Hello Traditional Artists


This is an announcement for you, but I want your opinion if what I'm doing is correct and if you are willing to participate.
My idea is to organize a contest, but with certain specificities and with a different kind of prizes...



Rules:

The contest starts now, as this article is published.
This is a Traditional Art Contest on the Portrait category.
The medium is paper but you can use graphite, coloured pencils or any other technique.  Instead of a drawing it also can be a acrylic painting on canvas but you have to remember this is going to be shipped to Portugal and I don't intent to pay more for the shipping than for the piece.
The size of the piece has to be no smaller than a A3 paper.
I have no rush, so I'm accepting entries until the 30th October. You can choose any reference and you can draw/paint it as many times as you want.
There is no specifications about the way to submit the work to dA: you can photograph it or scan it, you may submit to your gallery or to your scraps.  If you prefer to submit a small pic or with the dA watermark you can, but probably I'll be requesting for you to send me a larger file with no watermark to my email. On your comments you may write it is a commission if you want, no need to link it to the reference.
If you are excited with this work and want to submit WIPs, I'll accept them. This: [link]
is the gallery for this contest, where you can find all the works. You'll be finding there the references too.
These are the references:
(EDIT: Uploaded more and I think I got these with better quality.)




Specificities:

The references are to be use in these commissions, you can't use them for other purposes.
I want realistic works, if you are a modern art lover and you like Abstract Expressionism, Cubism, Pop Art, Surrealism or Impressionism to express yourself, then don't bother. I really appreciate this kind of art but it's not what I'm looking for right now.
I reserve myself the right to not buy any work. I don't know who is going to participate, I don't know if the works have the quality I require but if that is the case I will give 3 prizes of 12 months subscription to dA to the 3 works/artists I like the most.


Prizes:

I want to buy at least 3 pieces. So you will not get a prize, you will get paid.
How much am I going to pay? Well, that's for you to say.
Some time ago I asked in a poll which is the fair price for a pencil portrait. Of course each one of you gave me different answers: it depends on the material used, if it has background, if it is more or less precise/ realistic, if you are a professional or an amateur, but I guess one of the most strict condition is were you live: indubitably a German artist will want to be better paid than a Portuguese one, just like in every other profession. The life conditions for the different countries aren't the same even when living in the European Community.
So, you will say which is the fair price when the time comes - I'll contact you. Also, I'll be paying the shipping expenses and all costs related.
As I said before, I reserve myself the right to not buy any work but if that is the case I will give 3 prizes of 12 months subscription to dA to the 3 works/artists I like the most.



Now it's the time to ask for your help:
- Do you think this is a fair deal?
- Can you work with the given references?
- How about the time? You have 8 months to complete a work. Is it enough or is it too much?
- Do you have any suggestion or doubt?

Please comment here or contact me by note at