Design Contest Discussion

[Mindy]

I'm working on ideas for the 2012 design contest. We'd like to encourage more scrollers to enter. I'm wondering if you'd be willing to talk about it:

- Tell me why you enter, or why you don't.
- If you don't, what would entice you to enter? (Themes? Big prizes? Categories based on experience? Smaller, online-only contests?)
- If you enter, do you like the categories as they are, or do you wish we'd do something different with them?
- As readers, do you enjoy the contest coverage? If you like it, what do you get out of it? If you don't, what bothers you?
- One of the benefits to us from the contest is getting new designs to publish. Do you have other ideas for enticing people to share their designs with us? (Keep in mind that we already read our own forum, surf the web, attend shows, and encourage our past authors to keep in touch.)

You're welcome to answer as many or as few questions as you like, and you can post here for discussion or e-mail me directly at: [email protected].

Thanks!
Mindy

[Rolf]

I don't enter yet, primarily it is a time issue. My full time job interferes with my hobby.
That said. I look forward to the design contest I think it helps keep the hobby fresh with all of the different ideas, types of projects and uses for the scroll saw.
I think the way the contest is handled now is fine, with the online voteing etc.

[Simon MARTIN]

Some cogitation on questions put down by Mindy:
I never make scrollsaw before july 2010...I was on your forum since december 2010 and when you launched the last Design contest 2011, I send a project. Only to know if I could go on or if I stopped the scrollsaw. My project was not rather good to win, but I participated and all my friends appreciates to vote. Dan a good friend from Netherland, told me: "Simon, you didn’t win, but you didn’t lose! You created something very nice with your own hand and skills". That was enough for me, and that was already good!
Categories are Ok for me... or, may be, if you can, to add a scrollsaw design with painting... (I like that).
In France, scrollsaw is not very popular, and I cannot give you better way that you have until today.
May be,it would be interesting to know the number of "vote" for every project and that you can give " a certificate " to each of people participating to the contest.
Thank a lot for the organisation.
... I have a question...: When you will organise the next contest? in 2012?
Sorry for my english... In France I don't need to speak or write in english...

[Mindy]

Thanks for the answers, Rolf and Simon. Simon, no need to apologize for your English--if I wrote to you in French, you'd think I was a really dumb 2-year-old! I think it's amazing that so many people around the world learn English, and unfortunate that few Americans return the favor.

The next contest will most likely begin May 15, 2012. I'm hoping to have an announcement in the Summer issue of the magazine, which will be out in March-April.

Everyone else, please keep your thoughts coming.

Thanks!
Mindy

[martzy]

I haven't entered because I don't feel like I have the talent to design. I have made a few things on my own but I don't feel like they are quite up to par.

I don't think there is anything that can really be offered to get me to enter. If I did enter something, it would just be for the challenge of it and not some sort of prize offered.

I like the different categories. I do mostly fretwork but appreciate all the other forms of scrolling.

My only complaint about the contest issue is that it seems to be short on project patterns. Don't know if this is true or not, just kind of feels that way. What would it take for the patterns to be released for the projects submitted? Are the patterns released at all? Can't remember. I'd have to go back through my issues to find out.

[Mindy]

Thanks for those thoughts, Keith. The contest issue usually has one less pattern in it due to the contest coverage, but we like to think that the many project ideas in the contest coverage makes up for that small lapse.

We do eventually publish many of the contest entries as patterns, but it takes awhile to work them into the schedule. If you ever see a contest project you especially like, please drop us a note--I can't make any promises, but based on requests we can sometimes rearrange the schedule to move something up, or we can try to purchase a pattern that we don't yet have on the schedule. If nothing else, we appreciate knowing what caught your eye!

Thanks,
Mindy

[Terry Jay]

Lucky78 put up a reminder and request, so...

Design? In a world of the Klutze I would be king. As I work at this I will begin to see possibilities. Had a lady drop by this summer who had lost her cabin to fire and was rebuilding and really wanted a matched pair portrait of Sandhill Cranes. They breed in the fields near her cabin in Homer, AK and frquently feed in the field adjacent to our property. Found a pattern (ShadyLady?) and found I had birch (local wood) with a pronounced feather pattern, so I bookmatched two slices, live edge, front to back so she would have either facing or opposing identical portraits. But that is not design, it is execution. Another lady with a lodge and restaurant wanted a unique "No Smoking", 6 copies, so we rustled up a stained glass pattern of a Puffin, added a cigarette with smoke curl, and the familiar diagonal cross bar for NO and covered the bar in red vinyl tape. Cut the pattern in Alaska Yellow Cedar, live edge. No design, just relentless borrowing and execution.

So a thought would be to provide a North America Wildlife pattern or patterns and add a category for execution. I probably would still not enter as the summer season is the sales season and it is nice to be able to sell enough to pay a lot of the costs of the addiction.

Just a few thoughts from someone with just a wee bit of experience and a huge remaining learning curve and Zip artistic talent.

[JimSawyer]

Hi Mindy,
I haven't entered one yet. Like Rolf, it's a time thing.
But one thought that comes to mind is a multi-technique category ie, fretwork plus carving, or pyrography plus intarsia, etc.
...Just a thought...

[Simon MARTIN]

I have the same thought as Jim... may be a category multi-technique, and I add on the Jim's list: ...plus painting.

[Bill Wilson]

One cannot stretch the definition of "Designer" far enough for me to be included, but I do look forward to seeing the creativity and talent of those who are in that category.

Those of us who scroll only are dependent on all of you good and talented folks who can translate your ideas to patterns for us to cut. I'll take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued contributions to the craft.

[Marsha]

I don't have an opinion on any contest Fox chapel runs. There was a contest run during the anniversary year in which non Americans could enter, but could not win because the prize was not available outside the Continental USA. I questioned Shannon about this and was given a non chalant answer. I stressed that if the contests are available to all subscribers then so should the prizes. If this is the norm for all prizes awarded by Fox chapel, then why would any of us living in other countries bother to enter.
Marsha

[Mindy]

Thanks for that thought, Marsha. There are occasionally factors that force us to limit participation, but I'm happy to say that's not the case with the Best Design Contest. Everyone is welcome to enter, and we'll be happy to ship your prize if you win.

Best,
Mindy

[Okie]

As a newcomer to scrollsawing I havn't seen the contest but I don't feel that I'm creative enough to ever be able to come up with something new and original. I'm just content to watch and envy others that have that ability. I appreciate the magazine and the forum. It has helped me get started in the hobby and I've learned a lot from it, now if you could just do something about my ability!

[Simon MARTIN]

Designer is, may be, a big name for our scroll saw... but when you draw something without a pattern and make your own design (drawing) to cut with your scroll saw... you are already draftman to make a craft object, you are a craftman creator of this object and then, why not designer!
... sorry I'm french... my english is, may be, not understood...

[Mindy]

You're absolutely right, Simon. I think we may have more designers in our midst than we suspect--they just need the confidence to submit their work.

We are always happy to see your designs, regardless of whether they win or whether we choose them for publication. We like to know what themes have your attention, which techniques you're trying, and the finishes that interest you most. And if at first you don't succeed, seriously, please try again. Especially on article submissions, we'll try to give you pointers to help you be successful. Helping people develop original designs helps all of us by making more patterns we can use and inspiring more creativity.

Thanks!
Mindy