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3wyl β #01 Constructively Comment in 5 Quick Steps!
Published: 2013-11-08 21:03:40 +0000 UTC; Views: 7962; Favourites: 111; Downloads: 0
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ProjectComment is a Group of many projects centred around comments, but, more importantly, constructive comments. Every week, one admin from ProjectComment will write an informative article on commenting that will hopefully be useful to you! Please help support us by 
This article will list five easy ways to make your comment constructive. What many people do not realise is that a constructive comment does not have to be as long or as indepth as a critique, and that you don't need to be an awesome commenter or an awesome artist to write a constructive comment. You probably won't have to spend more than 5-10 minutes writing a constructive comment, and it could still be helpful to the artist.
Here are the steps that you can take to make your comment more constructive:
State the things you like about the piece.Try and state one thing you like about the piece, be it the concept, main subject matter(s), how the artist has approached things, theme, mood, atmosphere, feelings evoked, etc.
State the things you don't like about the piece.After stating the things you like about the piece, state the things you don't like about the piece. Try and keep the number of things you like and dislike equal, so that your comment is not skewed to one side that is overly positive or negative.
State why you like and dislike the things you mentioned.Stating the reason why you like or dislike something gives justification to your thoughts and opinions, and may help the artist see things from your perspective. You are also explaining further and offering more clarification, which isn't something you should shy away from. Elaborating on why you like or dislike something will mean that the artist will understand more where you are coming from. Once again, it is best to keep this as equal as you can between the likes and dislikes.
State suggestions to improve the piece and explain why.This would follow well after stating the things you don't like about the piece. Suggest ways to improve upon the things that you don't like about the piece. Like the above, explain why you think that the artist should heed your suggestion and use what you have suggested to improve the piece.
End the comment differently.This is not really a core thing to include in your comment to make it more constructive, but it doesn't hurt to end the comment differently. Don't just finish the comment after following the first four steps here, but think about doing something else. Perhaps you could write something more personal, state something that will encourage the artist, list resources that the artist would find helpful, or just leave a brief sentence about your overall thoughts and feelings about the piece. All in all, there are many ways to end a comment and some ways do make a comment more constructive.
Example of a Constructive CommentHere is an example of a comment made more constructive from following the steps above so that you can see it in action:
"Hello! (A greeting never hurts)
I really like the colours of this piece (stating what you like about the piece), especially the way the green contrasts with the red! The colours really go well together to create an interesting atmosphere (explaining why). However, the way you've included the sun dead on in the centre is a bit distracting for me (stating what you dislike and why). I feel it would be better if the sun was slightly more to the left or the right (suggestion), as it would be less distracting and the composition would improve as well (explaining why). Overall, I think it's clear that you've put effort, thought and time into this piece and I can't wait to see more of your work! (ending comment differently)
As you can see above, we have turned a one sentence comment, 'This is an interesting piece!', or even a one word comment like 'Cool!' into a constructive comment. It really isn't difficult to state one thing you like or dislike, explain why, and then state a suggestion for improvement and why. The best thing is that you are not limited by these steps. There is no reason why you can't list five things you like, or elaborate more on why you dislike something, or include resources into your comment to help the artist more. Relying on natural progression does not hurt sometimes!
In conclusion, we have briefly gone over the content of a constructive comment in this article. In the following articles, we will guide you on how to form and write your comment so that it is well received, among other things.
Keep watch 
Thank you for reading,
3wyl , posting on behalf of ProjectComment
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Comments: 88
I appreciated the comment, too. So I approve this message
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Hi !Β
I'm not going to make a really constructive comment here, but as I find this journal very useful, can I feature it in a group? (You-Deserve-More ) Β and yes, indeed this journal deserves more ! it's a really clear step-by-step, and could help many deviants!
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Of course! We appreciate any and every support.
Please feel free to use any of the guides that we have posted! Some are linked on the front page of ProjectComment .
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I think this is very well written and really wish more and more people who offer constructive crit would follow this example. As a beginner artist I want constructive criticism like a drowning man wants air (to borrow an old instructor's quote) but I do feel there's a certain degree of tact necessary when giving it, namely to highlight the good aspects of a pic. About nine months ago I read some constructive crit that was mostly about what they didn't like and it really disheartened me for about a day or so. Admittedly I did initially read it while I was drunk which didn't help, but not one bit of the criticism was positive. Sure, it was helpful (bar the part which suggested effective;y abandoning my style in favour of a different one) but the pure negative outlook did taint my view on it.
I also agree with the paragraph about WHY you like/dislike something and elaborating on it. On a few occasions I've had some advice that isn't overly clear or fully elaborated. I've had some people tell my my poses are stiff, which is fine but have never said how best to fix it. I even showed the comment to a friend who's MUCH better than me and he wasn't sure how best to help either. As a suggestion I would suggest offering a link to any references or tutorials you may feel will benefit them.
If I may offer some constructive criticism of my own, one thing I would suggest is "respect the artist's current level". One of my friends and supporters has stated she always taylors her criticism to just a slight step above my level and I think that's a great idea as I find her advice much more helpful and beneficial. Sure, in an ideal world I'd love to go from beginner to expert in a flash but the reality is that takes time and if you jump at an artist and tell them 101 things they should fix and consider when they're struggling to get poses and anatomy right, I feel you'll dishearten them. To me it's like taking a learner driver to the most complicated and busiest road in their area on their first lesson or expecting someone to run a marathon when they're just starting to train for it. I'm not saying you shouldn't reach for the top but you have to be realistic about it in my eyes.
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Thank you very much!
I think a lot of people are quite set in their ways in terms of how they offer constructive criticism. It's easy to get into a habit, or a type of style with it all.
It does help to encourage people to comment. Or rather, there are some things that may make a person more likely to comment. For example, if one asks some questions, then others may answer them, and you could get a more constructive comment that way.
But yes, one needs to go about it carefully.. it could easily backfire. 
Perhaps the other issue is to not get overly personal in the criticism, but to keep it close to the 'facts' or the informative aspect of it all?
I do feel a lot of people shy away from travelling the 'why' path.. myself included when it comes to essays, I have to say.
As for suggestions on how to fix something, that can be difficult sometimes. Most of us can say what we like and dislike about something and why, but telling you how to improve requires something else.. such as artistic knowledge?
Yes, respecting the artist's current level certainly won't hurt at all. Slightly above the level is good too. It reminds me of school and how one of my teachers said her comments are designed to get us to reach one grade above the one we received on an assignment.
It definitely helps to let them know, though. Commenters aren't mind readers, so letting them know that you'd rather have advice on certain things over others, etc. should help with things.
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It is a wonderful article my dear 
Even a simple minded person could understand.
Your hard work is beautiful and perfect.
is that better?
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Very helpful indeed
I will try and be as helpful and forthcoming as time allows when viewing art that I like. Thank you for the post
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Nice guideline.......... If we start acting upon just about 50%, it'll be very pretty!
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Yeah, for everyone if everyone did it!
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I do it very keenly & open heart
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This is helpful, but not many follow these steps and you end up with comments like "cute" or "aww", or a bunch of emotes without any words at all. While i do understand that some don't have the time, some don't want, some don't know etc, i think this place would be a lot nicer and more productive if people would comment like this at least once/day
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Yeah, it is quite saddening. =/
I agree.
It really doesn't take that long, though, and it really isn't that difficult either.
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this is very helpful, i like it!
if only everyone comments like this!
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That would be pretty damn awesome!
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Nice article!
I usualy start with something very general like "Well done" or something.
It never hurts to end your comment with encouraging the artist a bit too.
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Yeah, I usually start with a brief positive statement like that.
Indeed!
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The article is pretty helpful, especially the "end comment differently" thing. I think it's important not to be boring and mechanical while commenting. But I've always had problems with explaining why do I like something. Sometimes I can say why, but in most of cases I just like it and don't know how to explain it.
Also I think you shouldn't comment if you don't have anything to say about the picture. Especially if you don't like it at all, since comments like "The left eyebrow is pretty, but composition, shading and anatomy are completely off" just are not helpful and searching for some little details to call them good will only make the artist feel worse about their work. In this case I think it's even better to say "You're not very good in this, this and this, because ..., but keep practising and your art will become much better".
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Yes, I do agree with you that it may not be a good idea to be boring and mechanical.
There is almost always a reason for something.. I think in a case where you don't know how to explain it, trying to do so may help make things better. The more you do it, the more easier it may be for you?
That's a fair point. That sort of statement isn't as constructive as it can be.
Indeed.
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I've always had problems constructively commenting. I hope this helps me in the future.
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Amazing article! Thanks for making this! 
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