Being your own critic is an essential part of being an artist. Why then, do so many do it so badly? Students in particular, can be unreasonably hard on themselves. As an instructor I have heard students do some pretty severe hatchet jobs on themselves, all under the guise of critique. At best, it is a waste of time, at worst, it can cause the derailment of the learning process. In this post we'll talk about some of the do's and don't's of the critique process.
Be Your Own Best Critic
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you". The Golden Rule. Words to live by. The Golden Rule of self critique, however, should be "Do unto yourself as you would do unto others." What this means is that most students who suffer from the problem of being "their own worst critic" should truly take this to heart. This student is far more critical of his or herself than they would be of anyone else. This self derisiveness manifests itself in a variety of forms, self doubt ("I'm really an amateur and I shouldn't even be in this class"), self protection ("If I tell the teacher just how horrible this painting is then nothing he says could be worse"), fishing ("If I'm overly harsh then maybe he'll be forced to be extra nice") and arrogance ("I should be much better than this."). Wherever this comes from it is usually unreasonable and of a less constructive nature and therefore completely self defeating.
The Cycle of Self Doubt
One of the things that serves to quell self doubt is knowledge. Ironically, it is this same self doubt which hampers our ability to acquire knowledge. It is a self defeating cycle. The best way that I have found to stop any cycle is simply to do something different. It sounds easy but remember that these cyclic patterns have usually been in place for most of our lives, and however destructive they might be, we derive some comfort from them. They are what we are used to. The key therefore is to make these changes small.
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you". The Golden Rule. Words to live by. The Golden Rule of self critique, however, should be "Do unto yourself as you would do unto others." What this means is that most students who suffer from the problem of being "their own worst critic" should truly take this to heart. This student is far more critical of his or herself than they would be of anyone else. This self derisiveness manifests itself in a variety of forms, self doubt ("I'm really an amateur and I shouldn't even be in this class"), self protection ("If I tell the teacher just how horrible this painting is then nothing he says could be worse"), fishing ("If I'm overly harsh then maybe he'll be forced to be extra nice") and arrogance ("I should be much better than this."). Wherever this comes from it is usually unreasonable and of a less constructive nature and therefore completely self defeating.
The Cycle of Self Doubt
One of the things that serves to quell self doubt is knowledge. Ironically, it is this same self doubt which hampers our ability to acquire knowledge. It is a self defeating cycle. The best way that I have found to stop any cycle is simply to do something different. It sounds easy but remember that these cyclic patterns have usually been in place for most of our lives, and however destructive they might be, we derive some comfort from them. They are what we are used to. The key therefore is to make these changes small.
Here are some simple ways to change your routine:
- Step away from the painting. Put your brushes down then take a few steps back away from your work. Place yourself out of reach of the painting. This will prevent you from working out of panic and will help to separate decision making from action. More on this later.
- Take a breath. This helps to accomplish two things. It will help you to relax, especially if you hold your breath for a few seconds then let it out slowly. It will also physically change your rhythm.
- Start any critique with a word of encouragement. No, I don't mean some ridiculous self affirmation. Remember, keep it simple. Before you start thinking about what might be wrong with your work start by saying the word "good." This serves to steer your thought process in a more positive direction.
The Critique
What I often hear from students is, "This is terrible!" To which I respond, "Can you be more specific?" Being critical of your own work can be an emotional undertaking. The key is to not let it overwhelm you. There is an all too familiar feeling when a painting is not going well, that the painting is getting away from you and that you are no longer in control. This is common. It happens to everyone. More experienced painters have learned to deal with it in a variety of ways from taking a break, to working on a different area of the painting, to drinking scotch. I don't recommend the last one, at least not until you've finished. However you decide to get through this, always remember that you, and you alone, are in control of the work. The paint and the brushes do not do things on their own.
What I often hear from students is, "This is terrible!" To which I respond, "Can you be more specific?" Being critical of your own work can be an emotional undertaking. The key is to not let it overwhelm you. There is an all too familiar feeling when a painting is not going well, that the painting is getting away from you and that you are no longer in control. This is common. It happens to everyone. More experienced painters have learned to deal with it in a variety of ways from taking a break, to working on a different area of the painting, to drinking scotch. I don't recommend the last one, at least not until you've finished. However you decide to get through this, always remember that you, and you alone, are in control of the work. The paint and the brushes do not do things on their own.
One method of regaining command of your work (at least in your mind) is to always return to the basic composition. More specifically, line, tone and hue.
- Line: Check placement of objects (if you are painting representationally) by making sure that things are aligned with other things as you initially intended. Then check your proportions, height to width, object to object. This is also a good time to check the thrust of your work. Make sure that the edges of areas that were placed in ways to bring your eye through to different areas are still doing this.
- Tone: make certain that each area is sufficiently lighter or darker from its neighboring area to create the desired form. Check your overall values to make certain that the piece is not becoming to gray.
- Hue: Ask yourself if the colors are as good (vibrant, clean and plausible) as they can be.
By focusing on these three elements of your work it does not mean that you should ignore the rest but, like saying the word "Good", this gives you a constructive point at which to start and it begins the critique in a more constructive way. After all, the point of a critique is to assess your work so that you can make improvements.
Another thing to remember is to take note of the areas of the painting which you like. Too many students overlook this. This is not just an exercise to keep you motivated, it can actually give you direction. It may help you decide on a path in which to take the piece.
Here is how I typically approach a painting session:
- When I start a painting session the first thing that I do is sit and look at the painting. I don't paint, I just look. This is done for two reasons. The first is that this is the best time to see if fresh, or as fresh as possible. I take note of what I see first, then try to figure out why. This can be either something that I like or don't like. The second reason is that I don't like to start working without a plan. I should say that during this initial observation I try to keep my mind clear for as long as possible and to let the painting wash over me. I don't look for anything specific. I let the work tell me where it wants to go. It is only after I do this that I come up with my plan.
- Next, after some time painting I like to take a break from the physical part of the work. I will walk away from the easel with my back to the work then turn around. Again this is to see the work as freshly as possible. I am now concentrating on the work that I've just done. Is it better or worse? Do I continue on this path or do I change direction? I check to see if the main colors are dispersed evenly throughout the picture plane. I make sure that verticals and horizontals are still vertical and horizontal. I make sure that symmetrical objects are indeed symmetrical. I go over my compositional pet peeve list (I'll leave that for a future post).
- I normally start painting during daylight but often I will work into the night (I don't mind painting by incandescent lighting, in fact I think it's important to see how it looks under these lighting conditions since that's primarily how it will be viewed after it is finished and hanging on a wall). I like to take advantage of the waning light to check my tonal values. I close the skylights and window blinds until there is only a hint of light. These conditions make it all but impossible to see color and most of the detail. What you have left is your basic tonal patterns. I check to make sure that they are balanced.
- During the painting session I take many short breaks so that I can check on what I'm working on at the moment. Each of these breaks is begun by stepping away from the painting, not only because I can see it better but I truly believe in the idea of separating the decision making process from the physical process. In a way, separating head from hands. The decision making needs to be more analytical, just as the painting process needs to be more subconscious.
- At the end of the day I start cleaning. Brushes, palette (most times) then my hands. It is only after I have finished washing up that I take a final look. This is because at this point I am tired and if I continue working I run the risk of undoing everything. This is why I clean before I look. What I am looking at is the good stuff. My reward is that I can sit in a comfortable chair and enjoy having pained. I find that this makes it easier to get back to work the next day.
It is common for artists to listen to someone in the back of their head while painting. The most common for students is that of a parent. This makes some sense in that most were motivated at a young age by the praises showered upon them by their parents. Unfortunately the same voices that inspired us in our youth can serve serve to hold us back as adults, at least as artists. Unless your parents happen to be very progressive artists or extremely knowlegable in art, the reasons for all of the praise is usually misguided. Most well mening parents love to see their children create pretty paintings of horses and puppies done with great accuracy and detail. Children receive accolades such as getting their work diplayed on the great shrine of all American homes, the refrigerator. Paintings not deemed worthy, whether it is due to subject matter or execution, would end up in the junk drawer. They used to call that the salon system. As adult students we bring our parents and their artistic sensibilities, along to guide us in the decision making process of painting, the critique. Fortunatly as we get older and hopefully wiser, we replace these voices with those of more knowledgeable people, our instuctors. This too can serve to hold us back to a certain degree but it is a much better alternative to our parents. Ultimately, if all goes according to plan, all of the voices are replaced with that of the only one that matters, our own. Hence the phrase, "finding one's voice". At least that's how I've always interpreted it.
Trust Begins in the Home
Now that we've found our voice we need to begin to trust it. The most common occurance in my classroom is that I ask a student how things are going. After the ubiquitous shoulder shrug he or she will eventually get to the critique. They will talk in non-specific terms, about one of the areas that is not working out, but then after some chiding the student will get to the point of describing exactly what it is that they do not like about the area. For instance, "The color is too light." "So, if I hear you correctly" I say, "making the color a bit darker will make it better, correct?" A definite "Yes" is the reply. "When did you notice that problem?" I ask. "Shortly after I did it." My response is always one of utter amazement "Why did you you continue using the same color?" This is a rhetorical question since I know the reason is that they do not trust their own judgment. My favorite is while explauining how to use complimentary colors to create a shadow or a dark version of a color (i.e: adding violet to yellow to get the dark side of a lemon). There will be at least one student who will have a bunch of lemons with yellow on one side and violet on the other. "Does this look right to you?" I ask. "No, I thought it looked strange." "then why didn't you stop and change it?" "Because you said to use the compliment." the proper way to use compliment in this way is to add just enough to make it a dark yellow not so much that it makes it violet. The reason that this happens is because of a lack of trust in one's own opinion. A simple rule of thumb is that if it looks strange to you it will probably look strange to everyone else. Or, if you think it's wrong, it probably is wrong. Learn to trust your own judgment. You do know, you just don't believe it. This does not mean that students do not need help, it simply means that they do no always need as much or the kind of help that they think they do.
Trust Begins in the Home
Now that we've found our voice we need to begin to trust it. The most common occurance in my classroom is that I ask a student how things are going. After the ubiquitous shoulder shrug he or she will eventually get to the critique. They will talk in non-specific terms, about one of the areas that is not working out, but then after some chiding the student will get to the point of describing exactly what it is that they do not like about the area. For instance, "The color is too light." "So, if I hear you correctly" I say, "making the color a bit darker will make it better, correct?" A definite "Yes" is the reply. "When did you notice that problem?" I ask. "Shortly after I did it." My response is always one of utter amazement "Why did you you continue using the same color?" This is a rhetorical question since I know the reason is that they do not trust their own judgment. My favorite is while explauining how to use complimentary colors to create a shadow or a dark version of a color (i.e: adding violet to yellow to get the dark side of a lemon). There will be at least one student who will have a bunch of lemons with yellow on one side and violet on the other. "Does this look right to you?" I ask. "No, I thought it looked strange." "then why didn't you stop and change it?" "Because you said to use the compliment." the proper way to use compliment in this way is to add just enough to make it a dark yellow not so much that it makes it violet. The reason that this happens is because of a lack of trust in one's own opinion. A simple rule of thumb is that if it looks strange to you it will probably look strange to everyone else. Or, if you think it's wrong, it probably is wrong. Learn to trust your own judgment. You do know, you just don't believe it. This does not mean that students do not need help, it simply means that they do no always need as much or the kind of help that they think they do.
Three Things to Remember:
- Learn to separate the person from the work. When in front of the easel, critique the work. The time to criticize yourself is when you're on the couch.
- If you're having trouble painting, you're not alone. Everyone who picked up a paint brush today had trouble painting. Just because you become more experienced doesn't mean that painting is easier. It just means that your troubles are of a different nature.
- Keep things in perspective. While painting, the worse thing that can happen is that you get a bad painting. Very few people actually die from the process.
Finally, please remember to give yourself a break. Think of how many people that you've encountered over the years who said something to the effect of "I should take some art lessons. I used to be pretty good." Or, "One of these days I'll get back into art." You don't have to say that because you're doing it. There's an old saying that goes "Ninety percent of being a good parent is showing up." The same can be said for being a student.
