Artist Daily : Art Competitions

Paint What You Love

Courtney Jordan — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:02:00 GMT

We're pleased to announce that the Grand Prize winner in the "What Do You Love?" watercolor art contest is Johne Richardson, of Overland Park, Kansas. Congratulations, Johne!

The winning image will be featured alongside the artist's other work in a feature article in the June 2013 issue of Watercolor Artist magazine, which will be available online and at bookstores in late April. In the meantime, you can see Johne's work on his website.

The winners of the competition's first-, second-, and third-place prizes are, respectively, Iain Stewart, of Opelika, Alabama; Elaine Daily-Birnbaum, of Madison, Wisconsin; and Cindy Brabec-King, of Palisade, Colorado. Honorable mentions have been awarded to Misha Kuznetsov, Bev Jozwiak, Tripp Harrison, Sandy O'Connor, Marsha Chandler, Rosa Inez Vera, Laurin McCracken, Patrick Varriano, Carrie Waller and Larry Seymour. All these artists' winning works will be seen in the June issue of Watercolor Artist.

The art contest was judged by Mary Whyte, a well-known artist, instructor and author; Jim McFarlane, the current president of the American Watercolor Society; John Parks, an artist and regular contributor to American Artist and Watercolor magazines; and the Watercolor Artist magazine staff.

Congratulations to our winners and thanks to everyone who entered!

Announcing the winners of Drawing Magazine's 2012 Shades of Gray Competition!

Austin R. Williams — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:49:00 GMT

We are thrilled to announce that the Grand Prize winner in Drawing magazine's Shades of Gray competition is Joseph Crone, of Indianapolis. Congratulations, Joseph!

The winning image will be featured alongside the artist's other work in a feature article in the spring 2013 issue of Drawing, which will be available online and at bookstores in May. In the meantime, you can see Joseph's amazing colored pencil work on his website.

The winners of the competition's first-, second-, and third-place prizes are, respectively, Joseph Dillon, of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania; Robin Smith, of Littleton, Colorado; and Terry Kelly, of Pasadena, California. Honorable mentions have been awarded to Dennis Angel, Wendy Jones Donahoe, Teri Hiatt, J. D. Hillberry, Robin Kappy, Danli Liang, Roger C. Long, Andrew Parris, Connie Lynn Reilly, and Robert Jay Silverman. All these artists' winning works will be seen in the spring issue of Drawing.

The competition was judged by Peter Drake, of the New York Academy of Art; Jon deMartin, a well-known instructor and regular contributor to Drawing; and the magazine's staff.

We would like to offer huge congratulations to our winners and also extend our thanks to everyone who entered--the field of entries may have been the strongest for any competition in Drawing's history.

Stay posted to Artist Daily for information about future drawing competitions, coming soon!

--Austin

Not Created Equal

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:20:00 GMT

Not all art competitions are created equal. There are some that are themed art contests, and others are more open-ended about narrative. One art competition could have an open call for artists, and another could require its participants to submit work for evaluation before even being considered for judging.


	Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, oil on canvas, circa 1630.

There are drawing competitions as well as painting competitions. Some can be online and others can result in an actual exhibition of the prize-winning work. One could be a free art contest and another could have a fee attached to it.

Whew! That is a lot of ground to cover and a lot to consider in terms of where you should focus your time and energy. Now, I'm only one person, but I do know that Southwest Art magazine has a history of strong competitions that can give artists a lot of decent coverage and exposure.


Self-Portrait by Jacek Malczewski, oil on canvas, 1892.

Right now, Southwest Art is having their 2012 Artistic Excellence Art Competition, in which emerging and established artists are being showcased. Prizes include having your art featured on the magazine's cover, cash prizes, and tons of art books from North Light publishing.

The deadline to enter is August 17, so look around your studio and pick out a painting or drawing that you've been waiting to showoff in a big way. And if you are hesitating—consider that right now all Artist Daily community members receive 10% off your entry fee! How sweet is that?

My particular interest in the 2012 Artistic Excellence Art Competition is that I truly think that when you demand excellence from yourself, the universe rewards you. Sounds a little New Age, but it has always been true for me and I have a feeling it is true for you and your art. So consider entering the 2012 Artistic Excellence Art Competition and reap rewards for the excellence I know you strive for in your painting and drawing. Good luck!

What's in a Nose?

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 03:21:00 GMT

I'm not telling you anything you don't already know when I say that successful portraiture is successful when the portrait artist, foremost, captures a likeness. Yes, I ardently believe that there has to be something more to the story—a sense of the subject's spirit or personality, or something interesting about the composition—but if you can't recognize the person in the portrait painting...that's an issue!


	Portrait de Therese by Balthus, oil painting, 1939.

Portrait artists start with the building blocks of the face and gain the skill to depict those features, and then add their own artistic flavor. One anatomical feature of the face that has always intimidated me is the nose. How to do it justice?! Here are a few tips I've learned on how to depict the nose with a little more nose-how. I mean know-how! (Pure cheese, that one!)

Soft parts and a few strong lines. We all know that the nose has no bone to it, just hardened cartilage and fatty tissue. But that doesn't mean that there aren't strong lines to be found in this feature. The creases where the nostril meets the cheek; perhaps the dip where the nostrils meet at the tip of the nose; and the bridge of the nose can all be defined with stronger shadow or firmer lines. The nostrils themselves and the tip of the nose are where you'll typically go softer.

Think round. When drawing the underlying structure of the nose, artists often use straight lines and angles, and that makes absolute sense to me. But in subsequent stages of a portrait painting don't forget the ball on the tip of the nose. Big or small, broad or narrow, this sphere shape needs to be made distinct with highlights and shadow, and should not be left to the straight lines and edges one starts with.


Portrait of a Man by Titian, oil painting, 1510-12.

A cliff that casts a shadow. I know no one wants to think of their nose as a cliff side, but the underside of the nose is usually cast in shadow, just like a jutting cliff casts a shadow on itself. Put that shadow in. It will immediately give a sense of mass to the nose.

Getting to the point where you can confidently paint a person—eyes, ears, mouth, and especially nose!—means dedication and, sure, a bit of trial and error. But we have a series of DVDs on portrait painting that are here to help you avoid many missteps and get right to the heart of skillfully painted portraits. These are practically full-length portraits in themselves! Learn alongside Burton Silverman with his Portrait of a Young Girl; with David Leffel as he guides us in all of his tried and true methods of Painting the Portrait in Oil; and with Judith Carducci as she showcases her skills in her DVD, Portrait Painting in Pastel, and teaches us what she knows. Enjoy!

P.S. The deadline for one of my favorite art competitions is fast approaching! Southwest Art's 2012 Artistic Excellence Competition is accepting entries until August 17th, and the competition is a great way for artists to gain visibility for their art...plus cash prizes and more! Sweetness!

And right now Artist Daily members get 10% off your entry fee. Sign up now and good luck!

Sometimes You Want People to Stare

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 28 May 2012 03:58:00 GMT

When I was in Art History 101, my professor touted the competition for the design of the Baptistry doors in Florence in 1401 as one of the greatest historic art competitions of all time. In one corner we have the young Lorenzo Ghiberti, only 21 at the time of the competition and the artist who would be remembered for re-developing the lost-wax bronze casting art technique that was once used by the ancient Romans. In the other corner is Filippo Brunelleschi, lauded in his time for his theories of linear perspective and his architectural feats.


Sacrifice of Isaac by Filippo Brunelleschi, 1401-03.		Sacrifice of Isaac by Lorenzo Ghiberti, 1401-03.

Both artists submitted a panel showing the Sacrifice of Isaac, which was to be judged by the guild holding the art contest in order to win the lucrative commission for the Baptistry doors. Brunelleschi's panel is well crafted, showing the saving angel resting a hand on Abraham's arm as he holds the knife to Isaac's throat. The rest of the panel is fairly standard in terms of its inclusions and presentation.


Sacrifice of Isaac (detail) by Lorenzo Ghiberti, 1401-03.

Ghiberti's panel, as I was taught, made people stare. It was a unique interpretation of the story as it shows the indecision of Abraham in the moment just before he plunges the knife—his fluttering sleeve shows that he is in the midst of a striking motion and the foreshortened body of the angel as it thrusts its arm out makes it seem like there were only milliseconds to spare before Isaac would indeed be sacrificed.

Ghiberti also gave a sense of the mount where Abraham brought his son—the craggy hillock that makes a strong diagonal from left to right on the panel recreates the environment where the story took place. And then there is the body of Isaac—sturdy, young, and a testament to the Renaissance ideal of the male form. All in all, there was quite a reaction to Ghiberti's work, which is definitely a significant part of the reason he won the commission.

I love this story. I always have. Mostly because it reiterates that taking a new perspective on a story or a narrative that has been illustrated countless times before can be done and can be done well. Innovation can still exist for contemporary artists too. I take inspiration from Ghiberti on that and I hope you do the same! And to celebrate all the innovation I know you have within you, we are having an Artist Daily Store Sale, which is going on right now. Use the code LOVEART and seize all the instruction you are drawn to and get those inspirational juices flowing. Enjoy!

I'll Be the Judge of That

Courtney Jordan — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:53:00 GMT

As the editor of Artist Daily, I constantly experience art on the screen of my computer. It just isn't possible for me to go everywhere to see everything that I would like to in person, but images in any given online art gallery or art blog have come a long way in terms of quality and the ability to see texture and movement of paint on the surface.


Insh'allah by Marittie de Villiers, acrylic on canvas, 59 x 59.

Experiencing paintings and drawings this way has made me hypersensitive about looking for telltale signs of how a work's surface appears and visually feels. For any given painting, I search for indications about how the brushstrokes are applied in relation to the subject of the work. I ask myself, where and why does my eye go first when looking at a painting? Second? Third? Answering these questions allows me to better understand the artwork even if I'm not able to actually stand in front of it.

I also love to see that the brushwork or mark-making has been honed--that there is a strong skill with blending in places of transition and that passages with daubed applications or broken areas of gradation or color show me something interesting about the artist's gestures. But I also want to be surprised. Color, composition, and subject matter can all play a part in giving a painting or drawing the 'wow' factor that makes it memorable.

As a fledgling, wannabe artist, studying art this way helps me actively teach myself about art techniques that I observe, no matter where or how I see a work. But these aspects of any given painting or drawing are also like a crib sheet for what judges look for and respond to in art competitions. They are certainly what I look for when I'm curating shows and making exhibition selections and paneling competitions, and I'm thrilled that I can announce that American Artist magazine's art competitions for this year have arrived and are accepting submissions right now.

There's the American Artist Show Us Your Very Best art competition and the 75th Anniversary exhibition competition, Drawing magazine's Shades of Gray drawing competition, and Watercolor magazine's What Do You Love competition. All four have notable editors and artists evaluating the submissions. I encourage all of you at Artist Daily to participate with a few of your top works. You've already got an insider's take on what it takes to impress, so take advantage of it and good luck!

It Means Never Having to Say ‘No’

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 03:44:00 GMT

One of my first self-assigned duties at Artist Daily was to get out in the local American art community and see the kind of work that is being made all over the country, what kind of art techniques are gaining in popularity, and how artists are communicating with each other—building networks of art online, participating in art competitions together, and sharing art critiques and art tips in person and over the web. And I have to tell you that this is what I love to do the most—because what I find never gets old and I never see the same thing twice!

This has always been true when I look at the artistic output of those working in mixed media, especially encaustic, which has come on my radar in a pretty strong way over the past two years.

The Crossing by Lauren MacLeod, 2010, encaustic painting,
11.5 x 11.5. The works shown here are not featured in
The Encaustic Studio by Daniella Woolf.

Mostly I have been struck again and again at how this one medium can be a gateway to so many different kinds of work and allows for the use of so many different complementary media. With encaustic, 'no' just isn't in the vocabulary. It is always 'Yes, try it!' And that is exciting prospect when an artist is finding his or her way, or trying for a breakthrough.

Encaustic allows you to work figuratively, abstractly, ornamentally, and even sculpturally. You can combine it with oil painting, printmaking, and collage. It can be used to explore texture and a built-up surface, or it can end up looking almost as smooth and polished as glass. The works featured here are some of my favorites. In and of themselves they are radically different, but they all are created using the same essentials of encaustic.


Vanish Into the Vast Sea by Linda Womack, 2010, encaustic mixed media painting, 12 x 12.			Spring Begins by Paula Stark, 2010, encaustic painting, 20 x 18.

What I respond to more than anything with encaustic is that there is a process involved. The steps you take can get the creative juices flowing because you can add a new element and end up with something that sends you off in an entirely different direction or you can just sink into the steps and let your mind check out, so you can just respond visually to what is going on in front of you.

That kind of artistic transportation is a gift. I know I certainly appreciate checking out now and again and just enjoy making art as a way of using my hands and my eyes, and not necessarily my intellect. The Encaustic Studio is an entire wax and mixed media workshop in a book-DVD package from artist, Daniella Woolf, whose works illustrate the entire book. There are techniques galore and the versatility of encaustic really shines through. It may spark a whole new wave of artistic excitement in you. Enjoy!

Check Out These Beauties

Courtney Jordan — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:42:00 GMT

Every time I get on Artist Daily I am a little bowled over by the strides and accomplishments we all are making in our art. I get the same feeling when I look at the winners of the Utrecht 3rd Annual Art Competition, whose winners were just announced.

The artists in each of the contest categories--sculpture, painting, and drawing--produced work that really shows how alive and well art-making is! I was glad to see so many diverse points of view and the care and craftsmanship of every piece attests to how committed the artists are. The competition was juried by renowned artist and portraitist Nelson Shanks, founder Studio Incamminati; Joe Gyurcsak, the artist in residence and Brand Manager of Utrecht Art Supplies; and our very own Michael Gormley, the editorial director of American Artist magazine.

I've put up the Utrecht Competition 2011 Gallery, where you can take a look at all the winning entries, read the artists' statements about their work, and lend your support to your fellow artists by leaving a comment about each work. I know they'd love to hear from you. Congrats to all. Enjoy!

Painting to Preserve and Protect

Courtney Jordan — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 03:18:00 GMT

I'm a sucker for a good cause, and the Yellow Barn Studio and Gallery is putting on a great one this October: The Green Paint Out, a plein air landscape painting competition with the mission of preserving and protecting America's national parks.

The concept of the paint out is to inspire artists toward environmentally friendly and sustainable ways of creating art by giving them access to "green" materials from the event's sponsors and asking them to view videos on paint conservation, disposal of toxic materials, and how to substitute toxic materials for those better for the planet and the artist's health. When participants gather for the actual event, they will be able to put these green fundamentals into practice, and they'll be able to do it using the paints and products provided by the Green Paint Out sponsors.

After the painting session, which takes place in the majestic Glen Echo Park in the Potomac Palisades near Bethesda, Maryland, each artist will be able to enter one work painted during the event in a juried exhibition, and the "Best in Show" receives $500 and other prizes. There's also a Green Award of $500 for the best painting done according to the "green checklist" that participants receive upon registering.

For more information and details, visit the Yellow Barn Studio and Gallery, or contact J.Jordan Bruns, the Yellow Barn Studio manager, jordan@jjbruns.com, 301.634.5379.

I hope if you are in the area, you will seriously consider signing up and being part of the event. There are only 75 slots available and registration closes on October 1. Enjoy!

Money and Prizes and Fame?! Outta My Way!

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 18:04:00 GMT

Hi all!

It's time to submit your drawing, painting, and sculpture to the Utrecht Art Supplies 3rd Annual Art Competition! I'm excited to see all the entries and who is going to take home all this great stuff! Details about the prizes below. And remember--there is no entry fee! So submit your work before the deadline of September 1, 2011! Good luck!

Utrecht Art Supplies invites you to submit your drawing, painting, or sculpture work. The top three winners in each category will be awarded Utrecht ArtSmart(tm) gift cards ranging from
$500-$1500. There will be an overall Grand Prize winner who will receive a 6-week Summer Workshop Scholarship at Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia, PA, dinner with Nelson Shanks at Chelwood Estate, plus $3,500 to put towards travel expenses, accommodations and art supplies (a total value of more than $8,000).

Runners-up will receive Certificates of Merit from Utrecht and American Artist magazine.

You may submit up to three pieces of original art (one per category). All winners and finalists will be selected based on the quality and originality of their work in each category. The competition will be
juried by American Artist, Utrecht Art Supplies' Resident Artist, as well as Nelson Shanks, master painter and founder of Studio Incamminati.

Entry deadline: September 1, 2011.
Winners will be notified November 1, 2011.

Prizes:

OVERALL GRAND PRIZE WINNER: A Full 6-week Summer Workshop Scholarship to Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia, PA, plus dinner with Nelson Shanks (a value of $4,600) Plus, $3500 to put toward travel expenses, accommodations and art supplies.

FIRST PLACE DRAWING: $1500 ArtSmart(tm) Gift Card from Utrecht Art Supplies
FIRST PLACE PAINTING: $1500 ArtSmart(tm) Gift Card from Utrecht Art Supplies
FIRST PLACE SCULPTURE: $1500 ArtSmart(tm) Gift Card from Utrecht Art Supplies

SECOND PLACE DRAWING: $750 ArtSmart(tm) Gift Card from Utrecht Art Supplies
SECOND PLACE PAINTING: $750 ArtSmart(tm) Gift Card from Utrecht Art Supplies
SECOND PLACE SCULPTURE: $750 ArtSmart(tm) Gift Card from Utrecht Art Supplies

THIRD PLACE DRAWING: $500 ArtSmart(tm) Gift Card from Utrecht Art Supplies
THIRD PLACE PAINTING: $500 ArtSmart(tm) Gift Card from Utrecht Art Supplies
THIRD PLACE SCULPTURE: $500 ArtSmart(tm) Gift Card from Utrecht Art Supplies

Utrecht Third Annual Art Competition Begins Today

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:01:00 GMT

This is the third year that American Artist has partnered with Utrecht for their Third Annual Art Competition, and it looks like the prizes are the best yet. The grand prize winner receives a six-week scholarship to Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia plus the opportunity to share a meal with renowned portraitist, Studio Incamminati founder, and competition judge Nelson Shanks, who has painted the portraits of our presidents, the pope, and Princess Diana. Plus you receive $3,500 toward travel expenses and supplies.

The competition is open to entries of drawing, painting, and sculpture. You can submit up to three entries, one per category. There's no entry fee, and the competition runs from April 29, 2011 to September 1, 2011. Good luck!

What's on the Radar of Young Artists?

Courtney Jordan — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:30:00 GMT


Study by Will Pierce, Maryland Institute, College of Art.

I'm always eager to see what young artists are painting or drawing—what's capturing the attention of college art students and occupying their creativity. It is a way to discover how the next generation of painters, draftsmen, and sculptors are thinking about the world in the context of their work. Seeking out these fresh talents also gives us the opportunity to support them and bolster their commitment to fine art, which isn't always easy to maintain when pitted against the necessities and stresses of everyday life.

The art-minded peeps at Chroma, Inc.—makers of Archival Oils, Atelier Interactive Professional Artist Acrylics, and A>2 Student Acrylics—are of the same mindset. They just announced the winners of their International Student Art Contest, and I was excited to hear that 270 students worldwide submitted their work for review. The winners received substantial prizes, which (as we all know) can be a boon when you are an artist honing your craft.

Join me in congratulating the winners and participants—well done!

Eyes of the Dark Interior by Kirsten Low,
University of New South Wales, Australia.


Autopsy by Alexander Carletti, Adelaide Central School of Art, Australia.

RayMar Art Competition is Here!

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:18:00 GMT

The RayMar Art annual fine art competition is in its fifth year and has become a premier juried exhibition and contest in the art community. It is RayMar Art's way of simultaneously recognizing exceptional artwork and supporting working artists with substantial cash prizes.

The competition accepts rolling entries. Each month a professional artist acts as juror, selecting and critiquing 12 finalist paintings from among the monthly entries. The finalists will be posted here on Artist Daily on the 15th of the following month. At the end of the year, the competition judge chooses 12 award winners from the 144 finalists that were selected throughout the entire year.

For more information, check out the contest website. Good luck!

Drawing From Photographs

sdoherty — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:00:00 GMT

More than 5,300 artists entered one, two, or three works of art in the contest sponsored by American Artist and Utrecht art supplies, and I was one of the three judges that selected the award winners. It was both a challenging and rewarding experience, and I discovered some incredibly talented artists to profile in upcoming issues of our magazines.

Winter Glow

by Neal Hughes, oil, 16 x 20. Private collection.

This painting was selected as "Best of Show" in
the Utrecht 60th Anniversary Art Competition.

While marking the contest entries on a scale from 1 to 10, I did take note of the great number of drawings created from photographs. How do I know the artists worked from photographs? There are three telltale signs. First, there is usually a stiff, mechanical look to artwork that is slavishly copied from a photograph. That’s because the artists feel obligated to draw every line exactly as it is in the snapshot. Second, the drawings lack subtle midtone values because photographs tend to exaggerate the contrast between lights and darks—soft grays either turn to bright white or deepen to become part of dark shadows. Third, the drawings are overloaded with details that distract attention from the center of interest. That’s because when painting from a photograph, we feel obligated to draw every tooth on that smiling face and every tree in the background.

So what can artists do when they are forced to work from photographs because they can’t hire models or travel to picturesque locations? The answer is for artists to recognize the problems that can come from drawing everything the camera records and to approach the creative process as if they were looking at the real subject. We aren’t likely to count all the teeth when a live model poses for us, and we don’t see every branch on the tree when we are outside drawing. Those are some of the recommendations included in a free article you can download from our website simply by joining our community of artists: www.artistdaily.com. This free, downloadable article is the first in an informative series offering advice, lists of materials, special techniques, solutions to common problems, and recommendations for making significant progress. You won’t want to miss all this valuable, free content, so sign up today!

Download Free Article: Draw People from Photographs