Tips to Winning Graphic Arts
By Andrew Murtaugh
With many schools requiring a minimum number of projects
at state convention, competition can be stiff. Because of this,
I have created this list of important tactics to remember
based on my observations which, hopefully will increase your
odds of taking home one of those precious ribbons.
1. Have a plan-Think of what you are going to do and how
you want to accomplish the project you chose before diving
in. This will allow you to more easily map out how you want
to break up the enormous task. Also this will help you
remember what you want your final product to look like.
2. Make sure you have the materials you need-Running out
of supplies during the middle of your project is extremely
annoying and ruins your productivity. To fix this, always buy
more than you think you need so you don’t run out. After
your project is completed, simply return the extra materials
that were not used.You have two months to return items to
Michael’s®.
3. Be creative-The winning projects are very often not the
best looking projects but the most creative. Using different
materials on constructed projects makes yours stand out and
show the judge you thought outside of the box.
4. Get ideas from others-Some of my highest achieving
projects have come from the omniscient Mr.Dean. But when
gathering ideas it doesn't necessarily have to be from a
teacher, ask or friend or browse Google® to see new and
fresh ideas.
5. Enjoy Yourself-If you don’t like the project or topic you are
doing then don’t do it. You have the choice of what you want
to do your project so don’t force yourself to do something
that you have no interest in. This will result in an overall
worse finished product because you lack the motivation and