Every day (or so it seems!) an artist I’ve never met in my life asks me to look at their work online and give them feedback. Usually I try to explain as kindly as I can that asking strangers to judge your work is not meaningful, for all kinds of reasons.
The fact is everyone has an opinion, but not everyone can provide a useful one.
As artists, we do need feedback. But feedback from whom?
Seeking a high-quality art critique from a reputable source is crucial. However, your artwork is your baby, it’s important to protect it. This is especially true in the early stages of your career when you’re more vulnerable to criticism.
So what should you look for when seeking feedback on your art? Who should you turn to?
In this article, I’ll outline the questions you should be able to answer before you think about asking anyone to look at your work.
What are you looking for in the art critique?
“Hey, look at my website and tell me what you think about my work” is not an appropriate request. What exactly are you looking for when you ask for someone’s feedback?
Do you want to know what they think about your art?
Do you want to know what they think about how you price your art?
Or are you simply asking how to be an artist?
The more specific you can be when asking someone to critique your art, the more helpful your critic will be able to be.
Here are a few examples of specific questions you could ask when someone is critiquing your art.
- How does this piece of art make you feel?
- What do you think about the subject matter?
- Do you have any input on my choice in color?
- Do you think the price point on this piece feels fair?
- Do you know where I can sell my art?
- Does this piece feel finished or do you think I should keep working on it?
- Do you think that the composition in this piece is successful?
- What do you think of the title of this piece?
Sometimes you may not be able to articulate what kind of feedback you need. That’s ok too. If you’re feeling vulnerable about the piece, simply ask “What do you think is working?”
Feedback when properly given should should be encouraging and helpful; however, it can be challenging to assist without unintentionally causing offense.
The most effective kind of feedback provides the original creator with perspective or comprehension of your interpretation of the artwork.
Each image we encounter evokes a response of either appreciation or disapproval because of many different criteria and personal experiences.
How will they see your work?
It’s also worth bearing in mind whether or not the person critiquing your art is looking at your piece in-person or online. It makes a huge difference and depending upon the kind of feedback you are looking for, their insights might be valuable or totally worthless.
So much beauty and detail can go missed when our work is seen only as a jpeg image on a computer screen – or worse, a phone. And if photography isn’t one of your strengths, much of the true vitality in your piece may go unappreciated.
At the heart of the urge to paint or create is a strong desire to express oneself visually, and the unique perspectives of individuals contribute significantly to remarkable artistic expression. However, art cannot be produced in isolation. The responses we receive from others, whether encouraging or critical, are essential to our creative growth.
Understanding what we seek and what we obtain is crucial for making constructive criticism beneficial.
Art cannot be produced in isolation. The input we receive, whether encouraging or critical, contributes to our growth as creators. Understanding the context of our requests and the responses we obtain is essential for transforming constructive criticism into a valuable tool.
Take some time to reflect on what you genuinely seek to achieve from the critique.
This is where self-reflection will come in handy. Many of us put in a great deal of effort. We invest all our skills into each piece of art.
Often, what we desire is not a harsh, and at times seemingly indifferent assessment of our technical shortcomings, but rather an affirmation of our hard work.
Choose your critic wisely
The most valuable form of feedback provides the creator with perspective or comprehension of your interpretation of the artwork. Each image we encounter evokes a response, whether positive or negative, based on specific reasons.
Before you request anyone to give you an art critique, it’s important to find out what their credentials are. Why are you placing value on this particular person’s feedback?
This is especially true online, where there are lots of people posing as art ‘experts’ but who may not have any real-life experience in the art-world. Make sure you understand someone’s level of experience before you place any value in what they have to say about your work.
Once you have found somebody capable of giving you a meaningful art critique, please don’t ask them to do so for free. It’s important to understand that art professionals with degrees, accreditations and decades of experience in the art world are not going to be able to give you any kind of profound art critique when seeing your work via a jpeg on a social media platform.
Artists always bristle when someone asks them to do their work for “good exposure”. The same goes for Artist Coaches and Art-world Experts too. If you send an email asking them to look at your website and give you feedback on your work, what you’re really asking is “Can you do some work for me for free?”
Put yourself in the other person’s shoes for a moment before you hit send.
When artists book one-on-one sessions with me, the feedback I’m sharing is based on a career spent looking at art, studying art, and making art. I’ve spent my whole life preparing the insights I give.
I’m not about to jump on Instagram at the request of someone I don’t even know and tell them how to make their work. I’m not so vain as to think that I can get a full understanding of someone’s artwork from a quick glance at a website. It would be a waste of everyone’s time.
Be clear about what you need from the feedback
Finally, it’s important to be clear about what you need from the feedback. If you’re feeling particularly sensitive about your piece, for the love of Da Vinci tell the person who is critiquing your art!
No-one is a mind reader and they can’t know to be careful with the language they use or the comments they make unless you tell them. The quality of the feedback you receive will be much higher if you can guide the person critiquing your art.
Similarly, if you feel completely separate from the piece and have no problem throwing it in the trash and starting again if need be, let the person know they can be brutally honest with their feedback.
Or perhaps you know something is definitely wrong with the lighting or the composition but you can’t place your finger on what it is? That’s extremely helpful to let your critic know about. That way they’ll be able to look at the piece through that particular lens.
Artists who are open to and can effectively incorporate constructive criticism will ultimately improve their craft. This process of learning can foster artistic progress and evolution. Clients, art directors, and colleagues should also understand how to give valuable feedback, as it will better support the objectives of their projects.
Get ready to confront the reality
Showcasing unfinished projects can be intimidating. Creatives need to be receptive to critique, while reviewers should provide their insights thoughtfully and with care.
If someone is offering creative feedback on your art, music or painting and there’s something about it that bothers them, or they simply don’t like it, don’t be offended – just listen! It’s essential not to take criticism personally when getting feedback from others. Ultimately, they’re just trying to give you advice
A common anxiety many face after presenting their work is the lack of response from the audience. Yet, it’s important to remember that understanding art can be challenging, and individuals often require time to absorb and reflect on what they are observing. Why not inform the audience that you are allowing them 2 minutes for this purpose? Following that, you could provide an additional minute for them to jot down their immediate impressions or discuss their initial feelings in small groups before sharing their thoughts with the larger audience.
It’s important to explain how you believe their input could be valuable to you. For instance, are you uncertain about the painting’s direction? Do you feel they might provide a helpful suggestion?
Keep in mind that individuals have commitments beyond art, so responding to your request may not be their top priority.
If someone doesn’t reply, refrain from being insistent or bothering them. Allow them some time to respond.
Make sure to wait a sensible period before reaching out again.
Critiquing Art: Best Practices
It’s not always essential to gather or share feedback in a public setting.
If it’s a critique that you can handle privately, a question you’ve already addressed, or something that isn’t suitable for public discussion, use your judgment.
However, keep in mind that if you’re seeking feedback on enhancing your audience’s experience, be ready to implement changes to address their feedback.
Even a genuine “Thank you” can be enough.
So to recap; when looking for someone to give you meaningful feedback on your artwork, understand these key things:
- Be as specific as possible when you request feedback
- Make sure the person you’re asking has good credentials
- Don’t ask professionals to critique your art for free
- If you’re feeling particularly vulnerable, let the critic know in advance
Your chosen art critic needs to know who you are, what you do, how you do it, and why. It always helps to see the work in person because digital images leave a lot of detail out.
Most importantly, protect your artwork. Don’t just toss it up online and allow anyone to give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down. When asking for an opinion, be clear about what you’re looking for. Make sure that the person you’re asking can deliver meaningful insights.
And if you start feeling defensive or hurt by someone’s response to your art, remember the phrase I use, “That’s interesting.” When someone gives me feedback I don’t like, I say “That’s interesting.” because it is. Whether I take it or not. But this way I at least consider it and I’m not pushing back or closing down.
And these, my friend, are the most interesting ways that I know to get feedback on your art.
Would you like to SHOW + SELL MORE ART? I’ve helped thousands of artists and I can help you too.
Join now. It’s free. No spam. Unsubscribe when you want.
Working in the international world of contemporary art, Crista Cloutier has spent her career selling art and marketing art to art galleries, museums and private collections.
Using her professional experiences, Crista has created The Working Artist Masterclass, where she’s developed a global reputation as an artist’s coach. Crista can teach you how to be an artist; including how to sell your art, how to sell art online, how to sell photographs, how to price your art, how to succeed at art fairs, and even how to find your art style.
Crista has worked with established, blue-chip artists to raise their profile and attract greater opportunities. And she’s also helped thousands of emerging artists to build a professional art practice. To learn more, visit https://theworkingartist.com