The PTG Studios Artist Challenge Series
Same rules. Wildly different results.
Everyone starts with the identical palette and the identical theme. What happens next is entirely up to you — pros, beginners, and our CEO, same box, wildly different art. Constraint doesn't limit creativity, it reveals it.
The Anatomy of a Challenge
Every challenge is built from the same DNA.
Two things never change — and one thing keeps you on your toes.
The Theme
A single creative prompt that sets the direction for every piece.
The Palette
A restricted set of colors, featuring paint from Blick Art Supplies. The tighter the box, the more inventive the art.
The Wildcard
An occasional third constraint that changes the whole game — no brushes, one continuous line, non-dominant hand. The twist that separates the timid from the fearless.
OptionalWhere the Rules Come From
Who makes the rules? Depends on the challenge.
Part of the fun is never quite knowing who's holding the pen. Each challenge's rules come from one of three places.
The Crowd
Our social media community votes on the theme, the palette, and sometimes the Wildcard. When the people decide, anything can happen.
The Artist
Sometimes we hand the keys to one of our artists and let them set a rule — a personal constraint pulled straight from their own practice.
PTG
And sometimes we make the call ourselves, dropping in a Wildcard nobody saw coming.
The Archive
The Challenges
Complete
Challenge No. 001 — "Finding Love in the Strangest of Places"
- Theme
- Finding Love in the Strangest of Places (chosen by the crowd)
- Palette
- A restricted set of Blick Art Supplies colors (chosen by the crowd)
- Wildcard
- None — the inaugural run kept it to the essentials.
Our first-ever challenge set the tone for everything the series is about: shared constraints, radically personal outcomes.
Now Live
Challenge No. 002
- Theme
- [Voted theme goes here]
- Palette
- A restricted set of Blick Art Supplies colors
- Wildcard
- No brushes. Fingers, palette knives, squeegees, string, gravity, breath — whatever you've got. Just no brushes.
The training wheels are off. Challenge No. 002 introduces the Wildcard, and it's a big one.
How to Participate
Ready to make something?
Everyone plays. Every skill level, everywhere. Same box, your vision.
Follow along
Catch the current theme, palette, and any Wildcard on social.
Create
Make your piece from home or your own studio, using the challenge constraints.
Submit & tag
Get featured in the gallery — and maybe on a shirt.
