How do you get an objective view?

Spiffy

I've been running into this a lot lately, I have trouble getting an objective view on my work. I can't see the imperfections and problems.

Obviously critique will always be best, but I was wondering if anyone on Polycount has any tricks?. Similar to how 2D artists will flip their work horizontally.?

I have a few techniques to get a different perspective:

Changing view port FOV/switching between perspective and ortho.

Jumping between BW and Color (is the problem the texture or geometry?)

Checking silhouette.

Overlay reference images.

That's all I've come up with in the past and most are pretty obvious.

adam

To me, I view my art and just stare at it. That sounds stupid, but there it is.

That's not a joke, I just stare at it. I'll quickly start to break it down beyond my own original perception of it and soon I'll start to view it as 'just another art piece posted on Polycount'. So I try and view my own art, as if it is not my own. I take all that feedback I am tossing at it in my mind, and write it down. From there I try and figure out what it is I had problems with, and work on those.

But, for real. Just stare at your piece and see where your mind goes on it. Address each criticism as 'is this subjective feedback, like, "That purple thing should be blue because blue is a prettier colour." or is it objective, like, "My eye will not settle on any particular element of the work, it must be too busy. I'll need to figure out a better composition so my eye flows across it more pleasantly, while still being compelling."

SuperFranky

I try to get other people to look at it, especially those who I can trust to give a strong opinion and not pull punches.

low odor

It's not always an option...but letting something rest usually helps. If I get really wound up in what I am doing it is easy for me to get stuck in the minutia. I find stepping away from something for an hour or two, and really clearing my head of it, help me get an overall view- instead of obsessing over the details

GrevSev

I sleep on it and when I wake and get back at it I see all the errors that need correcting or just things i'm not happy with keeping.

lotet

I have a friend who open his stuff up in a web browser. apparently it gives perspective, like its just another piece on the internet.
I guess posting it at a blog would have the similar effect.

but I think tricking your brain that your art is something new is usually a good idea.

You really need to render something out, make it 2D.
then you can turn it black n white, flip it upside down, change angles and all that stuff. put it next to other pieces done either by you or someone you admire.

I think its something you can learn as well. Ive always tried to compare myself to the top of the industry, so looking at my crap next to something awesome and then analyze why my stuff sucks have been pretty good practice for me =P

Mask_Salesman

I'll walk away from it for a day or so, look at completely different stuff and come back with fresh eyes.

Spoon

I try to imagine the feedback that this and that person would say, if they were looking at my asset right that second. Sometimes I even say it to myself.
Most of the time, I feel I can get something out of that

Clark Coots

I do a lot the things people have already mentioned. I spend time starring at my work, tumbling around it in 3D, just thinking about it. I also take past experiences and feedback and point them toward whatever new thing I'm working on. Definitely getting away from the computer, even for just a few minutes helps my mind refresh. There are some key words that jump around in my head depending on what I'm working on. They serve as kind of a checklist such as: Variation, Silhouette, Organic/Pattern/Structured, Contrast, Value, Readability, Do I need that? Will that be seen?

Leinad

The main thing that I usually do that has already been stated multiple times by previous posters is taking a break. Walking away and reviewing my own work at a later time is extremely effective.

The best way to grow is getting feedback from others. We are bias, it's really hard to be productively critical in our own assessment. Most of us get better at it with experience, but nothing beats external feedback.

Another thing I like to do is this. If I can't see a problem sometimes I'll put the pen down and just observe the work for a while. Sometimes it's more effective to observe in silence. If something doesn't "feel" right then I stop and try to analyze why.

Lorex

I struggle a lot with that too. It's amazing how easy it is to see problems in someone else's work and yet be incapable of being objective with your own. It's crazy.
As others have said, and it seems you figured it out yourself as well, you have to be able to "reset" your critical mind and look at your work with fresh eyes again.
Very tricky, especially if you've been working on something for quite a while and you've strayed away from the original 2D design and are starting to iterate in 3D, which is generally not such a hot idea...

Anyway, 2 things that work for me ( most of the time ) :

- Live painting/drawing twice a week. Great way to clear your brain and visually focus on something ( or someone ) else.
- First thing to do when you're opening your files again is do a crazy paintover. A quick dirty one, and try not to think too much, use liquify, whatever works before your mind gets used to your mistakes again. It's something I learned doing life drawing, your brain is not always your best friend...

wizo

great suggestions here, dustin pretty much nailed it. I would add, load some other people's work or even your own side project, ztl or 3d model in a browser to build up your visual 3d model library. Be exposed to different styles and standards of work by browsing here or zbrushcentral. I know I've learned a great deal from looking at co-workers zbrush files and other "benchmark" zbrush files to understand what I need achieve in terms of quality.

If what you are working on matches that standard, job is done, if its not, keep working hard !

bounchfx

adam wrote: »

To me, I view my art and just stare at it. That sounds stupid, but there it is.

That's not a joke, I just stare at it. I'll quickly start to break it down beyond my own original perception of it and soon I'll start to view it as 'just another art piece posted on Polycount'. So I try and view my own art, as if it is not my own. I take all that feedback I am tossing at it in my mind, and write it down. From there I try and figure out what it is I had problems with, and work on those.

But, for real. Just stare at your piece and see where your mind goes on it. Address each criticism as 'is this subjective feedback, like, "That purple thing should be blue because blue is a prettier colour." or is it objective, like, "My eye will not settle on any particular element of the work, it must be too busy. I'll need to figure out a better composition so my eye flows across it more pleasantly, while still being compelling."

this is actually a really interesting take on it.

I've done it before to myself in the mirror and it's fucking weird if you can make that 'shift'. Try it with friends too.. it's strange as shit, kinda scary. But I never thought to apply it to my art. I certainly will now ! Great suggestion.

Jeremy Mitchell

Look at other peoples stuff, ask yourself "is this as good as theirs?"

Then cry a lot and try harder next time.

Wendy de Boer

In addition to some of the tricks mentioned, here's what I do:

- Look at cross-sections. Attempt to find reference of said cross-sections. (such as technical drawings, anatomical plates, scan data, MRI, forensic imaging)

- Spend more time studying the model at unusually high or low angles. Attempt to find reference of said angles.

- For character art: keep a pocket mirror handy to study small details on yourself, such as the corners of your eyes and the bottom of your nose. The small subtleties are much easier to make out on yourself than on reference photos.

gsokol

I have a very difficult time looking at my work objectively sometimes. I always grab a second set of eyes to look at it...sometimes even a non-artist can spot something painfully obvious that you can't because you are so close to it.

Also, as others have said...take a break, leave it alone for a few days and come back to it. Easier to look at with a fresh mind.

DrunkShaman

Took me a while to get out of the loop of redoing my work after self critiques (objective view.) What I ended up doing was what others have said. I would zoom out and look at my piece, I would also rotate it a little back and forth for a good understanding, I would write it down pointwise regarding what needs to be improved and use reference relevant to what I am going for.

Fomori

Looking at your work when you're not sitting in front of your screen can help. I commute in a bus to work and it's a great opportunity to look at my stuff with fresh eyes. I stick WIP images in my Google Drive / Dropbox and have a good contemplation looking at them on my tablet.

adam

A very easy way to get straight, objective feedback is to right down on a piece of paper what it is you're making/have made. Hide the paper. Ask someone else to look at your finished or WIP and ask them, "What am I making?"

If its on the paper, so far you're doing well.

Ruz

I think that it best to leave it for a few days then go back to it or look at some other work and compare it.
I find that staring at your work for a long time make your mind gloss over the faults.
as an aside what's the longest you have sat painting in zbrush and realised that you have not got either zadd or zsub turned on

I think 2 minutes is my record

Xyniph

In theory, this is something I've started to do a lot to help with forcing fresh eyes. In practice I don't rigidly follow this, but the idea is still helpful.

Find a couple of things that meet the bar you're trying to hit, like 5-10 images or so. Working on something painterly? Grab some of the images from one of the WoW art dumps. Photoreal environment lighting practice, get some interior design magazine images or something.

Now set up a slideshow (and slip your work in there) and randomly flip between the images and start critiquing them in relation to each other. Lighting here is really good, look how well those brush strokes read, that one could have more dynamic values to read better, etc.

Helps me shift gears and force myself to look at my work on the same level as the quality bar I'm aiming to reach rather than tender "I made this" kiddy gloves.

Usually I just flip between browser windows rather than actually set up a slideshow, but you get the idea.