I have a short (24 hour) challenge for you!
Sometimes critiquing others can be super difficult, especially when they don't want critique. You don't want to overstep or to hurt anyone's feelings, but you want to help them grow as artists. Likewise, YOU would like to grow, and that's difficult to do when critique and feedback are hard to come by.
I want to talk about something we can all do for ourselves today, and I absolutely believe it can make a difference in your art. What is it? Self-critique, of course!
Stop and think for a moment about what a great critique looks like. Close your eyes if you have to. 
What do you see?
What do you see? A good critique does (at least) three things:
It describes what was GOOD about the deviation and WHY it was good. It describes one or more things that can be improved AND tells you HOW to improve them. [What good is it for me to tell you that your light needs improvement if I don't point out that the Curves tool is your friend (as an example; there are other tools and techniques for lighting)?] It gives you an encouraging summary of the deviation and ends on a positive note.Keep in mind that it is not our place to CRITICIZE. Critique is constructive and well-intentioned, and it should leave the artist feeling positive and hopeful rather than defensive and demoralized.
Critique you!
How often do you critique your own work, giving a critical appraisal to the effort you put into it and what could be improved? Critique that comes from ourselves can be every bit as useful to our learning as critique that comes from others. Do you have the strength to turn on your inner critic and direct him or her to your own art?
I challenge you to identify the following for your MOST RECENT photomanipulation:
What did I do right? What is really good about this photomanipulation? What am I most proud of? What can I do to improve? Do I know how to improve it? If not, how can I find out? What is my overall impression of this piece, and what should I do the same / differently next time?I'll go first!
My latest piece is:
I think I did a good job here with the lighting (thanks in large part to kuschelirmel) and the composition. The lighting is a bit harsh but it really makes the scene, and it was difficult to create a scene with two light sources. As for the composition, it fits the "rule of thirds" very well, with the focal points being on corners of the imaginary grid. This helps direct the eye to where I want it to go. There are a couple of things that could be improved here. First, I could have maybe added a bit more shadow on the model; looking back at it, I feel like she's inappropriately bright. Second, her make-up is an epic fail. I could have worked harder with my over-painting to keep her from looking like she's been beaten up. I think this could be fixed with a combination of simply using less opacity and going for different colors (perhaps a bit more gold) other than the red. And of course, I wish I had taken more time with the hair. 
This tutorial and this tutorial might be useful. Overall, I feel like it is a pretty good piece, though not my best. It is always hard working with your own stock. From this deviation I learned important lessons in lighting that will help me as I move forward with my art.
This tutorial and this tutorial might be useful. Overall, I feel like it is a pretty good piece, though not my best. It is always hard working with your own stock. From this deviation I learned important lessons in lighting that will help me as I move forward with my art.Your turn!
Write a critique of one of your photomanipulations! It doesn't need to be fancy; go by the outline I posted above. You can just reply to this blog with a link to your latest deviation and write your critique here in a comment. I will collect them and share them in another journal. 
I will also throw in a premium membership or two at random just to encourage and reward people who take the time to help themselves improve.
I will also throw in a premium membership or two at random just to encourage and reward people who take the time to help themselves improve.So . . . go! Show us whatcha got! 
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![[link]](https://www.deviantart.com/users/outgoing?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RWS_Tarot_08_Strength.jpg){kind=link}