Critiques

Welcome my knights, we are honored by your presence and are well pleased in your abilities as you follow your path to that of the master craftsman.

You are in a unique position as some of you take on the mantle of training squires to help them reach their full potential as well.

So to help you along, there are a few things i would like you to remember as you give advice and gently prod your young wards on to knighthood.

The art of critique is a delicate one and with the aid of the internet, the process becomes even more fragile. People have a tendancy to add their own emotions into your typed words. Many times they believe that you are attacking them, which for all accounts is really not true. Yet for some reason even the most helpful advice can be taken as an attack by someone who is emotionally attached to their work.

As a knight the first thing you need your squires to understand is that your critiques are aimed at their work not at them. The need to feel that they are important and your there to help. Becareful of the words you choose, yet still be honest with them do not lead them on- remember you took them as a squire because you saw something in them.

- How to give an effective critique -

1.Ask the squire what they see in their own piece. Have them find all the pro and cons. The artist is their own worst critic so let them find what they can first.

2.Now it is your turn. It is here where you will make your biggest impact on the artist for positive or negative. If they have not learned this already then reminde them you are looking at the work not at them.

   A. Find the good. Tell them what works. People need to be built up in general. We want the artist to feel good about their work. As you talk about what is good it builds a bond and will make it much easier to help them see and correct mistakes.
 
   B. Corrections. Here is where you talk about what needs to be improved. You cannot do that with just talk, you need to use overlays and examples. Help them see it, we all know that artist are a visual lot. remember you are not making a clone of you, but helping them find their own style and fix the techincal aspects.

   C. Encourage and Ask Questions. you want to know what they think and why. The student needs to feel that they are the most important to the teacher. If you have multiple students this can be tricky but do not be afraid to spread the love.

3. Now the process is repeated, and continued until they finish the trial.


The key is to make this fun. We are not a professional school but amaturs and pros alike who are here to help one another grow. Also remember your critiques might not be accurate at times, so be willing to learn when to back down. If it is right i will back you up every time, if they are wrong i will help find other options.

If you have problems, bring them to a master craftsman, techincal or personal included. They will have final say on all matters.

Good luck my young knights, let us help make this order grow and prosper and i look forward to seeing what we can accomplish.

[travs the bean]

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