That one comment on my color palette still sticks with me

I posted a digital landscape piece on ArtStation back in March and someone named Ravi just commented "your shadows are all the same saturation." At first I was annoyed, but I looked closer and he was totally right. I spent the next two days just studying how light changes color in shadows and it completely changed my work. Has anyone else had a random stranger's critique end up being the best advice they ever got?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_faith29d ago

Huh, that's exactly the kind of thing that can either kill your confidence or make you a better artist. But here's what I'm wondering - how do you tell the difference between a useful critique and someone just being a jerk? Because that line can be so thin sometimes. Was it purely the fact that he was right that made it stick, or was there something about how he said it that made you actually listen instead of just getting defensive? I feel like that's the real trick, knowing when to let a comment dig in and when to let it slide off.

terry129d ago

Thin line? More like a tightrope over a pit of angry bees. Best way to tell is if they're offering a fix or just pointing out a problem. Some jerk will say "that sucks" and walk away. A useful person says "that part's weak, here's why." Had a guy tell me my wiring looked like "a drunk spider did it." Rude. But he showed me a better way to run conduit. So yeah, he was a jerk and right at the same time. Still felt like an ass though.