I am an Co-Owner of a GFX Site and this was posted by one of my Admins. Zhou has been a great help and posted this to help people learn to critique.
This should be used for Graphical Showcase as well as SOTW. People need to learn a bit of GFX before they make voting.
Critique Template
"This is a good start, I like [positive aspect], however I believe that this ____ area needs improvement, try: [how to improve], but [further positive]. Keep up the good work/you're coming along nicely"
I don't know what to critique?!
When rating a signature, don't just say it's bad, or that you don't like it. Actually talk about the elements in the tag and other aspects of it. This is called comments and criticism. Also known as C&C.
Here are some things to consider when rating a Signature and giving C&C:
Color. Is it to monotone, meaning one colored? Are the colors too bland, or to contrasted? Do the colors go well together and blend?
Flow. Are the effects clean? Do most of them appear to be going in the same direction?
Focal. Does your character stand out? Is it what draws your eyes the most?
Depth. Does the tag look flat? Does it give the illusion of depth?
Composition. Are things placed well? Do they look good together? Is it just random effects?
Light source. Is the light source too solid? Does it give off enough, too much, or too little light for the tag? Is it in the right area to make it seem the focal's light is actually coming from that spot? Does the light source look too fake/forged?
Lighting. Is the tag too bright or dark?
Concept. (Not a must, but really boosts a tag's rating if you have a good one) Do you have thoughts about a specific thing when looking at the tag?
There are other aspects, but those are for specific types of tags. Just put those in mind when rating a tag. When you mention that something is bad, don't just say it is bad, tell how or why it is bad. Tell them exactly what they did wrong. This system helps the person improve their work and ultimately their overall GFX skill.
Follow the guide line, if you can't follow it then don't post on the users thread.
Credits to :: Zhou