For a little inspiration, here is a drawing by Colleen Barry.

Applications for our live, five-day Figure Drawing Competition are due on Tuesday, March 15!
(Good news! We do have an artist grace period. A March 15 deadline really means March 16.)

This 40-hour competition takes place over 5 days in the same studio, from the same model. Competition dates are July 2 – 6. The judging, Awards Ceremony and Public Viewing of the final drawings will take place on the evening of July 6.

Ten finalists will be selected to participate.
Click here for an application! Click here for details on our website.

Thanks to the Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund’s generosity, GCA is honored to be able to award a $10,000 Grand Prize, along with a $3,000 Second Place Prize and a $2,000 Third Place Prize to three artists for the three best drawings as selected by the 3-judge panel.

A little history…

In 2010, the year this competition debuted, Darren Kingsley won First Place and was bestowed the Title “Apelles.” Will St. John won 2nd Place and the title “Protogenes.”
Click here for a blog post from 2010 showing the winning drawings!

In 2011, the competition was cancelled because of Hurricane Irene.

In 2013, Joshua LaRock won the First Place and title”Apelles”, Katie Whipple won 2nd Place and the title Protogenes. Adrienne Stanger won Third Place.
Click here for a 2013 blog post showing all ten final drawings!

We still need a Greek Title for THIRD PLACE! Send suggestions to: info@grandcentralatelier.org

What’s the story behind the titles Apelles and Protogenes? Well, artist Scott Waddell, who initiated this competition, was inspired by the following story and we ran with it:

The Story of Apelles and Protogenes:

Apelles and Protogenes were renowned painters of Ancient Greece during the time of Alexander the Great (4th century BC). They were rivals and also advocates of each other’s work. Stories tell of their daily precise practice of outlining, and the laborious fine finish they brought to their work, whether drawings or paintings.
Their rivalry tested who could draw the finest, steadiest line and has famously been recorded in an anecdote in Pliny’s Natural History.
Apelles travelled to Protogenes’ home in Rhodes to make the acquaintance of this painter he had heard so much about. Arriving at Protogenes’ studio, he encountered an old woman who told him that Protogenes was out and asked for his name so she could report who had enquired after him.
Observing in the studio a panel Protogenes had prepared for a painting, Apelles walked over to the easel, and taking up a brush told the servant to tell Protogenes “this came from me,” and drew in colour an extremely fine line across the panel.
When Protogenes returned, and the old woman explained what had taken place, he examined the line and pronounced that only Apelles could have done so perfect of work; Protogenes then dipped a brush into another colour and drew a still finer line above the first one, and asked his servant to show this to the visitor should he return.
When Apelles returned, and was shown Protogenes’ response, ashamed that he might be bettered, he drew in a third colour an even finer line between the first two, leaving no room for another display of craftsmanship.
On seeing this, Protogenes admitted defeat, and went out to seek Apelles and meet him face-to-face.
(Retold by Guillaume Apollinaire)

Maybe YOU will win this year. You have to apply first!
Deadline is March 15
(March 16)