Critiquing a Company's Sculpts?

Well, I can honestly say that I don't find negative feedback on Scarlet sculpt a fair thing. She's not a cherry in the wine, but that's the point of the hobby - all dolls are different.

Some years ago limhwa released a new body and it was horrible to my tastes (it still is), but other customers purchased this body and were very content.
I think listening to offensive coments is wrong for an artist because most likely even resculpted a doll won't be purchased by those people who allready has gone negative about it.
People can be idiots sometimes, and listening to them won't fix that.
On the other hand that's the purpose of the board - to give feedback to the artist no matter if it is good or ill.

Anyway I think being rude is wrong though. No matter whether you are giving feedback to the artist, purchasing something in the shop or talking with your family - being rude and insulting is still wrong anywhere.

 

There are a lot of rude, entitled people who think their opinions are more important than anyone else's. And that means there are some in the bjd world, too.

It's always annoying to see the messages from these people, but there's not much we can do about it. We can only hope they develop some maturity and civility and learn how to express themselves in a more helpful way.

The rest of us know that if we don't like a sculpt, we just don't buy it. And we know that not everything in the world has to cater to what we like. We know that being hateful and making criticism that doesn't actually help anyone/thing is rude and wrong.

 

I just looked up pictures of Scarlet and think she's beautiful. What a shame.

 

I think that even if something is really badly sculpted, there's always a way to communicate that to the artist without being an ass. I've seen what some people wrote about Clockwork Butterfly's Endou - yes, I too think that he is not ready to sell, and will not be for a long time, but the artist is very enthusiastic and has some nice ideas, which should be encouraged, yet only a few people left helpful comments, most were rude and ad personam.

 

Honestly, whenever I come across rude, hurtful comments on someone's artworks, I can't help thinking: "Boy, I'd like to see YOU jerks do better!" It's always easy to say something's ugly when you don't have to come up with something yourself that looks so much better ... Take the constructive criticism and just forget about the other stuff. I, personally, saw no need to change Scarlett and though I can't see much of a difference compared to the older version, I actually kinda like her a little less I think just for knowing she was changed because customers demanded it ...

 

I was very sad when I heard about this incident from a friend. I saw the 'old' Scarlet and thought that she was one of the most interesting sculpts I've seen so far. But really beautiful in a not-too-perfect-for-this-planet sort of way. I thought she was one of the most - if not the most - Iplehouse'ish dolls Iplehouse has ever made. Realistic and super beautiful. So sad Iplehouse decided to resculpt her. The new version is pretty, but not as interesting as before.
But yeah, some people just don't want to face the fact that the people who read their hateful comments actually have a lot of investment (money, time, FEELINGS AND PRIDE) in these products. And I'm sure those who made those useless comments will never buy her anyway. They just wanted to flame someone/something. -___-

 

Obviously it goes without saying that the downright negative hurtful comments are wrong in so many ways. I thought Scarlet was gorgeous too. She did indeed have strong sharp features but thats just a different sculpt that suits different tastes.

I think it's okay to let companies know what you think or what you want to see more of, in a civilised manner of course, and I think its great that companies take their customer's views and opinions to account when releasing dolls and products. However in this case, it seems that the number of negative comments and backlash IH received was too overwhelming to continue selling the doll, which is the sad part. Usually its a number of people, that don't affect the companies decision. But this, this has obviously been a great number

I don't think I should be surprised or offended if people think my being in the hobby is childish. In truth, many people are plain childish and its ruining it for the rest of us. -_-

 

Really? I still see her for sale up on their website--maybe they put her back up again? In any case, I like the new sculpt

 

They pulled the sales, re-sculpted her, and offered her new version for sale, as far as I know.

 

I'm sorry Iplehouse had to deal with such a tidalwave of negativity, and I feel terrible for the person who sculpted Scarlet. She was beautiful and perfectly fine before. Shame on those people whose comments forced a sculpt change. Personally, I think it is wrong to harshly critique a sculpt, especially when said criticizer has no idea how to sculpt a doll in the first place.

 

I think constructive criticism can be great for companies. If a large portion of their fans (and potential buyers) aren't pleased with a sculpt and are silent about it, the company may wonder why that particular doll didn't sell well. No one should be cruel about it, though. I like the rule of saying something positive, giving your criticism (or opinion), and then either giving another positive comment or at least a polite goodbye. For instance, someone could say "I appreciate that you're trying something new with your sculpt, but I'm not a fan of female dolls with such masculine features. I would love to see a more traditionally feminine doll next time! BTW, her outfit is gorgeous." That might sound entitled to some, but if no one commented, Iplehouse might think that the pirate theme was what discouraged people from buying her (that's just assuming she wouldn't have sold well before). If someone just said "OMG so UGLY and makes me SICK to look at ", that's both mean spirited and not remotely helpful. Personally, I can't tell that she looks much different from their other dolls, and would have thought their customers would like her.

 

Yup, that's what they did.
The regulars in the Iple threads weren't too thrilled with Scarlet, but the kind of rudeness quoted above? That's just way out of order.

 

Agreed. I read some of the comments at the site, and it's one thing to say you don't like a sculpt, it's another to be so blatantly insulting about something someone has worked so hard on. It's rude and disrespectful.

 

I think that the only way this discussion can go is in circles. IMO an artist creates what they want, and if you don't like it, don't buy it. There is no way anyone can say that Iplehouse does not offer impeccably sculpted dolls. Peoples personal tastes don't really need to be factored in.
There are so many artists who at first are so maligned, only to become darlings. I know myself I have seen sculpts that I have thought omg that is the most hideous thing, to find myself buying one a year later.
Tastes change, artistic trends change, every minute of every day.
I think Iplehouse is awfully generous to give space or thought to any entitled small minded person who would actually post something obnoxiously negative on their site. Personally I find it offensive to use transgendered, transvestite, or any other term as negative.
But, oh well.
Also, I don't know if any aesthetic criticism is "helpful". Helpful for what?
Helpful maybe for technical, or engineering things ie, the knees don't bend right, to that effect, not ewwww, that's fugly. If that were so, Doll Chateau would have shut down in a week. (disclaimer : I am not saying DC dolls are ugly, just that was the reaction they first got). If a company just offers the same old, they become quite dull I think.

 

Aesthetic criticism does have the potential to be helpful, but not necessarily in the way it was presented here. Saying "eew that's fugly" isn't helpful. Saying "The eyes are asymmetrical and the nose is off-center" or "The ears are out of alignment and positioned too high on the head," however, can be helpful. But those are more objective criticisms, where Scarlet was the "victim" (so to speak) of subjective criticism, where people simply didn't care for her overall aesthetic.

While Iplehouse's dolls are not my style, and I'm not in the market for any female SDs, I will say that I liked the uniqueness of the original Scarlet, now that I've seen the comparison between the two. The new version doesn't have that same character to it, but if that same character was a detriment to sales to those who do like Iplehouse's style and would indeed be buying, then in the end, it matters more what those people think than what I personally think. However, wording the criticism in the way they did is certainly not helpful and uncalled for. It's unfortunate that, when people find themselves in the "anonymity" of the digital world, they feel the need to say things they'd never dream of saying to someone's face.

 

People have a right to critique an artist's work as long as the critique is constructive and useful. Attacks on the artist and any other hateful speech is not constructive or helpful one bit. If I didn't like a sculpt I could just chalk it up to individual taste. What the artist may have intended may not sit well with me, but that doesn't mean I'm going to attack the piece of art.

 

That's one of the problems... That the few vocal people can make a company think a lot of people hate a sculpt, when there are quiet people out there who might have bought that sculpt! It means that the quiet people pretty much get shafted by the haters along with the company, and that's terrible.

It is nice that a company listens to comments and suggestions. Hopefully they will understand that a lot of people just feel the need to have their say and those people might never even want to buy a doll from that company. There can be big problems if a company listens too much to comments. It's always better to follow their own artistic vision and just find the people who like that, rather than cater to the noisy people who might not even be buyers. Artists who are passionate about what they do and honest about it, will make a better sculpture than someone who is not sure or might not even like what they are working on--but are doing it because they think that is what some people want.

Criticism, valid criticism, should always be positive. And it should always be given only when asked for, and always politely.

Positive doesn't mean "oh, it's fantastic!" It means the comments should be constructive (helpful) and given in a way that can actually be useful, not just bash.

But feedback isn't always useful to companies. It's often difficult to know what will sell and what won't. It's possible that the new Scarlett might sell less than the original might have, despite all the comments. Some one might feel they have some insight into what sells and what doesn't and why--but it is most likely just their own opinion, and it might not have anything to do with why other people are or aren't buying.

So, the least someone can do when giving un-asked-for comments is to be nice about it.

 

Pretty much what other people have said. If you don't like a sculpt you simply don't buy it. There's quite a few sculpts I am not fond of, but I wouldn't go out of my way to criticize them, it is just plain rude.

Criticism = the analysis and judgement of the merits and faults of a literary or artistic work. It doesn't mean flat out bashing something with useless rude comments.

 

Critique all you like. If an artist, of any kind, puts their work out into the public eye, it is fair game for critique. But...

To critique something is to evaluate in a detailed and analytical way. Insults, rude comments, or even a non-detailed expression of dislike (or on the other side, gushing non-specific expressions of adoration) are not critiques. Fine to say 'I don't like' or 'I don't find X sculpt attractive'. But even 'I think that doll is ugly' is on the line to me - and anything more vehement is definitely not ok in a public forum.

On Scarlet in particular, I admit to wondering if the artist themselves was that happy with the original? It's hard to imagine that they would have be so quick to redo her if they hadn't agreed on some level that she could be improved.