I enter contests.  A lot.  Basically, whenever someone points me to a design contest, I try my hardest to get something into it.  I always think of it as a way to at least get my work out there, and maybe find a place for all my doodle skills.  So when this Red Vines contest presented itself several years ago, I thought, “AWESOME!”  I love their logo.

The contest requirements were to use any single-color medium, and feature the Red Vines logo.  I think they also said something about referencing the origins of Red Vines, which they describe as “Deeply rooted in the traditions of the American West.”

So I drew a goofy cowboy dude lassoing with a Red Vines rope!!!  Simple, yeah, but I thought the fun would be in the package design, and how it’d look on an actual box.  In the world of painting, “single-color” usually means black & white & one color.  I mean, the term “monochromatic” even is defined as “a hue modified by the addition of black, gray (black + white) and white.”  So…sweet!  I got this.  Right?

Um.  Wrong.  The winning pieces were announced online, and while I don’t remember them specifically, I remember with distinction that most of them were done in PENCIL.  I mean…PENCIL.  None of the ones I saw actually took the package design (including the “window”) into consideration, other than drawing in a long, rectangular area.  And not many of them had ANYTHING to do with the history of the gosh-darned American West.  Are you KIDDING me?!?!

I must’ve totally misunderstood SOMETHING.  Maybe I was too literal.  I’m not saying I’m super awesome or anything, but whatever I’m putting out to the world, the world doesn’t always really “get” it.  I’m not saying I should win every contest I enter, but dang!  Not even an honorable mention?!?  I apparently was a little too gracious with my definition of “single-color,” as it most likely referred more to the print industry.  My bad.  And I suppose I should’ve drawn the furthest thing from a cowboy.  …A space alien, maybe?

SIGH!  That’s usually my luck, when it comes to contests.  Aaaaaaaah, well.  Another one down the drain.   But that’s okay–I like Twizzlers better, anyway.  😀