Providing Effective Feedback
Your feedback is the most powerful tool for guiding artists toward creating designs that match your vision. Effective feedback helps artists understand your preferences, refine their concepts, and ultimately create better designs for your tattoo contest.
The Impact of Good Feedback
Quality feedback transforms good submissions into great ones and helps artists who are on the right track create exceptional final designs. Artists rely on your input to understand whether they're interpreting your brief correctly and what adjustments would better align with your vision.
When you provide specific, constructive feedback, artists can make targeted improvements rather than guessing what changes might please you. This leads to more refined submissions and increases your chances of receiving a design that perfectly captures what you're looking for.
Active feedback also encourages more artist participation. When artists see that you're engaged and providing helpful guidance, they're more likely to invest additional time and effort into creating multiple concepts or refining existing submissions.
Types of Effective Feedback
Directional Feedback helps artists understand whether they're moving in the right direction with their concept. Comments like "I love this style approach" or "This captures the mood I'm looking for" encourage artists to continue developing similar concepts.
Specific Improvement Suggestions give artists concrete actions they can take to better align with your vision. Instead of saying "I don't like this," try "The wolf looks too aggressive - I'd prefer a more peaceful, wise expression" or "The geometric patterns are too busy - simpler, cleaner lines would work better."
Technical Guidance helps artists understand practical considerations for your tattoo. Comments about size, placement, or how the design would work on your body help artists create more tattoo-appropriate designs.
Comparative Feedback helps artists understand your preferences by comparing different submissions. "I prefer the line weight in Design A but the composition of Design B" gives artists clear direction for combining the best elements.
Feedback Best Practices
Start with positive elements before suggesting improvements. This approach encourages artists while still providing guidance for refinement. "I love the overall composition and style - if we could adjust the facial expression to be more serene, this would be perfect" is more effective than focusing only on what needs to change.
Be specific about what you like and don't like rather than giving vague responses. "The shading is too heavy" is more helpful than "something seems off." Specific feedback allows artists to make targeted adjustments rather than guessing what might improve the design.
Explain the reasoning behind your preferences when possible. "I want the design to flow with my shoulder curve, so a more vertical composition would work better" helps artists understand not just what to change but why the change is important.
Ask questions when you're unsure about aspects of a design. "How would this level of detail work for a 4-inch tattoo?" or "Could this design be simplified while keeping the same impact?" helps you understand the practical implications of different design choices.
Timing Your Feedback
Provide feedback promptly after submissions are posted. Artists often check back regularly to see your response, and quick feedback allows them to incorporate your suggestions into subsequent submissions or revisions.
Don't wait until the end of your contest to provide detailed feedback. Early guidance helps shape the direction of all submissions, while late feedback may not give artists enough time to make meaningful adjustments.
Consider providing interim feedback even if you're not ready to make final decisions. "This is heading in the right direction - I'd love to see how this concept develops" encourages artists to continue refining promising submissions.
Common Feedback Mistakes
Avoid feedback that's too general or vague. Comments like "make it better" or "I don't like it" don't give artists actionable guidance for improvement. Instead, identify specific elements that could be adjusted and explain what changes would better match your vision.
Don't contradict your original brief without explanation. If you're changing requirements based on seeing initial submissions, explain the evolution of your thinking so artists understand the new direction.
Avoid comparing submissions in ways that discourage participation. Instead of "This is much better than all the others," try "This captures exactly the style I'm looking for" which provides positive reinforcement without discouraging other artists.
Don't request major changes that fundamentally alter the artist's concept unless you're willing to acknowledge that you're asking for essentially a new design. Respect the creative work artists have already invested while providing guidance for refinement.
Encouraging Artist Engagement
Ask follow-up questions about submissions that interest you. "Could you show me how this would look with different color options?" or "What would this design look like if we simplified the background?" encourages artists to explore variations.
Acknowledge creative solutions and innovative approaches even if they're not exactly what you envisioned. "I hadn't considered this approach - it's really interesting" shows appreciation for artistic creativity while keeping options open.
Provide feedback that helps artists understand your personal connection to the design. "This captures the spiritual meaning I'm looking for" or "This feels too aggressive for what I want to represent" helps artists understand the emotional aspects of your vision.
Managing Multiple Submissions
When providing feedback on multiple submissions, try to give each artist some constructive input rather than only commenting on your favorites. This encourages continued participation and often leads to improved submissions from artists who might surprise you with refinements.
Use your feedback to guide the overall direction of your contest. If multiple artists are interpreting your brief similarly but missing a key element, address this in your feedback to help guide future submissions.
Consider how your feedback to one artist might influence others. Public feedback helps all participating artists understand your preferences and adjust their approaches accordingly.
Sample Effective Feedback
Instead of: "I don't like this" Try: "The concept is interesting, but the style feels too cartoonish for what I'm looking for. I'd prefer something with more realistic proportions and stronger line work."
Instead of: "This is good" Try: "I love the composition and the way you've incorporated the geometric elements. The line weight works perfectly for the size I'm planning. Could you show me how this would look with slightly more contrast in the shading?"
Instead of: "Make it better" Try: "This is heading in the right direction. The wolf's expression captures what I'm looking for, but I'd like to see the background simplified so it doesn't compete with the main subject. Also, could you try a more vertical orientation to better fit my shoulder placement?"
Remember that your feedback is a collaboration tool. The goal is to work with artists to refine their creative vision into something that perfectly matches your needs while respecting their artistic expertise and creative investment in your project.