I’ll probably get a lot of flack for this, but here goes anyway:
When I started in ZBrush, it was a fairly new program. I was brand new at digital art, and as anyone who has been around ZBC for any length of time will tell you, the program was more difficult to use in the beginning. So, getting praise for even mediocre work was meaningful and felt very good. The “wow” and “great job” comments I got at that time fueled me to keep creating and provided motivation for me to get better and better.
This was a double-edged sword, unfortunately. I got used to hearing that praise, and people seeked out my advice and techniques. As the level of skill on ZBC increased, people like me (who are mediocre at best, I admit it) got less and less of that positive feedback. For me, I lost much of the joy of posting my work. Now, I rarely post anything, and in fact I rarely feel motivated to create anything period.
I know this is an immature way to react, but it is what it is. Now, when I post, I get about 95% criticism and only maybe 5% pep talk. Makes me shy away from posting at all. I am fully aware that the critiques I get are meant to make me examine my work and improve upon it, but I’m kind of a big baby and would like to hear more of the “oohs and ahhs” that I was used to getting.
I don’t think it hurts the mediocre artist to hear really good things when he/she posts a Bowling Ball with Lips. It’s like telling your 5 year old that the scribble he made really looks like a tiger hunting an octopus in space. It helps to nurture his creativity and encourages him to keep trying.
That being said, none of us is a 5 year old, and we should be able to take criticism without pouting and storming off to our rooms. I would suggest maybe tempering your comments about what can be improved with additional comments about what IS good about the work submitted.
“Yes, Johnny. I see that you have made a tiger hunting an octopus. Maybe take a look at some tiger pictures and notice how long the body is related to the length of his legs. That would make it a bit better, but you’ve captured the fierce look in his eyes very well.”
If we could all create the amazing pictures that so many ZBC members submit, I think that would be great. But we can’t, and I don’t think it’s right to discourage the Johnnies of our community by only telling them how crappy their scribble looks, or simply ignoring them altogether. The positive feedback is one of the things that has made so many people fall in love with this forum.
On a side note: Why does everyone suddenly have a Scrapbook Thread? That is so annoying. I would like to read a thread that focuses on a single project, rather than having to weed through 6 months worth of stuff that I already saw when it was first added to the Sketchbook, just to get to the new stuff.
Edit: I checked out some of Codeman’s threads, and there were alot of these “wow” and “amazing” comments there. Would you have preferred that those comments were not made? Or, do you feel that your work was greater than mediocre? I’m not saying it was mediocre, I’m just wondering where you place yourself in this debate?
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or too 
), but they are a priceless and free resource. ZBC is one of the most active and useful out there, too. 
