So, a HUGE part of this little old art corner of ours is its rating system. Sure, it’s not all about the ratings- it’s about the feedback, the mutual art appreciation, and the general sharing. But the fact is a large part of it is the ratings. And it can be hard. REALLY hard to be noticed and to cope with a bad rating you don’t feel you deserve.

When you put your artwork out there, even if you put your heart and soul into it, even if it’s quite good, there a couple of suggestions that will help keep your ratings up, and generally improve your artwork, whilst helping you pick up some good artistic habits.

1. Scan your image instead of photograph, and adjust contrast/brightness/ colour if need be. There are a lot of images that go up, and look bad in the thumbnail or even online because they have heavy shadowing, are taken from too far a distance, are out of focus.  This is a really easy way for people to misjudge the quality of your work, and under estimate your art. Alternatively, try to use a higher quality camera in taking the photo, and take it in an area with good lighting. It’s also really easy to lose the original quality of colour that you achieved, which will let your artwork down overall.
2. Avoid the Void. A common issue for many talented budding artists is the background- the void if you will. I myself am VERY guilty of this one. Sometimes it’s REALLY easy to just draw a little figure, and not give it a context. This can work, if you use the negative space well, and if you use bolder lines in your work. But, you have to remember people often don’t actually click on your work- they only see it in the thumbnail form.  An incomplete looking artwork will get lower ratings, pretty much guaranteed.
3. Fill that picture up. Everyone can appreciate an artwork that uses detail-try to add little things that add to your work, and don’t skimp on the nooks and crannies. Be harsh on yourself- it’s all about patience and if people can see you’ve used as much detail as possible, people will automatically appreciate the care you have taken. It doesn’t have to be realistic persay, but the more intricacies the better it looks.
4. Be Bold. If you don’t use bright colours for your work (which match and don’t clash) or dark shading it will make it harder for your piece to stand out, and people will be less likely to give it the time of day. This is not to say sacrifice it for quality, but making your artwork as eye catching as possible will make it harder for people to dismiss it.
5. Give It a Nice Name. The name seems like a little thing, but it can really help with conveying your concept and attracting interest. Give it a description too, all these things can help attract people to your art and generally invoke intrigue. Every little bit helps.
6. Have friends. Here is a nice simple way that you can always keep your ratings up. Friends are more likely to look at your work close up- not just the thumbnail- and are more likely to give you a higher rating- which can help balance out those absent minded 1’s that some people dish out to thumbnails by the dozen.

These things will all help people notice your work and give it the rating it deserves.

But all this being said, ratings don’t always mean everything. It is important to take advice from others, even if it may seem as though it is rude (the language barrier can often influence this, do not jump to conclusions or take statements too harshly!).  Not everyone is going to like your work, no matter what you do.

So Lastly, I want to give you some pretty common but eternally true advice:

Be Original.  Ok, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get good ratings. In fact, being original often means taking a risk and challenging yourself to new media, new concepts and new manners of execution. The best part about art corner is the sheer variety of beautiful, dark and strange artworks that are produced.  While drawing a celebrity’s face with excruciating accuracy may help you develop techniques, and undoubtedly get you a 4-5 stars from other fans, there a lot of them out there on this site, and personally, those images don’t really stay with me. When I think of artwork I like, it’s the ones that are quirky, conceptual and that stand out- again though, everyone has there own preference.

Don’t be afraid to do your own thing, or try something different or out of your comfort zone for fear of rating backlash. Hell-if drawing celebrity portraits is your thing, do it ( and boooooyo can some people here DO IT )! But don’t be afraid to add your own style, or pazazz.

And the fact is, everyone appreciates originality, and creativity. You should always be able to gain a level of self-satisfaction from it.

Now, I haven’t been on here long and to be completely honest, I don’t get the most crash hot ratings in the joint (their probably below average) - in fact most of the above listed things are things I am guilty of not doing. But these are all things personally I have noticed I take into account when looking at works, and have started to look at addressing in my own works.   

It is also important to take into account that there are A LOT of AMAZING artists here, and as such the standard is set quite high. Look at the 4 and the 5 as something to aim for, not an indicator that you are not good.

So don’t let the 1’s, 2’s and 3’s keep you down.