Okay, whew. Here we go. If you’ve read some of my older blog posts, like this and this, you’ll know that despite my best efforts, I have amassed quite a considerable amount of success at FAILING in the realm of “contests” (see how I put a positive spin on that?).
Contests primarily function to draw outside viewers to a certain website/blog. Meaning if I have a mediochre entry, I can remedy my mediocrity as long as I can simply get enough people to vote for my mediochre entry, thus drawing attention to the website and gaining favor. Totally understandable. I get that. But totally inaccurate, and unfair, in my opinion. Heartbreak ensues.
So I decided to run my OWN contest.
Not because I want to reign supreme and lord over all things art. Not to finally be the “one in charge” of choosing a winner. (Actually, that part worries me, as a frequent non-winner. I know how it feels not to win, and I am going to dislike being the person to be the cause of that for someone.) So you want to know why I’m holding a contest, then? Really? Because I appreciate everyone who reads the stuff I post…and because I REALLY want to see what you all can do with this.
After the Collaborations post made such a hubub, I thought it might be fun to have you all try it out for yourselves. So I drew a head for you.
I’d like you to make something awesome with it….BUT HERE’S the CATCH: you have to make it WITH ANOTHER PERSON. You could have a kid help. You could have a friend help. A grandmother, a neighbor, a relative, a stranger. Anyone! And you don’t have to paint–you can sew, you can paste, you can marker, doodle, photograph, whatever. You can paint or draw on top of it, or cut it out. (And if you’re going to cheat and only create something by yourself, at least have the decency to use your nondominant hand as your collaborator, since I’ll have no real way of monitoring this) There doesn’t have to be any deep meaning, or it even look like you imagined it would. The beauty is in the experience of creating something WITH someone else. Of not trying too hard to MAKE it be something, and just enjoying what it becomes.
Then scan or take a picture of what you created, and send it to me by Oct 14th at busymockingbird@gmail.com.
(And do I have to say this? Please, don’t send me anything obscene or disgusting. I mean, my FOUR YEAR OLD will eventually be looking at these, and I’d like to not traumatize her until she’s at least in her teens.)
And here’s the deal: the winner won’t be determined by the number of posts you make or likes you get. Maybe that would benefit me in some way, but it’s not fair. So the winner will be determined by my daughter and me. We’ll pick which one is the most creative, most interesting, most enjoyable. I’ll post a bunch of them up on the facebook page in the process, just to show you all what other people are doing. Just like in Highlander, there can be only one. But I might be compelled to throw in a small print for a few runners up….so feel free to share this post on Facebook to have friends try it too!
So what does the winner get? Hm. Well, after taking suggestions via facebook, I’ve decided that the prize will be a signed custom collaboration portrait by my daughter and me. I’ll put some stipulations here, since I don’t want my daughter chained to an art table, sweating away… No more than two faces for the winner. I draw them, and she turns them into whatever she fancies. (I can sometimes give her suggestions, but she usually goes in her own direction, and I’m not going to scold her for using her imagination. I can’t MAKE her draw something specific, but I can suggest it.) Then I paint it up, we sign it, and send it to you! Sound good?
The thing is, I’d REALLY like you to to do something special to YOU. Find a loved one, meet a new person, collaborate with someone at a nursing home or a hospital. Have a classroom help. Get creative, and ENJOY it, not just because you want to win, but to really enjoy the experience!
So to recap:
1. Do something awesome with this head. (right click the image, save it to your desktop, print it out–thick paper might work best)
2. Create it WITH another person.
3. Send a picture or scan of it to me at busymockingbird@gmail.com.
4. Deadline is OCT 14! My daughter & I will pick the winner, and announce it a few days later.
5. Winner gets a signed custom portrait!!
This is the first contest I’ve ever run. I’m not a pro at this or anything. We’ll see how it goes. I mainly want to see everyone get creative and have fun in the process, so I’ll do my best to make sure I work it out right on my end. So I wish you all luck!!!
Are you ready? Are you SET? THEN GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
busy mockingbird 
Oh, snap! This is gonna be FUUUUUNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!
Love this! Even if it weren’t a contest, I win because you just gave me a free, fun, fabulous activity to do with the kiddos. Cheers & thank you!
Awesome! But who to collaborate with? Decisions, decisions!
I agree with Karen. Win-win going on here! Thank you! 🙂
Great idea! 🙂
will you set the gallery section for the entries? i would love to see other’s artworks 😀
Yep, I’m going to show them on the FB page and post some on the blog. I hope you join in!
yes!!
thank you very much!! :DD
your artworks are very inspiring ^_^
xxx
You know, this is one of the very few blogs I follow regularly. You bring such joy. Thank you for what you do and what you share, and for this fabulous contest too. I’ll be doing this with my daughter!
Great idea!!!
I’m going to ask my son-in-law! I bet he’ll be thrilled to do a project with me! ha ha! : )
I’m going to ask my son-in-law to do it. I bet he’ll be “thrilled” to enjoy a fun project with me! (Ha Ha) He has no choice. He has my daughter, I need his talent! Sounds like a fair trade to me! I feel a “win” coming on… : )
SWEET! I am a preschool teacher… I figure I’ve got good odds. 😉 We shall see!
Can’t wait to see!
How awesome! Definitely going to give this a go. Am wondering… may we enter more than once with different partners?
Sure thing! Thanks
[…] this, I went and liked the busy mockingbird on facebook I’ve just seen Mica’s running a competition….. I think you should all get involved… basically… Mica draws the head, you and a friend […]
That’ really an innovative contest concept! 🙂
Can we submit more than one!? I wanna make one with a friend and one with my little girl (and maybe one with my right and left hands, hehe).
Most certainly!
In reference to the above post asking you to post other entries in Gallery format….
“The beauty is in the experience of creating something WITH someone else. Of not trying too hard to MAKE it be something, and just enjoying what it becomes.”
Your above quote pretty much sums up why we have founded our website, an online creativity sharing site with social networking features, complete with Galleries, Collections, and Friend links and private messages.
As a newbie myself, I would love to extend you the offer to feature the posts you receive via this contest in a featured Gallery on the home page of http://www.miativity.com. This would be helpful to both of us by providing much appreciated exposure to creative types.
Would you consider checking out my site and possibly featuring all the entries for this contest that you receive? It would also provide all contest entrants a chance to feel special and chosen, even if they do not, in fact, win the prize!
I thank you in advance for taking the time to read my message.
All the best to you!
Phyllis Collar
http://www.miativity.com
“My creativity. Shared.”
ps…I also plan to enter contest with my daughter! Sounds like tons of fun and right up our alley!! Thanks again.
Ah, finding someone to collaborate is the only slightly painful part because I’m stuck in a place away from all my friends, whom I could count on for this 🙂 . But thanks for the great idea, will definitely try to make it.
One more thing, this is drawn on handmade paper, right? What ink/paint did you use to make this?
Love your (and your daughter’s) work.
Well, you could always meet someone new! As for the paper, it’s a natural-grain paper sketchbook. Not the lumpy handmade kind, but smooth. I draw in ballpoint pen and color over in Prismacolor markers and acrylic paints. Thank you so much!
Thanks 🙂
You could always collaborate with your far-away friends digitally… either draw something in traditional media, scan it, and layer it onto the digital image of the base illustration, or just draw/paint right onto it in a computer paint program.
This is what I’m doing with one of my partners who I know from another site. I’m in California and she’s in the UK, but we’ll be taking turns working on the picture and sending the other the file for the updated version with the progress we’ve made. =)
S friend of mine and I are on something – hopefully we can finish it by the deadline 🙂 . thanks Rachel.
Are you allowing cropping or enlarging of the “canvas” size, or changing of the face illustration’s position on the finished piece?
Whatever you like! Get creative with it!
Is this open worldwide? 🙂
Sure thing! The entries are sent via email, so give it a shot!
Yay! Will work on this with my kids! Thanks!
Well, shame on me for not checking my email sooner. I work long hours, much OT, so I am always behind on everything. However, I am anxious to see what develops from your followers artistic imaginations. If this is successful, perhaps this is something you will do again in the future, maybe holiday themed. I will try to keep up and join in.