MAY CONTEST: Fairy Tale Traveler situation

Matthew Oberdier

@mag they said the ones they were critiquing were not necessarily in the top 16. Does that mean there wasn't a top 16? I kind of missed the beginning.

Asyas_illos

@Matthew-Oberdier they didn’t choose a top 16…

TaniaGomesArt

I really loved it. I had no idea how much valuable things I would get on svs besides the classes, but I'm more and more sure I found the best place to learn illustration.

RachelArmington

@Matthew-Oberdier I missed the very beginning as well as the sign in to the Zoom meeting was different this time. From what I gathered when I did get in was that they hadn't felt as if they should choose sixteen because there weren't enough entries that responded to the prompt as well as they might have.
I wonder how many entries they had this time because the prompt was so late last month. The new one is already up, so that shouldn't be as much of an issue this time.

K.Flagg

Was there no live stream on YouTube today for the critique arena. I didn’t have access to email so I didn’t get to watch it . Who won?

K.Flagg

@LisaF was this recorded? I was hoping to watch the live stream on YouTube since I didn't have access to my link today but it never popped up.

Melissa_Bailey

@Matthew-Oberdier YES! Just being able to see more in-depth critiques was so nice. Even if I don’t get a critique or make it into the top 16, hearing critiques of other pieces is really helpful.

@mag, I was excited to hear what they were going to say about yours, too! I loved your piece — great POV. Those darn technical difficulties!

Oana

@LisaF I hope the recording will be published, I'm on a diferent time zone and couldn't make it to the end

Julia Hegetusch

Thankyou so much for the critique and draw over. It was really helpful. I was kind of in the dark about what was not working. I just knew it didnt feel strong enough. It is so helpful to have someone point out what is working and what not

Matthew Oberdier

@Moana-Maureen that's awesome. I feel in the dark too, I don't know what I need to be focusing on. I guess that's the benefit of in person school.

SheerArt

@Moana-Maureen I've been having this conversation with my wife about my work. It is hard to know what I need to improve on when there is no direction. I just try to implement at least one piece of advice they give on someone else's critique that I think might apply to my work. Try and see whats working for others. Sometimes I feel like the rules for the prompt are pretty strict and sometimes they are pretty liberal about what they want. Hard for me to tell.

Julia Hegetusch

@Matthew-Oberdier yeah, its tough sometimes when you dont have that direct feedback.

Julia Hegetusch

@SheerArt Thats what I try to do too. About the rules for the prompt, to me it seems they always make individual choices. If they like the overal look of the piece they might be inclined to let some things slip through that dont fit the prompt. on the whole I also find it hard to tell though. It would be so great if we could get critique on a regular basis but that would be tough to manage I guess.

Matthew Oberdier

@Moana-Maureen IDK, this prompt was pretty open ended. A "situation" is about as non-specific as you can get. I think a more descriptive prompt might have produced the kind of results they were looking for as far as story elements.

LisaF

@K-Flagg Yes! We will get it uploaded soon!

lizardillo

I was working while this was on but had it on in the background so looking forward to rewatching it and seeing the bits I missed. Wow, it looked like such an insightful session, I really love the draw-overs it really makes things so clear. I would love it if we could have one of these full critique style sessions occasionally as I love watching critiques like this. Congrats @Melissa-Bailey-0 and @ruth

Melissa_Bailey

@lizardillo thanks so much!

And I feel the same — love the more relaxed feel of a critique session where they take more time with pieces and do draw-overs. You’re right, sometimes it is helpful to see a visual of what they’re critiquing … guess that’s cuz we’re artists and visual people.

TaniaGomesArt

@Matthew-Oberdier In the work world, you will not always have very specific directions. I work for a tabletop game company for some years now, and sometimes the directions are something like this - we need X, and it has to be amazing. Try to beat that when it comes to non-specific. LOL I'm the one who has to come up with what is needed.

SheerArt

@TaniaGomesArt I like the concept of this. I'm to green to just be given complete creativity if I was given a job lol. Is it a sink or swim situations when they ask you to do a project? I would be stressed out, but you could really build up some chops.

Melissa_Bailey

@TaniaGomesArt same! While I don't work in the tabletop game industry, I've had the same experience with clients (mostly illustrating children's books for very small publishers or self-publishers). In fact, sometimes when they have a really specific brief, I've found it harder because they have a definite idea of what they want to see but may not be communicating it clearly.

The Critique Arena prompts are very similar to what I've experienced in real life as a freelance illustrator. This is good practice ... and we get feedback from professional illustrators with a ton of real-world experience!