Art Challenge
Hello Patrons! Starting in 2020 I am a-goin to support an art challenge. If you look at the cheesy illustration above, you’ll see that I was trying to make a funny piece of recognizable art.
Something that appeals to gear heads, and also can be used to market the show.
I want to encourage everyone at the $5+ level to think of something, and maybe even *gasp* attempt to create a scannable piece of art that could possibly become a sticker, shirt, coffee mug, studio background, etc.
I want to do a bi-monthly contest that would start in February. it would produce six pieces of art a year, and the winning submission would be selected and made into a piece of merch that the person who submitted would get for free.
Here are the guidelines:
1. NO COPYRIGHTED WORK!!! Your submission can’t use photos, paintings, drawings etc. of copyrighted works. You can submit derivative works (please see copyright law regarding derivative works) or works that are public domain (see creative commons, creativecommons.org for a wealth of info).
For instance:
YOU CAN repaint a Van Gogh exactly, and resell it as your own work, because he’s been dead so long that his work is in the public domain. You can’t tell people that it’s an original Van Gogh, however. Especially if you add a motorcycle in the background.
YOU CAN’T draw a picture of Rat Fink on a motorcycle because Ed Roth still owns the licensing and copyrights to Rat Fink and many other characters.
YOU CAN draw Muskrat Fink, because that’s your own creation. Like Rat Fink, who was a social play on Mickey Mouse, you’re now making a play on Rat Fink.
As a matter of fact, you own the copyright to any works you make, and by submitting them for use in the Challenge, you will be granting us permission to use them on a crummy reward, but you are also free to make your own million dollars doing what ever you desire with it. It’s your design!
2. Make it simple. If it’s going to be a sticker or a mug, go for it, but shirts are usually more expensive the more colors you have if they are screened. Also, if you’re not artistically inclined in any way, shape or form – you don’t want to bite off more than you can chew.
3. Bright colors. Those are the best. express yourself with vibrance.
4. Most importantly, your creation should appeal to riders. It can be a play on a meme or can be a common theme/item (like the screw driver above), but it should not be a condor. Or a Street Cat, even though that is directly related to motorcycling in the worst way possible.
5. The final guideline – it should have a spot on or around it to slap Creative Riding on there. That way in sixty years when you’re trying to remember why you have something that features art that YOU drew beyond your fifth grade years, you’ll see that podcast on there and remember “Oh yeah! I was crazy once.”
Have fun with it and encourage your artistic friends to join up too.
-Junky Smurfman