The document discusses the purpose and benefits of critiques for artists. It states that critiques are meant to help artists grow, not make them feel like failures. Receiving objective feedback allows artists to see their work without biases and gain insight on how their art communicates. Analyzing and discussing art helps develop judgment skills to avoid mistakes and see how to improve one's own work. The document provides instructions for an assemblage critique activity where participants discuss each other's works using guided questions.

1. A few words about critiques… Although these activities can at times leave an artist feeling vulnerable or inadequate, they are only intended to help you think more deeply about how you can be better. These activities are not meant to make you feel like a failure, but to help you know how to succeed. We cannot grow in life nor can we grow in art if we do not have a source of objective feedback. A critique provides us with some insight into how our artwork is communicating without our personal feelings, attachment, thoughts processes, or biases getting in the way. Think of it as a friend telling you that you’ve got food in your teeth. They mean no harm, they are simply telling you something that you cannot see on your own. Analyzing and talking about art helps us develop our own judgment skills. We do spend time judging all day long, be it deciding if that girl’s pants match her shirt or if we like what the cafeteria is serving for lunch. But it isn’t until we really sit down and think about why those colors don’t go together or what doesn’t quite taste right about the Tuna Surprise that we can avoid making the same mistakes in our clothing choices or cooking. Being able to talk about what works well and what needs growth in another person’s artwork helps us do the same thing with our work without feeling so bad about it.

2. Assemblage Critique Put up your composition and affix the sticky note from the top of the pile on it. Choose a number out of the hat and find the corresponding artwork. Discuss the following topics on sticky notes: Close your eyes. Keep them closed. When you open them, remember what the first thins is that you notice. Why did you see it first? Where did your eyes go after the first thing you noticed? What elements and principles did the artist use to direct your eyes in this way? Talk about the composition of this work. Is it effective in keeping you engaged in the work of art or would you move or change something to make it more interesting? What are the strengths of this piece? Specifically name at least two things that keep you interested in this work of art. Based on what you’ve observed about the strength's of this piece, give this artist a few ideas of how they can challenge themselves on the next assignment. What are some areas of growth that this person could pursue? What could they do to make this work even better? Affix your comments to the edge of this artwork. Return to your seat and wait quietly when you are finished.

3. Texture Studies Observe your object with as much detail as you can. Feel it with your eyes closed. Find the darkest areas and the lightest highlights. Think about what the object is used for, how it is made, and how its texture is related to its purpose. What role does the texture play in the “life” of your object? Describe the shape and texture of your object in words. Try to describe the texture as if you were telling someone without a sense of touch. Describe it as though you were explaining it to a blind person. What shapes are there within the texture? Make a list of of ten adjectives that describe the texture of your object. Distill the texture down to a basic pattern. What series of shapes can you find within the texture. Would you describe the texture as being geometric or organic? What basic shape best fits this texture? Design a pattern that might be applied to a fabric or wallpaper based on the texture of your object. What shapes will you use? What areas will be dark and what areas will be light? Is the pattern simple or complex?

4. Draw a two-inch square. With as much detail as you can, fill this square with the texture of your object. Draw the basic structure with pencil and fill in the rest with pen. Check the proportions within the texture to make sure everything is in the right place. Look for every nuance and shade within your values. Make sure you are using the full value scale 4. Draw a four-inch square. Inside this square, do a zoomed-out drawing of your object so that you can tell what the whole thing is. Think about the composition of your object within this square. You object needs to touch at least two sides of your square. 5. Choose two more objects with textures strongly contrasting your original object. Place this textured object next to your first. Draw a second 4- inch square. Inside this square, draw the two new objects and your first object so that their textures fill the entire picture plane. Arrange the textures/objects in a pleasing way (think about rule of thirds, amounts, balance, ect).