Opinion on unsolicited critiques?

[MARNSOA]

Do y'all generally look down on unsolicited advice/critiques? Or do you find them helpful? What do you guys think about them?

I feel like I may be may be super sensitive, but??? I always find them condescending (unless they're on, like, a public comment section), even if they're helpful or true. I'm not sure why. Lots of times I will post a piece of art and someone will actually DM me a critique and it just feels super odd/disingenuous. It's the same thing with friends. If I show you a piece of art I tell you I'm proud of I really don't want to know that the eyes are lopsided tbh

[thetalentedmrwulf]

If I post something and it has open comments, critiques there are fine. Off-site critique articles are totally cool.

DMs? Nah, unless I already know you, and/or you're calling me out rightfully for making insensitive mistakes/choices. Actual writing critiques being flung at me through DMs feels somewhere between someone "negging" someone they're trying to pickup at a bar, and someone just wanting to flex how much better they are than the person they're messaging under the guise of "helping." It always feels super gross.

[FafasMcMelt]

No one likes that, but still take a look at what they say. I'm not saying people are on their right to DM you about this, it's kinda weird to be honest, but since they went out of their way to be an ass, at least take a look at the "critique" you might learn something from it (or they might just be conjuring "mistakes" to feel better about themselves, anyway you'll be able to tell if that's the case).
And about being critiqued on something you're proud of, I'll have to disagree with you there. If there is some major mistake in my own work, specially something I'm proud of, I prefer to learn of it than be blissfully ignorant. How else am I to improve?

[MARNSOA]

You think?? We have totally different approaches, and that's super interesting.

I would much rather be blissfully ignorant unless I ask for critiques/help, tbh. Now that I'm an old man, think I would rather get a story out than make it look perfect. It's 1000% not that I can't see mistakes, but that I don't want to know other people see them/I can't swallow my pride enough to be okay with them

[VibrantFox]

Unless I've specifically asked for critiques or said that I'm open to them it's not so much a problem but something I'm likely to disregard unless what's being pointed out is like actually useful info.

I've seen most folks consider it to be rude or taboo to give unsolicited critique unless asked for and I'm in that group. Which isn't to say that I'll never take any but like if i'm just chilling drawing someone coming in and pointing out every flaw or error is gonna be demotivating so i'd prefer to keep it limited to when i'm personally seeking it out

[bluejamtoast]

Context, execution and who is giving it matter for me

Regarding critique on execution I appreciate the objective critiques, eg like pointing out spelling mistakes, or you've messed up the reflection in the mirror or the hat that character was wearing magically disappeared in that panel etc. I encourage that sort of feedback

Regarding critique on the content of my webtoon (plot, chara etc) I'm generally not receptive at all to strangers critique. If I know you hate slow burn stories and I'm intentionally writing one obviously I won't value your critique on a pace. So I don't really value unsolicited critique/reviews from people I don't know, since I feel this is more subjective and they might not have the same vision/taste as I do. For that same reason I never give unsolicited advice

I have a small peer group composed of my target market who do NOT hold back lol; their opinions carry way more weight than a stranger plus they have much more information to pass judgement. Also since they know me they can absolutely roast my stuff without hurting my feels, I can't tell the intent of an anonymous comment on the internet

[pilot-obvious]

To be honest, I'm pretty indifferent. I feel like if I post something in a public space, anybody has permission to comment whatever they want, whether it's positive or negative, constructive or insulting. Do I like it when people say mean things for no reason? No, not at all. It's just something I expect/anticipate when I post stuff online and I recognize my personal power to take it to heart or not. I've tried to train myself not to take these things personally. I don't love it but I don't hate it.

Most of the time, I take anything negative with a grain of salt. One person expressing that they don't like my work doesn't make my webcomic bad. Sometimes people give really helpful advice and give me a fresh perspective that I wouldn't see otherwise.

If they DM me, admittedly that's a little weird because they took a conversation into a private space. I usually ignore most DMs unless I'm somewhat familiar with the person because I just don't want to talk to strangers. If you think sharing your thoughts publicly would get you backlash, should you really be sending it privately to the recipient? Probably not?

I recognize how taboo unsolicited critique is and that most people don't like it so I try to never give it unless someone asks for it. Then I'm happy to help!

[vothnthorvaldson]

I like them and am very disappointed that they are so frowned upon.

I think it is unfortunately a vicious circle: because they are frowned upon, it's mostly rude if not injurious people who still make some, so it's (understandably) being even more frowned upon, etc.

Now I understand the reasons of people who don't want them; I just wished it was not so taboo that it is almost impossible to get any critique even vaguely solicited (for eg. If one says they are open to critique, this is often not enough. I only manage to get some by explicitly asking in dedicated threads (which sometimes even get derailed by anti-negativity people...).).

Truthful (and, at my stage, often harsh) critique is my main way toward improvement. I'll take solicited and unsolicited all the same, as long as I get SOMEthing

Now even if I like it, I do see some annoyances that are coming with the unsolicited kind. For eg. I am fully aware of my horrid anatomy, and I'm workimg on it, so I would notify people I already know about the problem, in case of a solicited critique. An unsolicited one pointing out only my anatomy issues would be useless unless it gives new ideas for studying it, but whatever. Another one pointing anatomy AND something else that I was not aware of will be received as a nice present!

Also, I did the DM thing before learning it was a no no in the art community, and that was actually to avoid embarassing the person in public in case they were not comfortable with receiving the critique. I now use it more carefully, but that means less communication altogether as I have difficulties with social politeness if it is not exactly my feelings.

[Legendofgenii]

I'm the same. I need praise and positive reinforcement. Like a puppy.

[FafasMcMelt]

Don't get me wrong, I don't like 'em either
The thing for me is: even if someone critiques only to belittle me, provided they can articulate what the problem is, I find there is, more often than not, some true to what they say.

When I do get insulted I get angry too. It's after I take a second look that I see if it has any merit

[Jenny-Toons]

I kinda already covered this in another post I did:

It also depends on what level the creator is at. Everyone is always improving, no matter the experience. But where you get that advice from becomes more closed off as you gain experience. If you're a newer creator, it probably helps to see advice from multiple places (such as the forums). For them, getting feedback in the comments (actually good feedback, mind I add) could be beneficial. But a veteran most likely doesn't need that. They already know how to improve. They have mastered the a…

TLDR: The more experience I've gotten, the less likely I refer to open feedback and stick mostly to those I know can offer good feedback (mostly because they've offered feedback that helped improved me in the past or they enjoy content similar to mine). Can't really stop people from giving feedback, but at that point, most of it gets ignored because...well, I already know who I can go to for help.

Granted, not everyone thinks like this. Some experienced artists don't do this (and choose not to). But that's my process. It's really a matter of credibility for me:

Will it help improve my story?
Does it work to understand my story's purpose and still appeal to my audience?
Is it advice most people in my target audience agree on?

I prefer not to sift through open feedback to find good advice when I already got a network for that.

[thetalentedmrwulf]

I went rummaging through some old books of mine looking for a particular pair of quotes to make sure I had them right because I feel like they're very applicable here. Both are from Neil Gaiman.

Quote the first:

“I suspect that most authors don't really want criticism, not even constructive criticism. They want straight-out, unabashed, unashamed, fulsome, informed, naked praise, arriving by the shipload every fifteen minutes or so.”
- Neil Gaiman

and quote the second:

“Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.”
- Neil Gaiman

I have to agree with @Jenny-Toons on the general idea that the best actual advice on how to resolve a problem with writing will come from other writers and editors and so on in your network. Comment sections are like WebMD - they might be helpful regarding diagnosis, but you ought to see a doctor to figure out a cure.

Which is why unsolicited DMs are the only part that REALLY bothers me. Those presume a familiarity with me that I'm not okay with. It's like having a stranger walk up to me on the street, get in real close, and whisper advice on how to lose weight or whether or not my clothes look good.

[BreakingChalk]

DM are weird for a critique, but really depends on the way it's delivered.
Just as I've received DM's from people telling me they like where the story is going, I could too accept DM's of those who don't, as long as it isn't something immature like "lol, ur pp smol" just to put an example, LOL.

[marbl]

Getting unsolicited DM's weird me out in general, but getting critiqued in them are on a whole new level of weird lol, but if they were actually constructive or helpful, I welcome those. If those critiques were condescending or offensive in any way, they mean less to me. I think the way people handle these situations are completely up to them.

[wekanian]

Ugh I generally would not like unsolicited critiques. But, if they word it in a way I don’t find it condescending, I usually take what they say into consideration.

[Puck]

I love critique when I ask for it, I can take it and I say thank you to everyone, I accept critique from amateurs the same
like from pros. Not everyone can do that, some people ask for critique and are insulted by it.

Unsolicited critique on finished artwork on the other hand is like an attack. Once the art is finished then you
have to accept that this is the vision of the artist and it´s done, doesn´t matter what your intentions are.
Some people redraw people´s artwork, I don´t have the right words to describe how angry I am about that

[Scarlet_Cryptid]

Yeah, I've never appreciated critique on finished works either. I mean... it's done. What do you want the artist to do about it? Maybe digital artists could fix small things like repositioning an eye or something, but larger things, like 'hey, the perspective of this cityscape is off' are just... you can't fix that, that's a re-draw. And I'm not even a digital artist. I'm using ink! Once it's down, it's down! So pointing out 'hey, that character's head is too big' is just.... well, what do you want me to do about it?

The most useful form of critique, at least for me, is if someone points out a thing I have a tendency to do, across multiple images. Like, if I habitually make a character's head too big, and it doesn't seem to be a deliberate style choice. That bit of feedback could be useful for future artworks, even if it comes too late to help this one. Of course, this assumes that the viewer is familiar enough with my artwork that this is something they've noticed over time, and most people aren't that committed.

[oOafterburnerOo]

It's like a complete stranger walking up to you on the street and critiquing your outfit.
Not cool.
A certain type of person thinks their random opinion is a blessing to you, IRL or on the internet.
That type of person is not a cool person. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

[MARNSOA]

Oh yes!! The tendency thing is a super good point, actually. It's a lot more helpful to point out a trend than it is to point out a singular mistake because you're bound to make at least one in every piece of art you make. Had this type of advice given to me several times and it's always super helpful, esp if what you're doing has become a habit. Then you don't think about it at all until someone points it out to you

The traditional thing is a huge deal too! It always irked me when people thumbed through my sketchbooks and let me know something looked off. Like,,, lemmie whip out my white out?? I can't change it, and I don't really want to after I've finished, finished something

[UrMom]

Eh I used to get upset when I was a teen, but have long stopped being bothered by it. People are going to criticize you on every aspect of yourself, from your work ethic, to your appearance and behavior, or just... everything, really, getting unsolicited critique on drawings or a story is one of the least upsetting thing in that category you can experience. I go by the mindset that if they're not insulting you as a person, then you shouldn't have anything to be upset about. Drawings, text, they don't feel anything, they're not alive and it's a waste of energy to get offended for them. That being said I do think the critic (Assuming they're doing a proper critique, and care about that person's work.) should gauge the artist's threshold, and ask if it's alright to give their point of view.

Overall the nice thing about getting critique on the internet is you can just ignore it. Say "okay, thanks!", then move on if you don't like it, or don't say anything. Also it doesn't hurt to consider a critique, but you don't always have to apply it. I've gotten a lot of well meaning critique over the years, but many of them would have changed my comic's story entirely if I had applied them, so I filter out the feedback that can make what I'm already doing better.