Culture Crawl

Art Competition Tips

The art, theatrical & social events calendar

Art competitions and exhibitions are such a great way to get exposure. When looking at entering these events here are some of the things that may help you succeed.

1. Entry Fees can be daunting but don't let them be. If you win than you will reap the entry fee 10 times over in sales and award fees. Also when you win you can gloat about this on all your press releases, letters to exhibit your art and the award looks great on the wall.
2. Time - Really use this to your advantage study study and study some more. Research the period, style, texture, pattern, color. etc
3. Details really are the key to impressing judges, make sure that you look at every little detail from the back of the painting to the way you brush the paint.
4. Use multiply techniques this shows the judges that you know what you are doing and want to impress. It also improves the overall value.
5. Practice - don't be afraid to take your time practicing your ideas and perfect things before you do your final work.
6. New Techniques and Ideas are such a great way to impress the judges but also it creates unique interest in your work.
7. Allocate your time to work on your piece. When you are preparing for a competition the stress and overall time it takes to do the work can be very intense. Take time off work and set time when you know that there will be no interruptions.
8. Don't crowd your work though with too much. Remember the motto " Less is more". Often times if you make your work too busy it will not impress the judges but make them more likely to move on to the next piece. Make a focus point and work around it.
9. Partner up - Get someone to bounce ideas off and learn new techniques also it is great to have someone that is after the same thing understanding your struggles supporting you.
10. You really do need to leave defensiveness at the door. When you ask for feedback accept it weather it is good bad or ugly. Also don't box yourself in. If you are locking yourself in to one idea than you aren't really going to progress to the next level.
11. Get out there attend as many events exhibitions and competitions that you can to get fresh ideas.
12. Don't forget to have fun. Really you are doing this because you enjoy it.