February 2017 "Finish It!" Design Challenge

It's been a while, I know, and this here dear "Finish It!" contest has been poorly neglected and postponed much longer than ever intended. But it's time to set that to rights and get to it! I admit to having as much fun (perhaps more, because I get to see all the beautiful entries as they arrive) as I hope the contestants have. Here you’ll find all you need to know about the contest and rules, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments below, or email me at the address provided later in the rules.

The purpose of the "Finish It!" challenge is to encourage the participants to extend themselves, their talents and creativity beyond the limitations of a single set of instructions and create pieces uniquely their own. Tutorials have been an integral part of my personal evolution as a jewelry artist, from such talents as Eni Oken, Iza Malzcyk, IMNIUM and Lonely Soldier. And my progression from the steps and instructions provided to me by others has been a worthwhile journey towards my own creative self-discovery. Tutorials need never represent a "cookie cutter" aesthetic, nor the only design possibility, but rather a gateway to limitless possibilities, and the entries received for these contests have proven, time and again, the truth of that statement. Why is the photo above all wicked swirly like that? So you cannot discern what the finished piece is meant to look like, according to the completed tutorial, but rather to allow your imagination control of the reigns.

Here’s the gist: At the bottom of this post is a link to a tutorial only 11 pages long, and ending abruptly less than halfway through the instruction. Your job is to create a piece beginning with the steps, as explained in the file, but ending with your own imagination! And blowing my mind... that's part of your job too. And you can do it, because it's been done every single time I've held one of these contests. If you are in doubt... just you wait... you'll surprise yourself.

Contest Rules

• To assure fairness, only one element from the “Materials & Tools” list (provided in the tutorial) may be changed, and anything may be omitted entirely that isn't used in the provided 11 pages of instruction. For example: The size of the stone can change, for instance, but lengths and gauges of wire may not. Gauge of wires may change, but lengths and size of stone may not. You can change from a bead to a cabochon, but only if they are the same size, and other materials may not be changed as a result. But if you're unsure of changes allowed, just leave a comment below and I'll do my best to clarify. Tools not listed may not be used at all during the construction of your piece. Jump rings are a minor material and gauges, size or style of jump ring may be changed without effecting your one allowed material change. Finishing tools and processes, such as for polishing and oxidizing, may be used as they do not directly influence the size and shape of the finished design.
  

• When a piece is completed to his or her satisfaction, the contestant is asked to submit a single photo of a single finished piece via email, to nikki.hanna@gmail.com. Please title this email “Contest Entry”. No compilation photos. One single clear photo is requested. The completed project may be photographed on a chain, if desired, and on any display. Please save the image file as "Enter Your Name Here" only and send as an attachment (not embedded in the email).  Following these submission guidelines assures your entry is not missed! The deadline for this submission is March 31, 2017, 11:59 pm (US Eastern). Note: Photoscape and Picasa are both free programs suitable for image resizing and photo editing. Photo editing apps for smart phones and tablets, such as "Resize Me!", can be used as well.

• On April 1 (giving you more than a month to complete and submit your entry!), an album will be created on Pinterest containing the submitted entries, then put to vote before all participants. Note: By submitting an entry to the February 2017 “Finish it!” Tutorial Contest, you are granting Nicole Hanna permission to display your image online for the purposes of promoting or running this contest.

• The participants will vote for “Group Favorite”, by commenting on their favorite entry (only one), with all votes submitted between April 1 and Midnight April 15. If you do not have a Pinterest account, or (for any reason) cannot comment on the entries to cast your vote, please submit your vote to nikki.hanna@gmail.com and I will comment on your behalf. More on this in a later post.

• Votes will be tallied and winners announced April 16.

“Group Favorite” will win my completed version of this project and any ten tutorials of their choice.

A “Judged Favorite”, chosen by a panel of four jewelry artists and three “consumers” (who are not participating in the contest), will also receive any ten tutorials of their choice.

Every contestant will receive the finished version of this tutorial simply for participating. This tutorial will arrive as a reply to your submission email, so check your spam folder if you do not receive it by the end of March. Also, be sure your email host will accept incoming attachments. I've had many emails rejected because the mail box was full, or security settings did not allow attachments.

Happy weaving everyone, and I hope you have fun!

Note: Please access this file via a laptop or desktop computer. Some mobile devices are uncooperative with PDF downloads, and I may not be able to address requests for manual email delivery of this file in a timely manner (thus using up your submission time).

Good luck everyone and happy weaving!

Nicole