humm

[balaa]

There are days where I am puzzled by people and others that they amuse me with their 'quirks'. Soooo this guy who left me a comment on dev..and I assume he is a guy(no offense) because I have seldom met such a flagrantly and overly pompous and arrogant self wrighteous person that wasn't a guy. I have a feeling he might even be a somewhat good looking guy and as such has often gotten his way and only been assured of his status as an all knowing being. Kinda sad but true how so many people get away with acting 'intellectual' and I say acting because they like to use big words and elaborate phrases to describe their otherwise stale ideas/thoughts. As I said in my last post regarding this he does indeed think himself quite clever and went on to extoll his supposed dealings in the art world. 1. he is an art critic and for the most part I hate people like this because they themselves do not have any talent or skill...or parade around with the illussion of talent. The comment that he left that gave me some insight into the person he is *eyeroll* He claims to have helped unknowns become knowsn, studied and taught art historye etc...:


"I didn't say you can't draw. I said just because you can doesn't mean you should.

I had fun spending the time. I got pretty creative, don't you think?

Why is this site called 'Deviant' art? The dictionary defines 'deviant' as: One that differs from a norm, especially a person whose behavior and attitudes differ from accepted social standards.

I thought I had found a great art site, but seems I have just found a bunch of wannabes patting themselves on the back for feat of 'hurting anyone's feelings' while treading water in a sea of mediocrity.

Take a sencond read of my commends. I don't have have only negative things to say. I've got about 10 years of art / art history / art teaching at two different universities in two countries. You may find my comments arrogant and rude, but you'd be foolish not to agree with them and or follow any advice you may find within them.

In my spare time I visit galleries and online site like this looking for 'undiscovered art' - I form relationships with talent that has not marketed itself properly and jump start successful careers. I have sold other people's work that they could not otherwise give away. It is not uncommon that pieces that I am interested, where previous to my efforts are basically worthless, sitting in the artists studio, are sold for thousands of dollars to private collectors in the US and abroad.

If I want to be deviant and a little bizarre, then so be it. Name a famous artists that didn't have radical personality 'defects' 0 you can't. Jackson Pollack - incorrigible drunk. Andy Warhol - bizarre, bizarre, Picasso - notorious womanizer, Michelangelo - rumored to have been a fetishist... You are right, deviant are doesn't need trolls who have only made negative comments to the community. I'll wait for you to submit me a positive response before I judge you a fool I guess. As far as art being art whether I like it or not - that's fine. But art that I like is usually good art and art that I don't like is more often than not just plain bad. There is a distinction between good and bad art. It is NOT completely subjective. In an ideal utopia where no one ever gets their feelings hurt, I would be wrong. But we live in a commercial. Your life is for sale whether you like it or not. We all whore ourselves out at an hourly rate in order to make enough money to feed ourselves, pay rent, buy clothing and art supplies right? It is not my fault that 90% of the time, good art fetches top dollar and 'bad' art ends up in a poster frame at the mall. A few interesting caveats to this principle are: Thomas Kincade, the richest and simultaneously WORST artist of all time, and Wyland - painter of undersea creatures and landscapes, along with the hundred or so copycat contemporaries of both of these artists. There are countless others, perhaps you will become one. "

ROFLMAO. Im not sure how many folks here have studied art history but ive dabbled as I feel it is my duty to study those who came before me and perhaps someday build on what they left for us. The person this guy rather reminds me of is an author and art critic, Robert Hughes, whose textbook I had the misfortune of reading('The Shock of the New'). My professor at the time chose the book for a veerrrry interesting purpose, to find out who were the thinkers and who were the followers. Most of the folks in my class were good people, nice people but I couldnt believe how easily they swallowed this guys 'opinions's as facts. The book enraged me. I wanted to find the guy and claw out his eyes and beat him with his own talentless lifeless hand. In the end she ended up admitting that what she wanted to accomplish in using his textbook was to make people think for themselves to make them MAD to make them yell and scream at the textbook as they read it. I DID yell abnd scream at the textbook. I hated it with a fiery passion by the time the class ended...but somehow I am glad I read it from cover to cover and some excerpts over and over. I am glad because it made me question my notions of art, made me question the thoughts I had formulated as a result of what was forced onto me in my schooling. (The ideas in the book were much like this guy's words, dressed up with fancy jargon, biiig useless words and inflated opinions that in his mind could be nothing short of facts. His ideas of art were flat, one dimensional, and ommitted many many artists I considered brilliant moving forces of the art of the 20th century. Women artists were heavily ommitted and when mentioned were given a dull half paragraph excerpt...)

SO this guy is rather amusing to me. He thinks he is toying with me when rather he is giving me a giddy giggle. He assumes that just because I draw whimsical sketches of felines must mean I am a mindless drone, a product of the commercial age. He assumes that I do not study, I do not question, I do not grow. There is much in my personal career as an artist I want to accomplish. Not to show the world, not to revolutionize thinking as such...but for me...for the inner craving to create. I often lay at night wondering what art is, what it is to me, why I do what I do and what I want to accomplish in the future. Im not a one dimensional figure that he has painted me into being, which is just as well because I rather not strive to 'prove' something to someone of the sort. I see people like this man as insects on the wall of art. They appoint themselves some sort critic and yet what right have they to critique what they cannot understand. His gallery amuses me to. I wont make fun of it as such, it just reminds me of art movements like DADA that in one sene just make you laugh because so much of it is this intellectual slop..the "You cant posssiibbly understand me" type shit. HAHA!

Im so sorry that I am a down to earth person that find enjoyment in the simple things of life. So what if I wont be well known, I don't care. My goals in life are not the aquisition of money and oooh aaaaaah the prestige of my art ending up in the Louvre. There is so much art that I studied that I couldnt help but find empty. The critics that wrote about it made it seem like such godly work and yet set all the popular hooplah aside and some of these artists had no true art skill. All they could do was paint geometric shapes..tell them to draw a human figure..could they? hell no. Now there are artists that were considered odd that I do respect. Picasso for one, his skill was not simply in cubism or his color periods. He was an intensly talented artist who first learned the trades of realism before he became an abstract artist. Thats one of those things I often dont understand about abstract art..some of the artists have no ability to do anything else than the abstract. Well Im sorry in my eyes thats not talent. You should be disciplined first in the basic skills of drawing/painting before you should move to the abstract..theeeeeen I will respect your work. And people like this one guy are the type that like to think themselves 'deeeep, think they seeeee more than others. Fine an untrained eye will see a painting like Guernica as dark, weird and hard on the eyes...but in order to understand you have to know more than what some book says about it. You have to understand where the artist was coming from, who they are, where they started.

For that matter who is one person to say what art is to another? His preconceived notions are fine, he is just as entitled to them as I am to my own. However, this particular individual, decides to take it upon himself to be the 'joan of arc' of art(going off some higher power that only he hears in his fat head)...though his motives in his eyes are wrighteous in mine are self serving and pointless. He decides to go about and be 'devious' or outside the norm. I cannot stand people who tryyyy sooo hard to be someone unique but without realizing it are nothing. Bashing others and shoving your ideas down their throat, assuming you know them because you looked at one piece of their art, is nooottt being unique. It is being callous, cold and plain and simply a JERK.

Now the more he writes the more I find myself chuckling quietly. If he goes on pissing people off and moreover dirtying my picture with his foul mouth, I guess Ill report him to deviant for harassment. They can do what they will with him, I could care less. Like many he doesn't know the difference between freedom of speech and just plain harassment. I know I will come across many people like this in my life. So be it...I choose to not be like them. I give them the freedom to their 'art' as long as they leave mine alone.

Goodnight Robert Hughes.

Comments

[casidhe.livejournal.com]

Yeah... report him... He is a troll... The idiot does nothing but type up random crap when he can actually spend his time doing something useful. Just look at his user page... He's only been on DA for three days and I bet the majority of his art is stolen.

[rtdn.livejournal.com]

maybe he's not lying about what he says he is but even so i think that the range you show in your gallery, in technique if not necessarily in subject matter, does a pretty good job of debunking any criticisms of one-dimensionality this gentleman might have about you. i mean i can kind of understand what he's getting at, he's trying to pay you a backhanded compliment in saying that you've got the representational skills necessary to be brilliant but he's also trying to insinuate that you're not going to achieve your full creative potential by painting the pictures that you do for time and all eternity. which, you know, if he'd been watching your evolution over the course of the last two years or so he'd understand that his criticism in that respect is misplaced, and if he really is the totally badass art dealer that he says he is he'd also know that most contemporary artists don't really find a 'voice' until they're well into their thirties or forties, and that he should really sit back and let a student be a student. there's plenty of room in the world for illustrators as well as fine artists, and neither one is greater than the other.

[xxbalaaxx.livejournal.com]

AMEN! There were many many things I thought and had wanted to write but as many thoughts as were rushing through my head at one time, some got lost in the stampede. One of them was precisely what you said. I am VERY much a student in art. I am the very first to admit that what strides I have made in the past few years are only baby steps in the grand scheme of things. I do not even know yet what I want to accomplish, what I want to see of myself. What I do know is I am learning and don't intend to ever stop. The same goes with a lot of the deviant community and other online art galleries. They are places of self exploration and a way to branch out and grow...not only as an artist but as a person as well. And like you said you cannot expect a great to be born overnight..not to say I am some sort of great but even so I know I have a long way to go along the journey of art.

I do not doubt he has done what he said he has. I just think it has turned him into a cynical egotistical person who thinks beccaaauuusee he has 'some' experience he is some sort of expert in the entire field of art. People like that just tickle my funny bone.

[rtdn.livejournal.com]

okay i found the rest of his comments and his DA page and i think i can say with maybe a 2% margin of error that he's a fake. my friends and i have done this kind of character-based trolling before and dude does not talk like a fine artist at all. if he really was who he says he is, not only would he not be trying to make the completely asinine point he's trying to make but he wouldn't be making it in that way. when you've got something to say that can stand on its own merits you don't need to namedrop and you don't need to make appeals to authority. you state your argument and you back it up with facts.

what this dude is doing is being pedantic, but worse, he's being pedantic on subjects in which he is poorly informed. the postmodernist pixel art bullshit on his gallery is what blew his cover, it's completely dismissive of the contemporary art world, making the assumption that it's all abstract minimalism, all the time that every halfwit fantasy-art nerd thinks contemporary art is all about.

and seriously if you're going to go looking for people who have a comprehensive critical vocabulary, an extension of the tlk fandom might not be the best place to start.

oh wait one more thing

[rtdn.livejournal.com]

the "trolling as social experiment" act is so, so played.

[xxbalaaxx.livejournal.com]

Come to think of it you are likely right...or if he does have some extent of the experience he claims to it is probably entirely over embellished and no doubt he is the type that takes credit for things he hardly had anything to do with. Supposing he ever even helped people become 'established' puhlease.

Thank ya, you not only made me think a little more about the entire situation but made me smile even more ;).

[encroach.livejournal.com]

.What an ass hat..

[king.livejournal.com]

Balaa, you are so incredibly wise. I think someday you'd to great teaching art. You have such an amazing grasp on the concept of it. I read his comments and your thoughts, and I am wow'd at how mature and sensible you're thoughts and actions are concerning him. You are not only an incredible artist, but, as far as I can tell, an incredible person as well.

Pssh. I think you will become great. *love*

[xxbalaaxx.livejournal.com]

I doubt muchly that I am wise ;) but I am very thankful that you think so. If what this guy is doing is considered intelligent by him, I would much rather be a furry dullard than be one of his retard followers.

*pokes* you must be great with me..for I hath commandeth it and the Lemur qveeen does not stand for dissent among her ranks XD. *prepares a mango* ;)

[uniformgrey.livejournal.com]

It seems to me that, after reading that long winded speech, his opinion comes down to this:

He thinks he's doing you a favour to tell you that you are unskilled in the ways of who he considers great, and, on the current path you're on now, you'll be no better than a cheap poster maker in the mall. That if only you'd stop your tedious immature drawings and take his advice you could actually BE something.. but since you're not something HE'S interested in then its simply not possible for you or your art to have a future.

WHAT AN ABSOLUTE PILE.

You are experimenting and growing in your art right now, exploring colouring techniques etc. with one of your favourite subjects to draw i.e. big cats. You are having fun and still learning. This idiot seems to think that unless you're painting with dollar signs in your eyes you're not worth anything, and honey he couldn't be further from the truth.

His conduct alone [heck his grammer alone!] tells me that he's not what he claims to be, and, heaven forbid he is, I pity the people who've had to deal with him face to face. For someone who apparently has the clout he claims, he sure doesn't have the brains if he can't go on an art site without realizing that its an art community with all levels and not some elitest's site. He poo-poo's the site for daring be in front of him by the sound of it.. like its sullying his professionalism by being there. YEESH.

Anyone can read an art book and think they're hot stuff, but its the people that are out there really doing it that are something.

I'm just glad that you aren't letting this joker make you feel bad, and yes I would report him to the admins before he takes his holier-than-thou crusade any further.

[dapplet.livejournal.com]

Great points. AMEN to that.

[uniformgrey.livejournal.com]

=)

[camelai.livejournal.com]

Good for you Balaa. It's so good to see that you can take something like this and completely brush it off. Soooo many people (myself probably included) would take comments like this jerk's very personally. It's just incredible to me that anyone would say that only people with lots of money can judge what is "good" art and what is "bad" art. (Which he said outright in a response to Dolphy's response on DA) You know, most people respect opinions. This pompous ass has the gall to say other people's opinions are nothing and that HIS opinion are "right" and define "good" and "bad" art. Makes me really want to tear into this guy. I would LOVE if you reported him to DA. I would love to see what they do to him. He needs to be taken down MANYMANY notches.

[dapplet.livejournal.com]

I didn't say you can't draw. I said just because you can doesn't mean you should.

This guy seriously needs to get his head screwed on straight. Okay, so... just because you can 'critique' doesn't mean you should either, Sherlock.

If he has really studied art and things, he should know that Picasso or Da Vinci didn't stop drawing when someone put them down or told them too. He should know that they were once students of art too, and that bloody everyone starts somewhere and had a different fetish, style and interest as to what they like to do. I can see how he's trying to... what is it, pay a 'behind-the-scenes' comment towards you, by saying how you have potential. But sometimes being really, really strong in one area, such as felines, can help you a lot in other areas that one maybe might want to branch into.

He also shouldn't expect to find some brillant mastermind who is compared to Micheangelo on Deviant either, just because of the stupid definition on the word that so happens to be the website title. It's a place for artists of all shapes and sizes; whether they want to go on in art or not to self-explore and learn.

Maybe he really does have this 10 years of art history experiance, and if he does he should realise his comments are completely out of place, and that he's being completely disrespectful to you and your art. Are you claiming to be the next Picasso? Um, no. Almost everyday you grow more and more with your talent, and if he has been following you (which he obviously hasn't) he would recognize this. You're an amazing (yes, AMAZING to Mr. Critique over there) artist who deserves respect for your experiments and talent. Not some high-toned and fancy 10 year art 'historian' to tell you to stop drawing because who won't get anywhere.

Your already on your way Balaa, and you've got lots of people behind you. I'm only one of them.

Keep up your awesome skill, experiments and personality. And maybe keep laughing at this guy ;)
*snooglefloofsoflufffffforBalaa*
<3 Dapple

[xxbalaaxx.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU hun! You are incredibly wise for your age and I am lucky to have companions such as yourself in the art world. I doubt very much I would enjoy my endeavors half as much if I didnt have fun people who let stuff roll off their back around me. You truly make everything a pleasure....and your words always lift me up. *HUUUUUUUUGS*

[dapplet.livejournal.com]

Aww! *snoooglestoheaven* Me, wise?! I'm the next Rafiki. With Mangos on my walking stick.

I'm glad I can lift you up, you deserve that in the least after everything else. xP *floofs*

[dark-jaguar01.livejournal.com]

I saw that guy's DA and I could not help but laugh at how much of an ass hole he is. lol I would say the best thing to do is just laugh at everything he says to you. Do not respond, cuz he likes to fight, just laugh. At most it will make you feel better that he can not get to you and you can demoralize him at the same time when he sees you laugh. That is just my opinion.

I like how you look back on history, it shows you have a very open mind to everything. XD I would love to comment much more on this long post but I have college early in the morning so, I have to get some rest soon. Sorry.

[drewthewolf.livejournal.com]

I don't even now what to say, this guy is an absolute asshole your an awesome artist and psh I love you much more then any of those famous artist. Screw abstract lets draw cats and wolves! x3

[mango-nikki.livejournal.com]

do yer thing. none of his business lol XP.

i think what's been said has been said above ^_^. gee...i never really imagined there were so many peple like...that in the world =/

[fyregryphoness.livejournal.com]

So this Bozo is still bugging you, aye? Jackass. They just don't seem to know when to quit. =p

The first thing I thought of when he was yapping on about his wonderous artwork being sold for thousands of dollars was....what is he doing on Deviantart then? Most "extremely well-known" artists have their own websites on and pay people to update/take care of them. At least from what I've seen they do. Even though I love Deviantart with all my heart, it's all too easy for a "famous" artists to get lost in the thousands of other artists who have accounts. It would be far easier to showcase your artwork (to possible clients or whoever) on your own page. I guess you could use Devart to gain attention...but still...something doesn't seem to sit well with me on that. =\

And that whole deal about "art ISN'T subjective" is total bullcrap! Any artist (especially a "teacher") worth his/her salt knows that art is viewed by many different people in many different forms and many different ways. Seriously, this guy needs to get a freakin' clue!

My dad at first hated Picasso's artwork, until his prof showed him all the wonderful realistic works he did when he was younger. They were truely amazing! I was shocked too when my Drawing 1 teacher showed us his sketches. :)

Anyway, I wouldn't let this booger get to you. I'm glad that you're taking this in stride instead of getting upset. =) I really hope you do consider reporting him if he keeps harassing you.

[wursu.livejournal.com]

Gosh. This guy sickens me.

One thing that makes me react is that this guy seem to think everything is about selling art and make money. The reason we do art is for god's sake not to sell it and get rich, or famous and praised by everybody! I do art for the fun of doing art. And there it is.

It is I MYSELF who defines MY OWN view of 'Art'. However, everybody has their own view and it's hard to describe 'ar't in a way that makes everybody agree. Everything that is beautiful is art. May it be a painting, a tiny graphite sketch, silk paintings, a n embroider, a beautiful chair or table, a prcelain tiger, a beautiful clothing, a building, etc etc. Practically everything done by human hand can be seen as art. May it so be a car or something, if you are open-minded, you can still see it as art rather than a vehicle! I know how odd that sounds, but really.. cars of todays aren't ugly. They're pretty and done by human hand, thus it is art.

And goddamnit, one don't have to be ORIGINAL, UNIQUE, OUTSTANDING to be an amazing artist! If it should be like that, NOONE are artist, because in our big world there are always many peple with similiar ideas which do similiar peices of art without even knowing about each other's excistance! One's art don't have to be UNIQUE to be amazing. If one like it and enjoy doing it, it is ART. No matter how ''mediocre'' it is.

Your art, however, IS unique and amazing. Practically EVERYBODY's art are, because ALL OF US has an unique style and twist that makes our own art unique. We are all unique.

I really could write lots of more about this subject, but I haven't ate breakfast yet, it's 12 o'clock in the middle of the day here and my mother is beeing mad at me.

*hugs* As I said.. I don't imagine you the person getting all broken by these comments. You're much stronger than that, and I am glad that these stupid comments amuses you rather than hurt you. I really loathe seeing friends beeing hurt by stupid, arrogant bitches who think they know everything..
*hugglomps*

[joosephine.livejournal.com]

I say this person has no life... He is just a weird person, trying to break talented people down, in order for him to feel better. I have been in the same seat as you are right now, but not on the Internet, but in school. Of course, it was a totally different situation, when I was able to meet such a jerk up in person, eye against eye, but still, they want the same thing...

The only way to get rid of them is to play along. You have to be amused by their comments, and after a while, they will get tired and understand that it does not work, at least not on you. You are walking down the right path Balaa, laugh at him, derive energy from him, because I think you know, that this guy just wants to be like you, deep inside.

[ciggypiggy.livejournal.com]

Translation:
Because I have taught at two different Universities, I am right, and I think all art should feature most preferably a rubber ducky being engulfed by a baby and sexual innuendo all around. Also, you don't seem like a very interesting person like some crazy artists.Have you thought about taking up burning kittens alive or abusing someone (mentally or physically). That would be awesome.
I also had some traumatic school experiences, and therefore I must take my envy and insecurity out on you.

What a JOKE. This guy is completely off his nut. He puts inchoherant jargon into 'fine vocabulary' but he's still just babbling some nonesense. But I agree with what has been said above. Laughing at him is the best thing. You are really strong facing him like this :3

[glddaisy.livejournal.com]

Balaa^^ if he ever comments on my pages Ill let you reply to him k.

the guys a self absorbed *not so nice words*

[alaitallon.livejournal.com]

Am I the only one who thinks he had somewhat of a point? That perhaps you're taking this far too personally (how are his comments harrassment? Turn off your comments if you don't want to hear from him. Reporting him just because you don't agree with him is petty) It is not the job of critics to sugar-coat things. He was right in mentioning Thomas Kinkade whose work is technically lovely but completely lacking any soul or meaning. It's so easy for popular artists to fall into the trap of just "drawing what sells." They figure out what it is that the other people like (or what they are comfortable with) and stick with it. They don't try something new and unexpected. They go with quaint little portraits over dynamic scenes. I know, because I'm guilty of that myself. It's hard for me to break out of the trap of the same sort of lighting, poses, etc.

I can see where he's coming from. Your realistic art, while beautiful and extremely well drawn, lacks depth. It doesn't tell us a story. It doesn't show us a snippet of a character's life. Instead, it's more just felines sitting around and looking pretty. I believe your cartoony art does a much better job at showing life through your great talent. Unfortunately, you rarely seem to do more than just sketch your cartoony pieces, so while they have the life and energy that is lacking in the complete, realistic work, they lack the technical mastery that is present in your realistic art. See what I'm saying? Even though I agree this guy put forth his opinion in a very pretentious way, I don't think it is very wise at all to simply dismiss him as a "talentless jerk." He does make a point, even if he covered it up in haughty language. That doesn't mean you have to do what he says or stop doing what you like. Not at all. No one HAS to take anyone's advice. However, I think it is the artist's duty to at least consider and respect the opinions of those who take the time to critique us (which doesn't mean stupid comments like, "This sucks!" or, "This looks bad!" because those aren't constructive), even if we don't follow the advice given.

I personally really enjoy looking at your art, so don't just dismiss this as me "siding with that guy." I'm not. I just think that you should take the time to read through his comments again, keep down your initial instinct to get angry, and read between the lines to discover what he's REALLY saying behind the pretention. I think we can ALL learn something from what people say to us. Even the most hurtful comments give us the potential to grow. :)

[nanook123.livejournal.com]

While I don't think you've totally sided with that guy, I must say that you couldn't be more wrong in your assessment of Balaa's work. Her realistic pieces may be what you say they are, BUT most of them are commissions, or simple pieces to show the character's detail. The commissions are done as she is asked for them. The consumer may not have put that much thought into what they asked for, but I assure you that each one has very much the same elaborate detail put into them. Each piece has depth artistically and even on some levels spiritually. If you look at the Egyptian Pride piece, done of a panther and a lion in an egyptian setting...that piece is both stunningly rendered and extremely deep. You gain a sense of pride inspired by that piece, you gain a sense of brotherhood conveyed in the closeness of the felines. Each piece she posts there's generally a lengthy description telling the tale behind the piece. I am not sure what else one would have to do to convey the mood and mindset one was in when painting said piece.

Also when it specifically states that critques are not welcomed on a piece and someone DISOBEYS you like that, and when you reply and tell them to not again speak such words again unless in private and they still continue to force their opinion on you, well, I don't know any other definition of the word 'harrassment'. When one is not looking for criticism and someone forces it on that one, well I think that our reactions are justified.

If I received comments of this calibur from someone I would shrivle, hide from the community that would dare spawn such a creature, and possible leave said community alltogether. I would become that which I hate...paranoia would tear me apart on grand scales. How could one possibly grow when their art is under such scrutiny. I am so scared of how I may be assessed if I tried a new coloring style, or a new drawing style. My not so recent encounters with the predators of artistic freedom and expression have ripped me to bits, and I'll tell ya what...I'm still messed up. I don't produce art like I used to, not with the same zeal, not with the same passion and lust for life that I used to. My pieces are few and far between and they are chosen specifically to be as far away and unique as possible.

Why would Balaa change her style...why would she change to a different genre of painting or rendering? Some people are trademarked by their style...the same that you've refered to. Picasso was known for his cubist style...but he also did realistic and other styles...but what was he most known for...that's right CUBISM. Dahli...surrealistc anyone that sees one of his paintings knows it's him. I mean hell, after most of the shit that Balaa's been through why the hell would she give consideration to changing. Her realistic work is what separates her from Evana, or at least that's the rumor.

In closing I would like to add, Balaa grows as an artist every day, every time she picks up her pencil or stylus and brings it to rest upon the tablet or paper. Her touch with color and light are incomprehensible by many minds and many viewers of her pieces find themselves contemplating deeply their jealousy and more often than not interject nothing productive to her as an artist. She's growing in her ability to render objects more realistically, her toony style too is growing. Mostly she's matured over this whole thing a lot better than I would have.

I will stick with the notion that was engrained in my fragile childhood mind... "No matter, HOW good you are, there is always someone better, smarter, stronger and faster, so why try."

If Nothing Else, This Fool Will Help Artists Grow Thicker Skins.>.<

[(Anonymous)]

All I have to say about Balaa's run-in with this fool, is: If nothing else, he'll help her and other artists to grow thicker skins to deal with their brand of critique.>.<

--D'jm

Re: If Nothing Else, This Fool Will Help Artists Grow Thicker Skins.>.<

[nanook123.livejournal.com]

still ranting is good for the soul. and if that fool can make a spectical of himself in someones public gallery then she can certainly talk about her feelings on the matter in her journal, though still publicly.

[alaitallon.livejournal.com]

Interesting. You seem to say I'm "wrong about Balaa's work" a lot. I understand that you're her friend and will always protect her, but I'm trying to look at this from an objective position to see where the guy was coming from. And I never said Balaa was lacking in artistic detail. Certainly not. However, while her art is great eye candy, it doesn't tell me much. The characters are often sitting and staring off into space, something most felines rarely seem to be doing. Few of them are running, jumping, climbing, sleeping, eating, falling, laughing, crying, etc. Few are interacting with each other, their environment, or even themselves. Do you see what I mean? Detail and beauty can be conveyed in ways other than just portraits. For example, take a look at Ursula Vernon's art. She's not a TLK artist by any means, but she does a lot of animal art. Every one of her pictures tells us a story. These, for example:
http://www.deviantart.com/view/21344473/
http://www.deviantart.com/view/19676807/
http://www.deviantart.com/view/18881658/
http://www.deviantart.com/view/12791896/
http://www.deviantart.com/view/18069793/

These are all great examples of lovely art AND lovely presentation. While admittedly none of these are commissions, this doesn't mean that commissions have to be simply portraits. I like to try new things when I do art for people. In fact, the art I do for others usually ends up better than any of the art I do for myself. Unless the person specifically tells me, "I ONLY want a standing and looking at the camera pose," then I try to go beyond what's expected. My recent picture of Shetani or my picture of Sami, for example.

Also, I fail to see how his words are so terrible and awful and hateful. Trust me. Go to an art school and you'll find far worser critics than this guy. There are art teachers who will rip art off the wall and demand you start over if it's not up to his standards. Yeah, it can hurt. But your art is not you. As much as you treasure and cherish your artistic creations, your art is not you. There is no need to take it so personally when someone dares to criticize it, no need to run and hide and leave the internet, as you said. As the anonymous person said, I'd like to hope this person would help others grow a thicker skin. So WHAT if he criticizes art? So WHAT if he's full of himself? If he honestly has absolutely nothing that you can learn from, then don't pay him any mind. Getting all upset over it is useless. It doesn't help anyone.

Also, the person never told her to change her style, as far as I could tell. He never told her to turn into Picasso or Dali or whatever. I'm not saying she should change her style either. It's fine how it is. What the guy was critiquing was the USE of that style. Like I said earlier, Thomas Kinkade does technically gorgeous pieces, but his art is utterly without any soul. It's just the same cottage with flowers over and over and over again. Always the same theme and never any risks taken or deviations from his norm. There's a quote I usually like to mention when I talk about this. It goes:
"He found a formula for drawing comic rabbits,
And the formula for drawing comic rabbits paid,
But in the end he could not change the habits
That the formula for drawing comic rabbits made.
--Robert Graves"

In any case, I'm not trying to bring Balaa down or make her cry or upset her or make her stop drawing. Not at all. I would LOVE to see her grow as an artist. I would LOVE to see her try new things and apply her great talent to even greater ideas. Like I said, it's so easy to fall into the trap of sticking to what we're comfy with. We're not going to grow if we don't take risks.

[nanook123.livejournal.com]

It doesn't matter in this case what anyone thinks. If I say "Critique not wanted" then people should respect that. This idiot didn't, so he deserves what he gets.

*fumes*

[alaitallon.livejournal.com]

Wow, way to totally dismiss my thought-out, civil reply. But whatever. It's not my loss. If you want to dismiss me as quickly as you dismissed him (even though I wasn't talking about you but to Balaa), then go ahead. I won't waste my breath on deaf ears anymore. *shrugs*

[xxbalaaxx.livejournal.com]

To you my work may lap depth and dimension in the areas you seek to find it, to me it holds meaning, to me everything I do I always try to take a stride forward and try something new with each piece, however minimal, hower insignificant to my viewers. Yet with each new piece I do grow. I never once claimed to be an accomplished artist, but rather I know myself to be a student of art and more than certainly I will forever remain a student of art. I did not approach his comment with anger, quite the contrary really. It did not upset me, but I posted this here to figure out for myself what it meant to me..if anything.

NO ONE can know what it is that goes on through my mind. The reason I discourage critique is because more often than not I know my own shortcomings and work towards building in the areas I am lacking. We all have things that cut us deeply and sometimes comments concerning my work cut me deeply. It is not of my choosing to let some of these comments to hurt me, rather quite the contrary. I tell myself not to get hurt, not to get angry to build and learn from it. But sometimes no matter how much you train yourself, when that which is closest to your soul is bashed..it can truly hurt.

And yes I do see it as harassment in this case, and ironically not altogether towards me personally. When critique is discouraged people should respect my wishes. Otherwise I have every right to be upset by it. I do not force my opinions unto anyone else. My reasons for creating may be different from anothers, my definition of meaning and depth different from yours. What to you is lacking in my work, may not be the same as another person says.

I know the areas I am lacking in, I know that without it being told to me because I do see art as an ever evolving process of growth, success and failure. There are many talented artists I can think of that discourage critique and the reason is simple...we are already our own worst critic. We seek the flaws in our work and aim to find ways to correct those shortcomings in our future projects.

With my work I do not seek to get patted on the back or have masses of people gasping in awe. I do not seek to land my work in museums or even necessarily be remembered after I die. My goals are different. As long as my work brings someone joy, including me, as long as what I do never bores me, as long as someone feels something as a result of seeing my work...then my time has not been wasted.

[alaitallon.livejournal.com]

Thank you for giving me a mature response and respecting my opinion for what it's worth. (I'm not being sarcastic by saying that, by the way . . . I really do appreciate it) I'm just so used to artists hating to be criticized simply because they only want sugar-coated things that I just assumed that was also the case for you. So many artists online get their egos wounded so easily. I did not know that the reason you didn't want critique was because you already know your problems (though no one can possibly see everything that's wrong with their work . . . our view of our own art is always far too subjective). Again, I did not comment on this to hurt you or upset you. I just really hate it when people receive criticism and get all upset and immediately dismiss it as the person being a jerk or something (with countless fans all jumping in and agreeing). I've been criticized before, and I agree that it can hurt. But once I realized that my art is NOT my precious baby that I have to protect from anything slightly negative and is NOT connected to me through an umbilical cord, it was a lot easier for me to take critique. I KNOW my art has a lot of shortcomings. I know there are parts of it that are downright bad. That doesn't make me want to not hear any criticism ever again, though. There's always going to be someone out there who sees something I DON'T see. That's why I have people beta-read my stories . . . Even though I've gone through them several times looking for errors, there's always going to be things I overlook that pop right out when someone else reads it.

I guess the main reason I'm telling this to you is because it's been told to me many times. I've been told my own work is static or dull or "lacking depth" and it really hurt at the time and I ran back to my LJ friends for comfort, but now that age has seasoned me a bit since then, I realize that they really had a point. I'm caught in that awful rut of drawing what makes me comfortable. I'd rather not see an artist with your potential fall to the same fate.

Good luck, Balaa. Thank you again for listening to me rather than just brushing me off. I hope we understand each other a bit more now.

[xxbalaaxx.livejournal.com]

I realize your words were not meant to heart, but you see that is the difference between you and the person who left those comments. Where some people come in and negatively criticize my work with words and suggestions that can actually help me stremgthen the foundation of my own work, others come in with nothing more than the intent to wound. Perhaps that was not this person's intent, but the feeling I get is he saw this one picture and assumed several things 1. that this is the pinnacle of my artistic career, that Ive been doing the same thing for years and years and 2. he assumed I was nothing more than a shallow artist comfortable in my set ways. Both assumptions are wrong. I realize there have been a lot of pieces in my work that focus on realism and perhaps to some they are dull lifeless pieces. To me different things in a picture can tell a story. Elements of a character, the colors use, the background, etc can likewise tell a story. I personally feel magnetically drawn to eyes and thus far I have been heavily focusing on exploring ways to paint the eyes in which they themselves portray depth and draw the viewer in. I doubt very much I have mastered it but the more I draw them the more I find myself improving on the methods of rendering them and moreover understanding how light itself plays off the eyes. Perhaps I am strange in that the smallest facets of art really fascinate and tickle my interests, eyes have ALWAYS been one of those things.

Now what upset me about this man was that he made all this critique without building a foundation for his argument. Maybe if I had been doing this same type of portrait kitty work for years and years and my work becomes redundant, fine perhaps then I would have seen his words to argue a valid point. However, supposing he is a seasoned resident of the artistic community, he should have taken the time to browse my gallery and furthermore perhaps find out a little more about the artist themselves before he casts down a judgement weighed in iron. I have been attempting realism in the digital medium for about a year now, since that is about the length of time that I have had my tablet and photoshop. For most of that year I saw nothing but failure, but I continued to work at what I wanted to achieve. Only now and I seeing myself actually accomplish what I wanted to do, and even now I know I have a lot of room to grow.

Also I dont tend to keep my work to myself and bathe it in false praise, but rather I do discuss my work with others, usually before I go to color it.(and for that matter I often go through 3 or 4 sketches of the same thing before I work the kinks out). The people I go to are those I trust not to sugar coat what they see in my work. Because they know me, they know I expect them to be honest. But also they know how to tell me what I need to hear, without tearing out my will to create. I feel confident in their advice and so I continue letting them help me grow. That is another reason I usually do not ask for critique on dev. Also for the simple fact that when critique was allowed, all I received were hallowed out husks of what could resemble critique. It did me no good and rather more hurt, and as such I figured I might as well stick to my old methods.

Trust me, I will be the first to stare at my own picture and meticulously pick out the mistakes..(In fact I do..and the same with my real media work. I will set my recently finished piece at my wallpaper and sometimes just sit and stare at it to find my shortcomings....but also my strengths. As for real media, I will hang them over my bed or across from my bed where basically that is the first and last thing I see before I go to bed. I find after about two days I start going insane XD and have an insatiable urge to pour gasoline over the piece and watch the wicked thing burn!) But I do realize that the flaws I see are not necessarily what other folks pick up on, so I do go to those trusted for further critique.

[xxbalaaxx.livejournal.com]

As for the countless fans jumping in to bash the person, I did not ask for it...though I admit in retrospect I probably should have not said where the comment was posted or to which piece. I suppose I was foolish in the fact that I figured no one would say anything to the person but me...(and even that I should have kept my own mouth shut as well XD..live and learn). However, like I said...I posted it in lj to guide myself through my own thought process more than anything.

Good luck to you as well Tallon, continue with your own work as with each new piece we all continue to grow as people and artists.

[(Anonymous)]

It really isn't my place in Balaa's journal to care about what you say. You dismissed my point about the whole critique thing, so why can't i dismiss yours? I mean...the point of it is Don't if it says DON'T. The guy didn't care, you didn't seem to care.

Aye, I will always seem to protect my friend, I love her very much and she is one of the only things that tether me to this ever emotional rollercoaster that is internet art. Once again, why I don't upload much anymore, I only stick around to look and to offer my opinion. Though being an artist, maybe I know how to deliver news of an ill fated piece better than some. But I always do it with tact and dignity.

I blame nothing on my rather short reply to your last comment. I'm just a bitch when it comes to talking in circles. I refuse to reitterate the same point over and over, because my efforts become futile when no one is willing to look on your side to see that you truely do have a point.

*SHRUGS TOO*

[nanook123.livejournal.com]

that was me...for some reason i got logged out...

[alaitallon.livejournal.com]

Gah, derned LiveJournal. X_X I hate it when it does that. In any case, I replied to the anonymous one before I saw this one here. *kicks LJs mistakes* ^_^ Sorry about that.

[alaitallon.livejournal.com]

I didn't "just dismiss it," though. Just because I didn't address it again doesn't mean I dismissed it. I agreed that you had a point about that, so I didn't choose to contend it. However, the point of my commenting in the first place wasn't, "Well, it doesn't matter that he commented on you." It was that, wanted or not, HE HAD A POINT. My replies no longer focused on just this incidence but instead the meaning of it. Balaa was obviously perturbed by the comment left, so it was my intention to help her make sense of it and see it as something helpful rather than something hurtful. But if you're going to be "a bitch" about people trying to offer help (help that isn't even directed to you, but to your friend, who actually respected what I had to say), as I said, I don't have to keep wasting my breath on this. I'm not going to sugar-coat anything here. It's so easy for us to get used to only, "OMG AWESOME!" comments and unending praise because so few people are willing to go against the majority and say, "Hey, there are parts of this that aren't so great, but it would be really cool if you could learn from them." Sorry I was that one unlucky person who chose to go against the flow. I honestly have no hard feelings against either of you, but I am getting a little frustrated with people's lack of the ability to look at where I'm coming from when I take the time to look at where you're coming from.

Why did she say, "Hey, no critique" on it anyway, out of curiosity? It's understandable to want to turn it off on something that's a deeply personal piece (like a memorial) or something that's just a little doodle, but why reject critique that you can learn from? Like I said earlier, even when we think we know all of our flaws, there's always going to be someone who will see something we don't see. I know that's not the issue here, but I was curious, since she claims she does want to grow as an artist. :)

[tsukona.livejournal.com]

some one needs to shoot him....just for being a pompous fool, wait lemme take care of that for you Balaa, *shoots him* *points and laughs* shut up and leave the art world alone, we dont need people like you!

[vekke.livejournal.com]

He's really . . . an asshat. e.e "real" art has been about money since . . . when? It actually seems like art done to bring in money has less to it than art done for the most part because you love to do it.

[xcourtkneex.livejournal.com]

*snicker* oh dear...i do believe he thinks he can change YOU as well as your art. :p what a rediculous notion. i'd like to see one artist who he helped - i wonder if they'd be as pompous and ignorant as he seems to be. mayhaps he's trying to sway your hordes of followers and to turn them toward his gallery...of course, a master artist and art critic such as himself wouldn't need YOUR fans...he MUST have his own, right? ;) good luck with this guy...he's a real douchebag <3

[violetwolf.livejournal.com]

I found it funny in his first comment how he was talking about how Kitch is in bad taste (the 'mall art' section), but noted Koons in his list of "List of super-good-creative artists" later. It just sounds like he's listing as many artists as he can and using big words to make himself seem smart and important.
Sounds to me to just be a justification of a person who's job is pointless, just riding off the talent of others (after all, the critic can't live without the artist, but the artist can live without the critic).

Keep doing what YOU want to do - your art is an expression of yourself, what you think and believe - THAT is what real art is ;)