I agree SES. In some art groups we have workshop sessions where we critique each others work, and a very helpful way of dishing out a criticism is by sandwiching the negative in between two positives. This method proves to be effective for most of us. Starting off with a compliment or a good comment will not be taken defensively on the first instance, and following the negative with another positive will not leave a bad impression. (But I'm not saying you have to force yourself to think of two positive things just for the sake of. Hehehehe...) Example: "The image looks dull." And sandiwiching the critique: "The image is well-composed and gets your concept across. However IMHO the colors need to be enhanced a bit to emphasize the subject matter. With a little tweaking, I think this will really make a good study for an ad." (*