Looking for feedback and just art criticism of my work
Goooood morning dear users, humans, non-humans, and things.
TLDR some more info about me and why I decided to seek out feedback / criticism
I write to you all because I recently thought of asking for some help for art criticism and general feedback on one of my latest pieces that I have created. To my background, I am currently studying in my last year of photography, and I am currently, or rather should be, writing and designing my bachelor project, but here we are doing everything except working on my project.
I saw the recent post about abstract art and that not all people hate it and many people are either interested in art or even like it. I, myself like art. I sometimes even try to create some art myself, even though it sounds just so performative when I say that but that is another topic all together.
So I discussed this with another user on this site in direct messages and they suggested that I could make a post on tildes (here) and show my art and ask for feedback, criticism and maybe even discuss it in some way.
Now I really liked that suggestions. In my past I am fortunate enough to participate in some exhibitions. Which would most likely be the best way to display your art. Sadly this is currently not really feasable and I also don't know if this art would be even fitting.
This project is still ongoing and currently has 2 pieces. I once shared one of the pictures back in winter I think not sure brain empty and stuff
Gash
More info on the Gash image
I took polaroids with my RZ67 Zinstax of different cracks on the floor on the wall or just anywhere in the city. My idea was to display sort of these "scars" or blemishes of the city just as a person would when they have an accident or get surgery for something.
Here are the 2 unstitched polaroids and a test I did
I tried singular thread and also embroidery thread. When I tried the single thread it was really tough to get it tense and also that it would look good. This is why I tried embroidery thread. Embroidery thread is basically 6 individual threads in one. It stood out much nicer in real life and also was a lot easier to tighten and overall looked way better.
I tried to connect these 2 Polaroids but still wanted to respect the borders of the polaroid. Also in those 2 Polaroid there is a slight color gradient from the top left which the concrete is the lightest towards the bottom right where it's the darkest.
It might look like they were shoot in the same place but they were not.
Also the definition of gash:
a strong sweeping cut made with a sharp instrument
It is a type of wound or type of injury.
Bound
More info on the Bound image
These pictures again were made with my RZ67 with the Zinsstax back.
Here are the raw and some tests I made with a spare polaroid.
To the Gallery
I really wanted to get a medical or a surgical look with the lighting and that's why I choose color polaroids. I set up some lights which I could control the color temperature and I set it to I think 5000 K which is very neutral light.
I also wanted the light to kind of look like flash. Like one of those photographers that take pictures of the crime scene. Kind of that was the vibe I was going for.
When I first sewn into the polaroids I really struggled with not bending the polaroid too much while punching through with the needle. I fixed this with an awl. I tried different size of gaps and I also tested how many threads I wanted to use. In the gallery you can see the test I created and in the lower stitch the gap was too narow and I also used the 6 threads. Then I spaced it more apart and only used 3 threads. I liked the threads much more but the gaps were too wide. So I had to do basically a middle ground with the gaps and kept it at 3 threads.
For the stitch I used a chain stitch. I wanted it to look like the extremities were tied up and that was the ideal stitch for me.
I want to signal to the viewer that this perso is tied to something or as I mentioned tied up. I also aligned the images this way because it can almost look like these are either multiple people or someone is hanging upside down or they were cut up in half.
Definition bound:
something that limits or restraints.
I really liked creating these and also writing this post. Thank you for reading this or even looking at the images.
This little exercise is reminding me of what we used to do in class. Criticize each other's work, which I always really enjoyed. And I do miss. So maybe if someone else wants their work to be criticized, please let me know; I will gladly take a look at some other artworks or work of some other people. Potentially this could even be a scheduled post if enough demand is here and available.
Also if you think you don't have enough knowledge about the medium or the technique, THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT.
Feedback and criticism is always valuable you may see something from a entirely different point of view that I or "we" have never considered. ˙ᵕ˙
If you need further clarification or have further questions, just ask. ˙ᵕ˙ I won't bite I think unless you want me to*
So, thanks so much for reading this and I wish you a nice day.
Anways that's all
Best regards,
your neighborhood creature
I like Gash, I think it conveys what you're looking to do and works well. I think it would work better with a larger crack in asphalt.
I do not like Bound, perhaps it would work better in person, but the link doesn't have enough definition in the picture to tell it's thread sewn to an image and just looks like costume store chains laid over limbs. Would possibly be better if it was more like Gash in that the thread is more obvious, isn't just black, and the thread goes to the edge of the image. Would also work better if you had sewn shackles or something along those lines instead of just chain. Asphalt is essentially two dimensional, limbs are three as they have a depth visible in the picture that the asphalt does not, making the thread to bind the limbs more difficult to pull off and so making the thread look merely laid upon them instead of actually binding them.
So from a practical standpoint, Gash works as I believe it to be a stitched repair of a wound, Bound does not as I do not see the thread binding the limbs.
Thank you for your feedback.
Sewing on shackles could be cute or a good idea to create more of the feeling that they are bound to something. I'll look into it ˙ᵕ˙ .
First off - bravo for seeking critique. It was one of my least favorite parts of art classes at school even though it was helpful.
AugustusFerdinand's thoughts on Bound are similar to mine so I don't have much to add to it other than I think the content of polaroids is uncomfortable, which seems to be what you're going for based on its description. Adjusting the scale and shape of the thread would elevate the piece.
I like Gash and think it's clever, but the stitch direction bothers me. Stitches generally go across/perpendicular to the cut, not along it. Think like the scars often shown on Frankenstein's monster. Obviously not the end of the world and I think your intention still shows, but it stood out to me. Of course, a poorly done repair might support the message you're going for
I think I never intended the gash image to be a repair in that sense. I think my intention was more of like displaying a wound and that's why I also choose the color red. But it is interesting to think about "actually" repairing or maybe even creating sutures for future polaroids.
Thank you for your feedback.
My apologies, I reread your description and do think you tried to make the wound part clear. Thread and stitches have a strong repair connotation in my head and that influenced my read of the piece
I mean the description is not a must read and it's still very valid critique or feedback !
I commend your bravery in putting your art out there and asking for criticism!
When I first looked at 'Gash' without reading the description at all my mind didn't immediately jump to 'stitches', I think that has to due with the direction of the stitching as mentioned by Cannonball. I do think the stitching should go across the crack instead of with it?
I'll echo what AugustusFerdinand said about 'Bound'. I think you nailed the look you were going for with the Polaroid pictures, it really looks like medical imaging and the feet could have been an image of a cadaver, the hands look like they have life still in them. "but the link doesn't have enough definition in the picture to tell it's thread sewn to an image and just looks like costume store chains laid over limbs" is also exactly what I see.
Thanks also to you!!
Thank you. I do agree that the hands look "worse" than the legs in hindsight and that maybe another pose would work better.
I think the hands are just down to the pose!
This is a fun combination of mediums!
One thing I'll echo is that these may very well look better in person. I clicked the photos first before reading anything, and didn't realize they were thread. 3D elements don't always translate well to 2D images.
On Gash (definitely my favorite of the set), I thought the red stitches looked like stitches, but were something you'd placed and photographed. I also didn't notice the thread was tracing a crack. The embroidery thread looks good (definitely better than the single green thread), but I think it covers up the actual cracks too much. You obviously can't really redo it (or at least, not easily), but it might work better with the tiniest bit more spacing between stitches so that viewers can see the actual crack.
One small thought that could at least make the thread more noticeably 3D when posting a photo online: what if you add a stitch between the photos? A connecting thread in the gap between them, preserving the borders of the polaroid photos but highlighting that the gash isn't restricted to its borders.
With Bound, I really like the concept, but something feels lacking. I do think the chain stitch is the right choice for it (even the name is perfect), but... I don't know. It's just not as eye-catching as Gash. I think it's partially because Gash was monochrome with the red naturally drawing the eye, while Bound is very neutral-toned. The wooden floor and skintone create an overall sepia-toned impression, and the black thread just doesn't stand out.
One important note is that black thread definitely doesn't translate well in photos since it's so dark. It almost looks like it was drawn with marker. At least for sharing online, it may work better with a lighter colored thread. That may also add a pop of color, but I don't know what color would work best while preserving the tone of the image. Silver and gray are associated with chains and restraints, but they could look tacky or fail to pop (again, the photo is very brown-toned overall). Red could maybe fit thematically, since to my knowledge it's also commonly associated with bondage (at least rope bondage), but I don't know if it would really pop against the wooden floor. That one might work better on a monochrome background like white or gray tile, or at least against cooler background colors.
Question as someone with no knowledge of sewing: when you talked about using three threads for Bound, do you mean you choose and combine individual threads? I get the sense embroidery threads in Gash are "premade" but it sounds like you chose to thread individual three strands through a needle for Bound. If so, what do you think about mixing threads of different colors? Having a strand of red or white mixed in with black can help emphasize that it's, well, thread, at least for posting photos online. And it could also potentially add a subtle pop of color without being overwhelming.
All of these images or rather the whole thing is just scanned so it sadly removes the natural shadows it usually has. So obviously they do look very different in person but it's still something to consider when taking a picture or sharing them online. I've never thought about that to that extent.
I used embroidery thread and usually they have 6 individual threads in them. So what I did to distinguish the chains a little better is to just remove 3 of those threads. I basically just pulled them out. I've never tried to replace threads with other colors but as far as I know that does exist and it should be possible.
My ideal way of displaying these are very much in person. Currently they are also framed in the same frame and are sitting next to eachother on my desk which adds a lot. I think.
Also I like the idea of connecting the polaroid maybe with some loose thread that just comes out of the polaroid and goes back in (sort of dangling) which is a really good idea.
also thank you very much for your comment ˙ᵕ˙
Hi Faye! Thanks for posting your art here for us! I already gave you my thoughts about Gash when you posted it back during Tildes Make Something Month last year -- what I said generally was that I liked it very much and would love to see the concept explored more and I'm really happy you feel the same and decided to do more work in the same space.
Bound is a really interesting piece. I think I like it a lot. It pulls up some negative feelings in me. I want to point specifically at the feet photograph because I think it's the better of the two, and that's for a conceptual reason. Obviously neither of these two photos look anything like how you look when you're actually tied up. In the image with the feet, attention is really drawn to this fact by the way that the feet appear to bow away from each other at the ankles -- the point where they're being supposedly tied -- so the yarn feels much more like an imposition, like something the subject of the photo is resisting. It's evocative. By contrast, the photo of the hands just feels like it's doing a little less. And the photos are nearly identical, compositionally, in terms of lighting, in terms of background, so I'm not sure how much is added by displaying both of them.
The stark vibe you're going for really comes through. The flooring? in the background gives me the vibes of, like, your grandmother's basement. And because the subject is shot right against the background with basically no depth of field it feels a little bit claustrophobic -- on the other hand, the thing you're going for where I'm supposed to imagine these two photos as sort of different bodies/parts of the body existing in the same space doesn't come across for me, even after hearing that's the intent. I think that's because of the identical lighting and composition between photos; they read to me more like two drafts of the same photo. There might be more you could do with lighting to situate both the photos within the same space?
That said, I mean, I think the concept is exceptionally strong here, it's a lot more human and visceral than Gash was, and I already thought that one was surprisingly stark and affecting. The use of the chain stitch is a great choice here and I'm impressed by how natural it looks... i.e. it's not easy to make out any kind of warping or tearing as a result of the stitching.
I'm interested by the hypothetical idea of a piece where the subject is in some way aware of and interacting with the yarn. What might that look like? Would that be an interesting direction for you?
I'm honestly super happy to see more of your work, thanks again for sharing!
I'm going against the current four people who prefer Gash and, while I do like it (and will type a bit more after), I really liked Bound. I've been in and out of art, mostly in my first attempt at college (so ~20ish years ago but don't presume I'm some expert or something haha; I just do appreciate art when I make time for it), and I always appreciated the odd, different, or disturbing (but not too disturbing) stuff I guess. I had a self portrait I did on black charcoal paper with white conte where I laid a large mirror on my lap in a dark room with a small piano music light shining on half my face from the side (the result did not look very unlike if I were the model for the Phantom of the Opera mask). My art teacher found it disturbing and wouldn't let me use it as my final discussion piece. But while I'm not here to chat about my art, I wanted to state that it was probably the best piece I ever did (it actually did look like me [the only human face I have attempted that didn't look "wrong"], and it was a bit haunting and possibly unnerving), and Bound gives me those same vibes.
But like the others who didn't choose it as their preference, I agree with a lot of their feedback. I feel the wooden background could somewhat convey a shiny butcher's block, but it adds a "warm" feeling to what I believe is supposed to be more of a colder feel. Additionally, the chains on the feet look a little too heart-like - as you stated they're stitched, it's probably how the fabric spun to cause an "equal" warp? The feet look like they could be from a cadaver or someone unconscious, but the hands look gently posed. I would kind of understand them being more either random (unconscious) or perhaps with a mild flex: if escape is desired, they would be trying to wriggle or break out; if the bound situation was preferred, I feel like they may be balled up or more closed. Personal thoughts, of course. EDIT: I just reread this and wanted to clarify that the feelings/vibes it gives off is chef's kiss, despite all my negative words!
And now for Gash. I looked before reading about it, and despite its name, I immediately thought of marching ants - similar to plutonic's feedback. I was a little sad when I realized it was actual stitching that you didn't continue the stitch through the two pictures to attach them, but that's just me seeing art and imposing "what I would do" with it - so it's not really a direct comment on your art, more so me thinking out loud. I am happy you provided the originals because it was difficult to see the underlying gash, which I presume in person may be conveyed better.
But I love how there is a lot of ambiguity involved: it may be a gash, but you're not fixing it, you're highlighting it. My friend had a mastectomy due to their breast cancer, and now they have a lovely tattoo that actually highlights and accentuates the scar. Maybe you are poking (literally) fun at the gash, maybe you're decorating it, maybe you're just tracing the lines in asphalt that you discovered. Maybe you created those gashes (maybe in doing so, you have a whole other story), and you're bringing them out to be noticed by others who may just keep walking. It lets me think of a backstory that caused the art's creation, and introduces me to a little sliver of the real world where I can just insert a bit of imagination.
Thank you for sharing those!