As anyone who follows me knows, I make all of my works critiqueable, and periodically write critiques of my own. During my time here, I have noticed certain trends in how critiques are written. Often, those who take on the admittedly uncomfortable task of criticizing someone else's work avoid making negative comments altogether. They will write glowing accounts of the strengths of a work, and then omit altogether any discussion of flaws, weaknesses, or areas for improvement. I believe that negative comments are essential to the proper functioning of the critique system. Negative comments do not have to be accusatory, inflammatory, personal, or polemical, but should focus on the critic's perception of the weaknesses of a given piece. An honest review of a work includes addressing its flaws, and failing to do so is not really a critique, in my opinion, but simply praise. It's always nice to receive praise, and I personally thank everyone who chooses to bestow it upon me, but it does not help improve me as an artist. Negative comments, however, do help me to improve, and I believe most artists use negative comments to that end. Of course, it's possible to go too far in the opposite direction, and not every negative comment is worthy of consideration, but omitting them altogether is a mistake. If all you have for my works are praise, that's fine. Just leave a comment saying, "I like this." Critiques are for helping artists to improve their work. For those looking to start writing critiques, here is some advice. Find at least one negative thing to say about a work, and one positive thing to say. I would recommend putting the positive first. You can certainly add more onto that, but having them both gives the artist something to work with.