In Jan 2024 I entered my first quick draw competition. This competition was run by Busselton Art Society and it was so much fun!
For me this was such a learning experience. I did one of the worst paintings I've ever done. You have to laugh! However, this was my FIRST quick draw. You can't be amazing on your first try.
Here are 6 tips that I took away from the experience:
1. Be prepared for the weather if you are outside.... then be more prepared!
It was hot day in Busselton (30 degrees celcius). I thought I was prepared, I slip slop slapped (for those non aussie's, I wore a hat, put on sunscreen and set up in the shade). However, I still felt as though I was getting burnt. Pick a nice shady spot if you can or bring an umbrella. Pack a large drink bottle. I also wasn't expecting any wind, however we still got some gusts and I didn't bring any weights. At one point my painting actually fell off the easel.
2. Think about what medium you are going to use.
Due to the heat, I was finding the acrylic paints were drying way too quick. I was unable to blend anything and really struggled to set my base colours. I should have had some slow flow medium on hand, or brought some oil paint.
3. Do not try anything new.. have your method down pat...
I usually use oil paints. Oil paints remain wet for a long time, this means weeks of drying and planning between layers. I love oil's because I have small kids, it gives me time to play and the paint I've mixed won't go dry.
For this quick draw I thought I would try part acrylic and part oil so that I had the flexibility to do more in a short time. However I didn't take into consideration the heat and pressure of time constraints. 2 hours seems like a lots, however you also have people stopping past and asking questions constantly which eats into your time.
4. Bring headphones
I love to have a chat with all types of people, however I can't chat and paint.... to get into the flow of painting you use your right brain, however talking uses your left brain. So to prevent chatty Kathy from disturbing my flow in a time crunching setting.... I brought some noise cancelling headphones and had a boogie. Next year I will bring some signage as well so people can direct questions to my instagram while I paint and I can answer them at the end.
5. Canvas sizing
This is dependant on the rules of the quick draw. There were no rules about canvas size for our draw... so I used a large canvas. Maybe using a smaller canvas would have given me time to get more details in, control the drying time etc.
6. Have a support person
I am so lucky to have a close family, that support me. They checked in on me and asked if i needed anything. I would recommend asking a support person to come along and just check in on you.
Quick list:
- Water
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Easel
- Weights
- Rags
- Canvas
- Paint
- Palette
- Mediums
- Clean up (terps or water)
- Jumper
- Headphones
- Snacks