Funny how in the last couple of weeks I've been dispensing artistic advice in the form of cheer leading. I suppose that's because I didn't get much of that "keep it real but keep on creating" from anyone, except my little brother and my husband (<3, btw).
It's hard to find the will to keep going when you don't get usable feedback - by which I mean something akin to the compliment sandwich:
1) I like your use of color. Very original.
2) You need to work on drawing hands/writing love scenes. Try reading XYZ book by ABC.
3) The character development in chapter 3 was amazing. I really like the scene where Mr.Z talks with Ms.A in her room.
I try to give feedback like this, but only when it's asked for. A lot of times people put up art purely for the fun and pleasure of it and that warrants the top of the sandwich only. I never know how people will react to unprompted critique. The cheer leading part of it, I find, is always welcome and I"ll continue to offer tips and praise efforts. We're all learning very difficult skills: drawing, writing, sculpting, etc. So it will take time before we're proficient in our crafts. A forum like this is a wonderful place to play and share our work. It makes me feel like I'm back in college and creating with my classmates, minus the 2hr commute and teacher bullshit... oh yeah, and tuition - FTN. (fuck that noise)
I love thumbing through the work on here. The passion, the variety, the amazing breadth of what's hidden in this site is all incredible.