"Did you ever think that the badly rendered drawing that got high praise might have just been some members encouragement to someone struggling? That maybe the "enlightened, lenient" ones were trying to help someone from being discouraged?" AgentSmith, when you create something and send it into the world, to quote a certain American by the name of Fussel, IIRC, you're out in the open with your pants down. Anybody who passes can say whatever they want. On the other hand, saying "this is crap" doesn't really say anything. See, no arguments for the work being crap. People who are not up to speed in anything don't know why their work is not good. On the third hand, being "lenient", IN MY OPINION, doesn't help people, and may even cause them to stay at the beginning. I'd rather have ten negative reasoned reviews than a single "lenient" one. Finally, if you have to say something negative, there is a way beside saying "this is crap". Point out the mistakes, errors, misconceptions. Praise what's good in the work. But don't say "this is crap" if you don't want a quarrel, or don't say "this is great" if you want people to progress. BTW, this kind of thing is not restricted to Renderosity or to pictures. We had this discussion in a writing group I frequent a while ago. Funnily, it was the person receiving a good, reasoned negative review of the work who thought that it was unfair.

-- erlik