Surviving The Critique

A critique is all about constructive criticism. In the classroom, students need to respect others work, and realize that not everyone will like certain pieces. It is important to be able to see the strong aspects of a piece of work, as well as aspects of a piece a student can work on. In other words, a comment like this is valuable: "Although your brushstrokes are strong and really develop a sense of personal style be careful to define the edges of the pear so that it pops our from the background" instead of "the pear sucks, paint over it with a better one." Another important part of a critique is to lean from mistakes. If a teacher, or a critique does not like a piece of work, getting defensive is not the right thing to do. Take advantage of the advise, because more often than not it will help a person become a better artist.

When people critique my work, I listen carefully to people's opinions. Although some may contradict, it is valuable to understand where everyone's opinion comes from, and then choose which advise is best to improve my piece of work.

I can be a helpful participant in my classmates critique by not giving vague advice, or avoid giving good advise by saying its overall a good piece. I would highlight the good aspects of a piece, as well as suggest a few places that might need improvement.