Ever wanted to try a new medium, but never quite had the knowledge on how? Maybe just not your cup of tea? Well, this may be your chance to break out of your comfort zone.

Hi! Your friendly neighborhood Nestalgica here, announcing a Digital Arts contest. This for anyone who wants to try a medium they’ve never done before. I, personally, am a fractal artist, and have been for over a year and a half – there’s truly no turning back for me now. However, long have I wanted to try photomanipulation… I just haven’t had the desire to learn it. Maybe this applies to you, but with different terms?

Here’s how this contest is going to work:

1) Choose a digital art category you’ve never looked into before. You do not have to be a digital artist to enter this contest, by the way!

This is a list of the digital mediums of choice:
3-Dimensional Art
Vector Art
Vexel Art
Pixel Art (NOTE: This does include Emoticons, static and animated)
Digital Painting/Drawing
Photomanipulation
Fractal Art

2) You should choose a medium you truly have never worked with before – obviously, you’re on the honor system for the most part, but I will check the galleries of the contestants just in case. You should be in this contest to learn a new medium.
3) You note your submission to me, and I’ll keep track of the entrants.
4) I will either appoint a judge for each category or judge them myself, depending on if people are willing to help judge.

Obviously, you can’t learn a new medium very well by yourself, so here’s a list of resources for each of the above categories.

3-Dimensional Art
A list of 3D programs
Great comprehensive list of Maya tutorials
Bryce tutorials
3D tutorials
Poser download
Terragen download/tutorials

Vector Art
Wikipedia’s article on vector art
Really good tutorial on vector art by ¢lemontea
Abstract vector art tutorial

Vexel Art
Wikipedia entry on Vexel Art
`Aeires’ “Vexed over Vexels” news article
Tutorial on vexel art

Pixel Art
Wikipedia article on Pixel Art
Emoticon Tutorial
Isometric pixel art tutorial

Digital Painting/Drawing
Wikipedia entry on Digital Painting/Drawing
Photoshop colouring tutorial
Photoshop tutorial – see description
Short chronological list of tutorials

Photomanipulation
Wikipedia entry on Photomanipulation
List of Photomanipulation tutorials

Fractal Art
Wikipedia entry on Fractal Art
Official Apophysis website
Official UltraFractal website
Basic Apophysis Tutorial
Basic UltraFractal tutorial

Some contest FAQ
It’ll take a long time to learn a new medium… how long is this contest going to run?
I know how long it can take, believe me! The due date for entries in this contest will be on June 30th, so you have just under two months to learn your medium and submit a piece.

How many pieces can I submit?
Well, you can submit as many pieces of whichever medium you choose to your gallery, but you may submit 2 pieces of work in 1 medium to the contest.

How do I get started?
Well, obviously you need to pick a medium first, so I’d start with that. Then, read up as much as you can on the medium! Knowledge is power.

Can I donate prizes/be a judge?
I thought I’d never ask for you! Any prize donations are welcome and encouraged (Journal features, prints, subscriptions, etc.) but I will be contacting potential judges myself. In the event that I don’t get at least one other judge for each category, I’ll open it up for other people who want to judge. If you do wish do donate a prize, though, please send me a note!

What else do I need to know?
You need to know that everyone’s on the same playing field, here. Every participant starts from scratch, so it doesn’t matter how popular or experienced you may be in a particular style/medium.

Also, please keep an eye on my journal for updated prize lists and an announcement regarding the judges for each category.

I think that’s all – Good luck, fellow deviants. I’m optimistic about this contest, and I hope I can get some dedicated people to join in and expand their artistic horizons with me. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me via note.

Cheers.

*Nestalgica