Mason Doss, 10, Springfield Nathan Wolf, 8, Rockville Cameron Todd, 9, Rockville Lance Wagner, 10, Springfield Marty Hearting, 11, Appleton City Jesse Webb, 12, Camdenton Tiara Jenkins, 14, Pittsburg Heidi Reeder, 13, Nixa Adam Nisbett, 15, St. James Jennifer Simmons, 17, St. Louis Holly Dirnberger, 19, Oran Sarah Williams, 18, Brookfield Click to Enlarge   Duck Art Is Smart For Kids by Tom Cwynar Junior artists dabble in ducks How would you paint a duck? Not a real one! That would be silly, but painting a picture of a duck would be fun. Ducks and geese are waterfowl. A fowl is a bird, so waterfowl are birds that are often found around water. Swans are waterfowl, too. Ducks, geese and swans make great subjects for drawing or painting because they are colorful and graceful. Another good reason to paint waterfowl is to compete in the duck stamp program. Since 1934, people who hunted waterfowl have had to buy a federal duck stamp. Nonhunters also buy the stamps. Some collect them, and others use them to gain free entry into any of the more than 500 national wildlife refuges administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Nonhunters also buy duck stamps because they want to help preserve ducks and their habitat. Almost all the money from duck stamps sales is spent to purchase or protect wetlands, where ducks live and breed. Since 1934, more than a 500 million dollars has been raised through the duck stamp program. Certain artists were asked to paint the first 15 duck stamps, but in 1949, the government started a national duck stamp contest. Winners don't get any prize money, but their artwork appears on the federal duck stamp. This helps the artist become better recognized. Lots of artists enter the competition. In 1990, the government began the Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program. The program was designed for a national winner to be selected from the winners of state contests. Only California and Florida held state contests that first year, but now all the states, including Missouri, have contests. Each state awards ribbons to three 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-place winners and 16 honorable mention winners in each grade group. They also award certificates to all who enter. The grade groups are kindergarten-3rd, 4th-6th, 7th-9th and 10th-12th. The state also selects a "Best of Show," from among the 1st place winning designs. The Best of Show winners from each state are then entered into a national competition. The national winner receives $2,500, and his or her artwork is made into the Federal Junior Duck Stamp. The money raised from sales of this stamp goes for conservation awards and for scholarships for kids who enter the contest. The 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-place winners also win a free trip to Washington D.C. with their art teacher and one of their parents to attend the (adult) Federal Duck Stamp Contest. This year, Sarah Williams of Brookfield won "Best of Show" in Missouri's Junior Duck Stamp Competition. Her artwork then won third place in the national competition. She said she's been competing since she's been in third or fourth grade and has won third once and a few honorable mentions to go along with her Best of Show entry. Sarah, now 18, attends William Woods University in Fulton, where she is pursuing a degree in Fine Arts. She has a dream of someday becoming a wildlife artist. "I really like painting wildlife," Sarah said, "and the contest gave me something to look forward to all year, I kept thinking of ducks." Contest Information This year, the Big Muddy National Wildlife Refuge will administer Missouri's Junior Duck Stamp contest. For entry packets or for more information about the contest, contact Tim Haller, 4200 New Haven Road, Columbia, MO 65201, 800/611-1826, or email<Tim_haller@fws,gov>. For more information about the Federal Junior Duck Stamp contest go to <http://duckstamps.fws.gov>. and select "2003 Junior Duck Stamp Contest Regulations." Kindergarten - Third Grade Mason Doss, 10, Springfield "I like paint ducks because I like to go duck hunting . . . I used a magazine picture and a stuffed duck my art teacher brought from Bass Pro Shops to paint . . . I have an uncle who paints. He showed me how to draw deer and elk . . . I like to paint because of all the colors in the paint set." "The wings and tail are the hardest, and you have to draw a shadow." Nathan Wolf, 8, Rockville "I found a picture I liked in a magazine . . . I painted the whole thing blue and then traced the goldeneye on it . . . Last year I painted a mallard for the contest . . . I like to paint because it inspires me." "You just start, and then you'll paint more." Cameron Todd, 9, Rockville "On Fridays at school we can't use the computer so we just draw . . . Our art teacher, Ms. Rapp, helped us out. She brought in a hunting magazine with ducks in it. We cut the ducks out and just copied them . . . Me and my dad go fishing a lot. One time we caught 50 fish in our pond, it was awesome, just me and Dad." "Just make it look good. That's the main thing." Fourth - Sixth Grade Lance Wagner, 10, Springfield "Painting is my third favorite thing. First is skateboarding, and second is science and stuff . . . Our teacher brought in stuffed ducks that she borrowed from the outdoor museum, and we started drawing them. Everybody drew one, but I drew a group of heads together." "Try hard." Marty Hearting, 11, Appleton City "I like to paint ducks, The pintail is my favorite duck. I like its big long tail . . . I like to draw, and I draw lots of animals . . . It's just kind of fun to paint. I won the contest once before . . . My mom and sister paint. We have lots of pictures on the wall." "Take your time." Jesse Webb, 12, Camdenton "I sketched it first and had to erase a lot. The picture took about three weeks . . . My mom's an artist. She paints wildlife. I like to paint cars. I mostly design my own . . . I won the "Hot Wheels" design contest. The prize was 96 Hot Wheel cars." "Draw what you see and not what you know." Seventh - Ninth Grade Tiara Jenkins, 14, Pittsburg "I'm not sure I'll become an artist, but it's a hobby I really like. I entered the Missouri state fish art contest sponsored by Wildlife Forever, and won it three times in a row. Painting is a hobby but I really like it. I also paint butterflies and flowers. I'm pretty particular about my art. I like to have it pretty close to what it really looks like." "I really enjoy working with oils. They make things look richer . . . Have fun at it." Heidi Reeder, 13, Nixa "The green wing teal is my favorite duck . . . I got my ideas from several different pictures, but I made up the background myself. I didn't do it all in one sitting . . . All my brothers and sisters were going to enter, but didn't get their artwork done . . . I just painted a kitten today. I paint lots of animals." "I think the duck should have some personality. Mostly it's in the eyes." Adam Nisbett, 15, St. James I'm homeschooled and did this basically on my own. I really like ducks - all kinds of birds. I even bought live ducks from a wildlife breeder. I watched them, took pictures and sketched them . . . Art is definitely going to be a part of my life . . . I paint other wildlife, but mostly birds." "Try to see the real thing." Tenth - Twelfth Grade Jennifer Simmons, 17, St. Louis "I mainly just paint wildlife - birds and turkeys . . . I used a combination of three or four different pictures for my painting. The drake came from one, the hen another, the background another and the log another . . . I love nature, especially hunting and fishing, and painting helps me connect with it." "Try to get the anatomy of the duck as accurate as you can, and try to do something a little different." Holly Dirnberger, 19, Oran "I'm studying painting, drawing, graphic design and sculpture at William Woods University . . . I started taking private art classes when I was 8 . . . I hope to have my own studio someday . . . I'm the only creative one in the family, but my dad is good at building things . . . Part of my painting is from a picture, but I studied my grandma's white geese to get the light and shadow right." "Don't copy a photo exactly. Make sure that you have the duck or goose in its proper surroundings." Best of Show - Sarah Williams, 18, Brookfield "I worked from a mount of a duck provided by my teacher. I took it out in different lighting situations and sketched a lot before I spent a weekend actually painting . . . I really like wildlife, and I'm hoping for a career in wildlife art." "Art takes a lot of practice, and if you have patience you'll discover things as you go on."