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Monthly and daily challenges.
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Message
Posted
I though it might be worth having some discussion about challenges on the forum . Over the last month or so we seem to be having less and less people taking part in the daily and monthly challenges, is this because we are in the summer holiday season or are folk just bored of them.
It a bit disheartening when someone produces a list and I post it for them to have very little response, I know it’s not to everyone’s taste etc and I’m not having a dig at anyone. What we want to do is keep the forum interesting and alive , if it means changing the challenges to bimonthly then I will do that even alternative between a monthly one then a sketch a day list etc .
It’s your forum , do help us to keep it interesting and informative by either taking part , put topic on the forum or give me a list of things you would like to see featured .
If you want to produce a list for the sketch a day then let me have it I will do the rest for you, you can of course add a sketch to the sketch a day that yiu have done even if it’s nothing to do with the list .
Your comments , views, thoughts and ideas will be much appreciated and I thank you on behalf of those who have contributed to the challenges and lists.
Posted
I'm guilty of this. Some of my reasons are: I don't sketch much (yes, I know I should, but I don't like the feel of pencil on paper - maybe it's my materials). Then I don't have back copies of my work, to send in. My main problem is photographing on my Android phone, getting it straight - usually takes 3 or 4 goes, then transferring to my tablet to put up on here. It's all a bit of a faff. ( and yes, my background is IT. 😄)
So they are basically practical problems, Paul. I think the daily subjects are a great idea. For the monthly challenge...I get lost finding the thread.
Posted
Interesting points Paul, Norrette. It is so nice when people join in and thanks Paul for all of your efforts . My contribution is small in comparison,and I gave found it a bit disheartening at the response to my list and thank the few who have taken part.
Jenny I include you and Alan in your efforts…
Posted
I think much of the problem is summertime, people out and about more or actually away. Like Norrette, I sometimes struggle to find the sketch a day if it hasn’t been used for a few days. that one of the negatives of the Forum, that it can be difficult to find something that’s not current unless you can remember the exact title (not just these threads).
I know it’s disheartening to get a daily list together and then find it largely ignored- not sure what can be done about that, apart from maybe give it a rest for a month or so?
I have tried to join in and it has been fun to think up something to do on a daily basis.
Our art group finishes for a stupidly long break from June to September so I’m not painting regularly but have found he challenges enjoyable. Thanks to those who have put them together.
Posted
The low take up for challenges is, in the main, the time factor I think. Re me, there has been a lot going on in the family - health problems and my grandson had a serious accident, so that took preference and it’s ongoing. Also, I usually have a painting on the go which I spend time thinking about so I like to stay on track. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy looking at all the challenges etc but it does mean that with everything else happening I don’t have much time. As for attracting more people, I don’t know what else you can do unless it’s advertised elsewhere on the site. I do appreciate all the time it must take to organise everything though.
Edited
by Marjorie Firth
Posted
I think it can be difficult finding time especially when you might be in the middle of a project. Daily sketching can get a bit distracting from what you might be doing. Maybe a weekly sketch might encourage more participation. Having a common theme is definitely a good idea to get people sketching and doing it weekly would give people time to produce new work. Just a thought. Marjorie I hope your grandson is doing well.
Edited
by Denise Cat
Posted
The sketch a day thread where people posted whatever they wanted seemed to attract posts, or am I remembering wrongly? Perhaps not everybody wants to respond to a challenge, but may be happy posting things related to whatever they are working on? On the current challenge thread I've only done a few new quickies for maybe half-a-dozen of the daily challenges. The rest of the time I've posted old pictures that I thought fitted. This seems common in many of the challenges. Nothing wrong with it. I'm quite happy to see oldies (as we call them), many I hadn't seen before. But ideally I suppose it's new stuff that the challenges are aimed at.
I don't know what the answer is. If somebody has already taken the trouble to prepare August's challenge maybe we should go with it, and after that just go back to a general sketching thread. Perhaps the challenges should be kept separate. I've noticed Paul always adds the proviso that 'if you don't want to do the challenge, you can post whatever you like'...but I don't recall anyone doing that.
It is dispiriting when you take the trouble to prepare ANY thread on the forum, and it attracts little interest. Sometimes it swings the other way, sometimes something simple that you thought might get a few responses attracts a mass response. Whatever happens, we have to keep trying or the forum will wither away. That would be sad. Maybe it is a seasonal thing, maybe when Winter imposes its limitations the Forum will come alive again.
(Having said that, I now feel I have to think of a thread).
Posted
I think Denise makes a good point. The daily challenges are inclined to be looked on as a bit of fun and might interfere with more serious projects.
I liked the original sketch a day which was successful for I think quite a few years. Hard to know what’s best. It took me quite a while to venture onto the Forum after posting in the Gallery, and longer again to actually write anything.! It it a pity that there isn’t a number of views count just so that we know if people look but choose not to say anything.
Posted
I’m not a great participant in these challenges, but I do dip in occasionally when I’m able to post an oldie on whatever theme is currently running at the time.
They probably just don’t interest me enough to leave off what I’m working on at the time, and I’ve always got a WIP on the easel… which will take priority.
Of late, I have been slightly confused by what challenge is which, there seems to have been several, if not more, running consecutively which is all too confusing.
To cut to the chase, the forum isn’t pulling in any new members, or very few, Julie I believe was the last new face, and she’s been missing for a while…at least none that are interested in contributing…either joining in with the challenges or creating new threads.
My particular interest is in helping others with painting issues that they may have, or appraising their latest masterpiece that they’ve just acquired in a loft clear out! Something along those lines anyway, and Robert always makes a good contribution also to back me up.
So, that’s my position, I’ll comment and join in when I’m able to, perhaps it needs streamlining a little… I just don’t know quite frankly but we don’t want to lose the forum, that would be disastrous for a good many of the members.
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