AdderXYU wrote:People need to stop presuming that just because someone enters they are an artist. Nope. I'm still just a hobby drawer, and so are most of these "artists" you say I should be easier on
There is one opinion, though, that the way one should treat another does not depend on whether that other is a hobbyist, an artist, or an untalented fool who repeatedly submits garbage and never seems to bother reading the rules. The opinion is that all these submitters are, in fact, people, and thus should be treated as much respect as any other person... and not with hatred or scorn. Clearly this is not an opinion shared by everyone.
Certainly it is true that this is a competition, and that those who do not obey the rules of the competition should be prepared to have their designs rejected. That, in itself, seems sufficient penalty for not following directions.
The desire that some have (in the past) voiced to attempt to raise the overall quality of the derby entries (in order to attract better designers, perhaps) is an admirable one. The method one uses to attempt to achieve this goal, though, must be chosen with care. One could argue that extremely polite commentary does not discourage low-quality designers from submitting. It seems, though, that (despite a general pervasive nastiness that sometimes surrounds these boards) anger does not seem to drive away these submissions either. What's more, there is a risk that many good designers see how poorly newcomers are treated and decide to take their art elsewhere.
There are, of course, various opinions on all these matters. One cannot claim to know positively what unseen effects all of one's actions have on those nearby. It is up to each of us to decide what the balance should be between politeness and scorn. It is certainly possible to be far, far too polite to people. It is also possible to be far too scornful as well. Perhaps, with practice, a good middle ground can be found.
