Up top- are you an artist? I want your feedback! Details down near the end.

Last night I was looking at some old "tutorials" I wrote a while ago and I still think they're kinda funny so I put them up on my art blog. Speaking of art blogs I made an art blog this year which is now also my website.

But Marty, why do YOU need a website?

Please don't use my first name that's really weird. The thinking was that if I had an outlet for stuff too sketchy/crude to put on the art portal, I'd be able to get more frequent feedback without having to put in the effort of polishing and perfecting every doodle. So the whole tumblr thing worked okay, except for a few things:

1. tumblr is a waste of time

Like just about every other social media platform, it's really easy to lose sight of why you joined, and get caught up in the following and reblogging and stats-whoring. Even though it's less of a time suck than facebook and twitter, checking your analytics is really addicting, and if you're following a lot of people, you might feel obligated to keep up with every new post.

2. "tumblr people" don't give as much criticism

Admittedly, I don't have very many followers on tumblr. BUT I still find tumblr guys less critical than Art Portal guys and I have a few theories on why that may be:

• Because it's social media

Unlike the regulated content on NG, there's too much stuff on tumblr to stop and critique every piece of media you consume. For most people, the extent of their feedback is whether or not they click "favorite." And it might feel good to get those "likes", but it's not very constructive.

• Because it's SOCIAL media

And you've got your image to protect! On sites like NG and DA, things are pretty much anonymous, which means you can be as mean as you like. On twitter, criticizing someone's art makes you an asshole, and you have followers at stake, so you'd better watch what you say. (To clarify, I don't think giving criticism makes you a jerk, but sometimes you get worried that your words could be misconstrued as you being a jerk, so you might never say anything critical ever.) 

3. I'm a perfectionist

And this is actually the MAIN problem, even though the problem is just me and not the tumblr/art blog format. I feel like my art blog has become more of a "best of" than an archive of all my drawings. I don't like to put up art I don't like, and no one wants their feed polluted with every last doodle. As a result, I feel less inclined to challenge myself and more inclined to make stuff that I know will look good. The art that actually NEEDS criticism is never posted.

THIS IS THE PART FOR YOU ART GUYS

So now I'm going to try something a little different- I'm going to take "every last doodle" from the last three months, and put it online for YOU to critique. If you see something that sucks, and you can articulate why it sucks, I want to hear it! Really! Don't hold back - you can find the smallest dumbest pickiest thing and tell me about it. I won't even hate you for it. I can take it. (And if you still want to keep it anonymous, you can use the ask form.)

You can download the "sketchbook" below. If you want to comment on anything (I appreciate it!), be sure to tell me which page you're on.

SWF (just added, no download)

FLA (recommended)

PDF

Or just check out the free art!