spots (paws & eyebrows if I remember correctly). Except that the reference picture looked nothing like what he actually wanted, & there was no way in hell I'd re-do the whole picture just because he was a dipshit

[jtbeckett.livejournal.com]

IM'd ya.

[svashtar.livejournal.com]

Rather than get defensive, just tell these people, "Duly noted. Thank you." and leave it at that. What would hurt your potential business is if you get into a pissing match with the one who was giving you criticism in the first place, which I've seen you do.

Just an observation, mind you. But it does tend to stick in the mind.

Plus this is the interwebz. When you post stuff to a public forum, people are always going to jump in with opinions, criticisms, and praise. You just have to roll with it. If you don't want the comments, just disable them.

If you don't like the comment, don't respond to it.

Truth be told, when I see a fursuit post by anyone, I don't usually notice the people who make the constructive criticism comments so much as the arguments that inevitably ensue.

As an artist, I know I need to improve on this or that. When I post a piece of artwork to my own LJ, I don't mind if someone tells me they don't like something about the picture, as long as they let me know what they don't like. I don't even care if they don't know how to fix it. It's nice to get feedback, good and bad.

Potential customers aren't going to care if someone pipes up and says "that nose is too small". They will look at the picture and form their own opinion. If they think the nose is fine and like your work, you'll get their business. If they don't like the nose, they may still give you business but insist that you make the nose differently.

It's all good.

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

People are sheep.

In the places where I posted this same thing, every single one of them had comments about how people LIKED that nose, except the ONE place where the first comment was negative about it. People's attitudes about this kind of thing are shaped by what others say.

Maybe YOU don't care, but some of my potential customers ARE sheep, and WILL change their opinion when somebody else puts in a negative comment.

[svashtar.livejournal.com]

Then disable comments. Or don't post in the area where you know you won't get all sparkles and rainbows from people.

I don't know what else to tell you.

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

You seem to think I want advice.

[svashtar.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess I won't comment on your journal then. Anything I say can be misconstrued as advice. Part of posting is sometimes people will give unsolicited advice, especially when you come out and ask why people say the things they do.

Tell you what, I'll just look at what you post and then not say anything. Sound okay?

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

Do you see me asking "why" anywhere up there?

And I'm not misconstruing anything, you were telling me what to do. This is called "advice."

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

You know, "you won't get all sparkles and rainbows" is rather ironic, considering the actual topic of this post. You really don't seem to have understood what I was actually saying. In fact, your comments about my asking "why" rather suggest you didn't even read the content of the post, since the post is not about wondering why, it's about explaining why.

lol

[aazhie.livejournal.com]

I try to not comment when someone has a piece for sale unless they specifically ask for advice. if they think it is good enough to sell, unless i want to buy it and have them modify it, WHY does my commentary help? unless it is so godawful that they need a slap upside the head, there is little reason to bother. If i like some aspect, then i will say it, if i don't, it's better to not say anything. I have wasted my time on enough people's style preferences that it really doesn't matter anymore. Now i try to only comment to help or let someone know they did a good job.


and yeah, i try to not allow myself to be influenced by previous comments, but it happens. people can be really stupid about things like this, and at the very least, sometimes a nice person will post after idiot 1st post and people will sometimes give one a break... :P


I don't recall- do you usually ask for no critiques when you post pics? if so, sorry if i missed that anywhere. Lately your stuff seems to be getting good reviews, but that may be my own bias because i think it's well done.

Re: lol

[bladespark.livejournal.com]

I haven't specifically asked for no crtiques, no. Considering the way I get sneered at over this, I suspect it wouldn't go over well in most of the fursuit communities.

Re: lol

[aazhie.livejournal.com]

oh yeah, i guess that might be kind of bad, hmm? I didn't even think of that... :P people=lame