Neato!

(Just kidding.) I think it's great that you've posted an article about this - most pictures seem to be flooded with Cool!'s or Awesome!'s.

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I carve dragons in stone.

I'm anticipating a lot of people saying "Neato!" in response to this tutorial.

Thanks. I'm hoping it will really improve the conditions of DeviantArt and other art communities. I imagine that a lot of people leaving comments mean well and would like to say more, but just haven't seen examples set.

They really need this, or a similar document, set up conspicuously for all commentors to find. Even the simplest things- like taking time to look at the picture- most people don't try, but they can really benefit from such things. Good show ole chum! *applause*

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... v ø i d ...

Thanks for posting this. I've commented at online art galleries for years, and I've lately noticed my comments becoming more and more stale. This piece of yours gave me some excellent refreshers on how to make a worthwhile comment, and it's organized and pace in such a way that it's not overwhelming to read. Thanks for sharing.

Have you ever considered doing a piece on how artists can provide the best descriptions to go along with their pieces? As an artist, I'm never sure whether I should describe everything, nothing, a related story, or... what to do, sometimes, to elicit the best reaction from viewers.

Thanks again for your time!

I never get any netos ??? wats up with dat

Well... they might not be "Neato," they could be "Cool" or some other word meaning "that is good." There's nothing wrong with those exactly, they're nice to get, their sentiment is pretty much in the right place. It's just that people could be more specific about what they do like about a Deviation.

Unless if what you mean is that you don't get any appreciative comments on your Deviations. I'm not sure what's up with that either, since you have plenty photography, seem active, and have been here for a pretty long time. *shrugs* I dunno.

Thanks.

I'm glad it doesn't seem overwhelming to read. As I was writing it and it got longer and longer, I started to be afraid that it would just swamp the reader in overinformation, and they'd leave. I was considering abbreviating the whole thing wherever I could. It's a great relief to hear from someone who sees it otherwise.

The amount of description for artists to provide is really up to them, and can't be dealt with except for on a case-by-case basis. Some artists tell you a huge backstory that makes the image more spectacular, others provide some slightly tangental but mood-providing song lyrics. Still others assume that a *good* image must speak for itself, and so they leave no description at all, so allowing viewers to speculate all over the place. That kind of thing is appropriate for some artists and images, and different for other artists and images. The amount (or type) of description that an artist supplies with their image... well, that's really part of their personal style, isn't it? It's part of what the image needs for it to be expressed. I don't think someone can write a tutorial on that. But we could discuss it, since it's an area which (so far as I know) has never been directly addressed, considered, or reconsidered. So it's bound to bring up something interesting...

Thank you!

It's always fun to realise that a certain "clue bat" does not exist and that one is capable of forging it. Feel free to smack people over the head with this clue bat in any situation where you can figure out a way to educate them forcefully but politely.

Unfortunately, as one friend pointed out: the exact sort of people who only briefly glance at a picture for a moment, they're also the sort who would only briefly glance at this tutorial, too. The people who need it most probably won't get anything out of it.

Thanks a lot for this guide! It's quite easy to read and keep as a reference.
While I do like to get a "neato" comment, good critiques are essential to me since I'm not an art student and I learn most from people's comments.
I'm sure I'll use it as a reference whenever I can. And I hope many others do the same.

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Ratow

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