1. The first and most important rule for this community is participation. Yes, not everyone can be on every single day, and not everyone can check on every single update. However, it is expected of you to participate consistently, and there will be people checking to see if you’re doing your part. Failure to actively participate will result in the temporary suspension of your guest posting privileges. This can be earned back with regular participation, or as decided by a moderator in special circumstances. You’re not even required to check on anything not in your category. If you’re signed up as an artist, you are not obligated to critique on a wallpaper. It’d be nice if you did, but you don’t have to. If you want a number crunch, you only have to critique maybe 1 out of every 5 updates. That’s not a lot. This is a minimum requirement, but if you go above and beyond, don’t think it won’t go unnoticed. Members who go beyond the call of duty will be awarded a featured spot on the homepage.
2. The second rule is more like a guideline. Give critiques that are in good taste. Now, everyone has their own way of giving constructive criticism, but there certain essential parts. When giving a critique, you can’t just say what parts you liked or what parts you didn’t like. You have to say both. Critiquing is not just pointing out what’s wrong, it’s also pointing out what’s right. Continuing on the point, you can’t just say what’s wrong and leave it at that. Give suggestions on how to fix the problem or maybe what the artist could do as an alternative next time.
Example of a bad critique-
“u suck at watercolors the colors blend together too much.”
First of all, no one’s gonna take you seriously if you don’t even care enough to type out the word ‘you’. Secondly, never ever tell someone they suck. No one sucks. They just need improvement. Remember when you were in elementary and you got O’s for Outstanding and such instead of A’s and B’s? Notice how they gave you N’s for needs improvement instead of an F for failing? Exactly. And most importantly, you offered no solutions as to how to fix the problem, and neither did you say anything about the good parts of the drawing.
An alternative, good example-
“I really like the composition in this piece, especially how the light reflects in the eyes, making them sparkle almost.
One thing that seems a bit off is that your colors are all running together, and the features are all blurred. There are times when this can work, but I think in this drawing, it would’ve worked better to have more distinguished features. Maybe next time add a little less water.”
Details, details.
On the note of critiquing, as a more rule kind of rule, please give your critique on the actual work. It's always nice to have a lot of comments on the work itself, and who knows, you might inspire someone else to give a critique as well!
3. This next rule is again not so much a rule as a guideline. In regards to how to make your post when requesting a critique –
- The title of the post would have the words Art/Literature/Wallpaper/etc Critique Request, so people who only want to give critiques on their category don’t have to unnecessarily check the update.
- In the actual post, give a little introduction of yourself; say who you are, the title of the piece, etc. Then post the thumbnail of your submitted work, or a link in the case of Literature.
- Finally, give a description of the piece. For example, tell us what materials you used, what your piece is about, and so on. Also request critique on specific things, if you wish. Click here for an example.
Remember, you can also post Works-In-Progress, in which case you can just link to your image on image hosting websites such as tinypic, or just embed the image.
4. The last rule (the word rule being used very loosely) is to be prepared for criticism. It sounds like a no brainer, but a lot of people can’t handle criticism, and they get all defensive or say something along the lines of, “I was rushing!” or “I wanted it to be that way”. People are taking the time and come comment on the work that you requested critiques on, so take it with the mindset that everything said is said with good intentions and a good heart. Be prepared for some harsh criticism.
On that note, Critics United has a three strike policy. Break the rules twice and you’ll have a chance to redeem yourself, but the third time will have you removed. Among the things that could get you in trouble is-
- Giving critiques in bad taste as determined by a moderator
- Responding to a critique in bad taste as determined by a moderator
- Harassing fellow members
And again, stemming from the last two on the list, there will be a lot of stuff that falls to moderators. Being a moderator does not make a person perfect, so if something happens that you think is unfair, please don’t start a flame war. Take your issues directly to kisskiss-bangbang, and it’ll be sorted from there.
5. One last thing in more of a heads up kind of way, if you ever happen to change your username, remember to notify a moderator immediately so we can modify the list.
That’s about all, and just because it looks long, it doesn’t mean there are a whole lot of rules to follow. Basically, just trust your judgment; it’s all just common sense, really.
Remember, this is all along with theOtaku’s rules, such as keep it PG-13, and the general don’t-be-an-ass rule.
So have fun!
