RULES AND GUIDELINES
ADULT CHALK ART CONTEST (12 Years of Age and Up):
5’x5’ Spaces can be created by one or more artists (limit 4 and select a team name if created by group).
KIDS CHALK ART CONTEST (Up To 11 Years of Age):
2’x2’ Spaces must be created only by children in order to be judged.
THEME: The theme of this years Gumtree Chalk Art Contest is :“Tupelo Spirit”.
Material Restrictions: Chalks will be provided, but participants may also bring their own chalk, brushes or water. All chalk must be water-based. Water based chalk paints are permissible. Work must be original and designed by the artist/ group of artists.
Space Assignment: Spaces will be taped off and artists will pick their own 5’x5’ spaces on a first-come, first-serve basis during check-in. At check-in, artists will be asked to provide the number of the space they wish to work in. Some spaces may have cracks or texture variations. All Children spaces are 2’x2’.
Check-In and Registration: Check-in will begin at 8 a.m. Artists may prep their spaces as early as 8a.m. but cannot begin chalking until 9am. Any artist failing to check-in by 10am may forfeit their space.
Prizes: Award winners must be present to claim his/her prize at 3:00 p.m on the Youth Stage.
ADULT CHALK ART PRIZES
1st Place - $500 • 2nd Place - $200 • 3rd Place - $100
KIDS CHALK ART PRIZES
1st Place - $50 Art Gift Basket (no cash prize)
(NOTE: Every participant in KIDS CHALK ART CONTEST will receive a blue ribbon.)
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ADDITIONAL RULES
• Drawings should remain within the designated square area. Any element of design that should slightly overlap the designated area will not be considered during judging.
• Drawings on buildings, trees, or any other surface are strictly prohibited. Drawing should remain on asphalt
• ONLY artist made templates are permissible.
• This is a family event. Artwork containing nudity, profanity, or content deemed inappropriate by the festival committee will be removed and the artist will be disqualified from the contest.
• The use of flammable or offensive odors may not be used. Failure to comply by these rules or guidelines may be grounds for dismissal.
THINGS YOU CAN BRING
• Your own favorite Chalk Materials (must be water-based)
• Blankets or chair, knee pads to stay comfy while you draw
• Sunscreen and hat
• Sketches, printed images, photographs, or inspiration pieces to guide your chalk design
• Plastic to cover artwork during possible rain
• Water and snacks
TIPS
• Consider using a grid system if your design is intricate. See below for more details and how to’s.
• Use chalk sparingly. Build up your layers, starting with a very light layer on the bottom.
• Some artist prefer to lay all of their undertones first. Some prefer to work top to bottom. We recommend outlining all of your major elements first.
• A big chalkboard eraser works great for laying down large areas of color. Moving the eraser in a circular motion works best.
• Creating a chalk-paint by crushing chalk into water and using a paint brush is also helpful when filling large areas.
• If you’re a first-timer, consider using one object as the focal point of your artwork – a face, a frog, etc.
Small details are difficult to manage on a rough surface — so think BIG, BOLD, & DRAMATIC.
• The more you work with chalk on concrete, the more comfortable you will become. So practice on the driveway at home.
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CREATING A CHALK MASTERPIECE USING THE GRID METHOD
Not all of us are experienced artists, let alone chalk artists, and that is okay! This guide introduces the “Grid Method” which is a common technique used to recreate large pieces of art. This is when you take an image, draw even squares over top of it (a grid), you create a proportional grid on the area you want to chalk, and you use the original reference image to try to recreate the image, square by square onto the ground so that it looks the same. This guide is here to help you on your journey and answer any questions you may have.
Step 1: Creating / Designing Your Image
Here are some things to keep in mind:
Interest: Pick an image that speaks to you! It will be much more fun to recreate an art piece that you love, rather than one you think would be easy.
Skill Level: If you are a novice chalk artist, pick an image with a simple shape, which will be easier to break down when recreating it.
Getting Creative: Think of interesting ways to compose your image/ crop the imagery.
Take artistic liberties with color and pattern.
Step 2: Gathering Your Materials
• Measuring tape
• Painter’s tape/duct tape
• A broom
• Chalk
• Soft pad for kneeling on
• A printed photo of your art piece (reference image)
• Sharpie
• A ruler
• Old paint brushes.
*The uses of these materials will be further explained in the following steps!
Step 3: Gridding Your Reference Image
After sketching/ printing out your photo, this will be used as your reference when creating your piece. Use your ruler and sharpie to grid off your image. A common grid is made using 1 square inch blocks, which will translate onto the ground as 1 square foot blocks. If you want to make your blocks bigger, you can make 2 square inch blocks on your reference photo, which will translate to two square foot blocks on your chalk drawing. For our example, we gridded our photo using 2 square inch blocks.
Step 4: Laying The Groundwork
After gridding your reference photo, it is time to section off the area of the ground that you will be working on. We recommend sweeping off the area before going any further. Use chalk and your measuring tape to mark the corners of your piece. Our example photo came out to be 7.8 square inches, so we sectioned off our area to be 7.8 square feet. After marking the corners of your piece, you can use painters tape or duct tape to connect the corner and mark the perimeter of your chalk drawing.
– Determine which side is the bottom of your image.
– Start at the bottom left corner and mark every section from left to right.
– Go to the top left corner and mark every section from left to right.
– Go to the bottom left corner and mark every foot from bottom to top.
– Go to the bottom right corner and mark every foot from bottom to top.
Step 5: Sectioning The Ground and Creating Your Grid
After marking off your area, it is time to recreate your grid on the ground. Make sure you are being consistent with the proportions that you chose. We remained consistent that every two square inches on our reference photo, translated to two square feet on our chalk drawing.
To make your grid, line up the ticks on the top of your image and the one on the bottom of your image, and connect them using a chalk line, do the same with the risks on the left and right side of your image. This will make a complete grid over top of your piece, proportional to the one on your reference photo.
Step 6: Outlining Your Image
Using your reference image, begin marking the significant shapes on your chalk grid. Remember to use your reference image to line up where the shapes go!! This helps keep the chalk image in the correct proportions. There are great YouTube videos on grid drawing if you are want more details.
Step 7: Color!
And we have come to the fun part of coloring in your image. You can use a variety of tools to do this. We used old paint brushes to move the color around and blend. After you are satisfied with the colors you have added, you can pull up your tape and marvel at your finished masterpiece.
Step 8: Take Photos of Your Work!
DO NOT FORGET to take a good quality image of your completed work!
– the piece on its own
– a photo of the piece and the artist or everyone who worked on the piece