Drawing & Painting Guidelines

Each school is allowed to enter an unlimited number of students, male or female, per Division.

Each student may submit 1 entry for this category – either one drawing, or one painting.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

These categories include pencil sketch, watercolour, guache, pencil crayon, pastels, acrylic, oil, and mixed media (pen & watercolour). The paintings should reflect an appropriate Christian theme and not be associated with the world.

Entries must be the sole work of the student and must have been started after the completion of the previous Student Convention. Students are encouraged to draw from their own ideas for subject matter and composition. It is recognized that copying other artwork is one method of learning but should not be presented as the original work of the student. No use of transparencies / projectors is permitted. All artwork must be free-hand.

Do NOT submit and entry done in an abstract, surreal, or cartoon style. No artwork should attempt to portray the face of Christ. No paint-by-number paintings will be accepted.

Checklist for Entries:

1. Entries must be brought to Convention in exhibition condition, ready to be judged.

2. Two Judge’s Forms for each entry must be completed and submitted with the entry.

3. Entries must have a 3 x 5 card securely attached to the back with the following information: category, student’s name, school name and address, a sponsor’s name.

Framing

All artwork must be enclosed in some type of frame. Mat board may be used in conjunction with a frame but is not considered a frame itself. Be sure to choose a frame that matches the entry. The frame should enhance the style of the picture.

Types of Entries:

1. Watercolour

2. Sketching – any monochromatic sketching medium, pencil crayon

3. Pen & Ink – monochromatic pen or brush work, markers

4. Acrylic

5. Oil

6. Pastel

7. Guache

8. Mixed Media – ie: pen & watercolour

COMPOSITION – refers to how the picture is arranged.

Center of Interest: this is usually the subject of the drawing. It is the part that should catch the viewer’s eye. Some of the ways to do this are by:

1. Using more detail in the center of interest than in the rest of the picture.

2. Using contrast – making the center of interest noticeably darker or lighter than the surrounding area.

The center of interest should never be exactly in the middle of the picture. Putting it on the edge of a picture is also awkward. Use the one-third rule. Divide your paper into thirds and use one of these thirds in which to place the object.

Balance: the objects in a picture should be placed so that they are pleasing to the eye. Crowding them together in one place will look awkward and spacing them evenly will lack interest.

Unity / Variety: a picture needs to be organized so that all the parts work together as a whole. At the same time, the objects in a picture should have a variety of shapes, sizes, details, lights and darks in order to provide interest.

TECHNIQUE – refers to how the picture has been done.

Drawing Category

• Line: a variety of different kinds of lines (thick, thin, light, dark, etc.) in a drawing makes it more interesting.

• Shading: pressing harder on the pencil gives a darker value. Careful shading gives objects shape and makes them look more real.

• Contrast: this is the difference between light and shadow or light and dark. It helps to show the shape of the objects in the drawing. A drawing with a full range from very light to very dark will be more interesting than one that is grey all over. Putting a very light part of the drawing beside a very dark part will catch the viewer’s eye, and it is a good way to draw attention to the center of interest.

Painting Category

• Technique: a variety of textures and washes in a painting makes it more interesting.

• Value / Contrast: look carefully at the subject; an object may be only one colour (for example, a red apple), but some parts may be lighter or darker than others.

• Colour: with Watercolour, try not to mix more than three colours together. The resulting colour will be muddy in appearance. Use colour harmony. For example, if a painting is dominantly blue, use an orange colour for an accent. This is the opposite colour on the colour chart.

ACCURACY / REALISM – refers to whether the things in the picture look “right.”

• Proportion: are things the right size in relation to each other? For example, is the horse’s head too large for its body or the boy’s head too small for his body?

• Perspective: things appear smaller as they get farther away. For example, the farthest end of a house will appear smaller than the closest end. If both ends are the same size, the house will seem as though it has been flattened out. Details and colour also change and fade as objects disappear in the distance.

ORIGINALITY / IDEA – many artists use photography or other artwork to help them get ideas or draw something realistically. However, copying photographs or artwork can break copyright laws, especially if the picture is later sold or used to make money in some way. If you are going to be copying an entire picture instead of referring to parts of it, please verify the photo is not copyrighted. We want to encourage students to use their imaginations to create their own art, so extra marks will be given for original drawings. EACH ENTRY MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A NOTE AND A SIGNATURE FROM A SPONSOR (PRESENT AT CONVENTION) VERIFYING THAT THE ENTRY HAS NOT BEEN COPIED FROM A COPYRIGHTED PICTURE.

PRESENTATION – the way a picture is presented makes a BIG difference in how the viewer sees it. If the picture is messy and smudged with fingerprints, or if it is poorly mounted and the mat is ragged or falling off, the viewer will not appreciate the picture. Keeping a clean piece of paper under your drawing hand will help prevent smudges. Erase all fingerprints from the drawing.

Please bring 2 copies of the Judge’s Form for Drawing & Painting Guidelines with you to Convention. Please be sure to fill these out in their entirety. If the Judging Form is not filled out, you may not be judged.

DRAWING / PAINTING JUDGING CRITERIA (Download PDF)