'Just a tool'?
It's be like an art contest where people were using pencil,pens and crayons,and then one guy coming in with his full air-brush kit. It's an unfair advantage because not everybody knows how to use or has access to those 'tools'. I know its just for fun,but realisticly it's more than that that for me.
I've got an idea. Start a contest thread where you pick the subject and we can only draw it in pencil. With pencils, the contest need only run a week. I promise I will enter. Then have a voting poll. The prize: If you win, then you've proved your point. Design an entire contest around YOUR strengths and disallow anything that you haven't mastered. If you feel that is a more fair contest then start one up. I'll be there.
I've got an idea,do what you want! MY suggestion was to keep it 'Traditional'. I was'nt just limiting it to pencils. You could use anything you want,just not a computer (Exception: scanning).
But what do you consider to be "traditional"?
Regardless, it seems that no matter how we try to level the competition, there will be always be someone who will cry foul. For example, I do a lot of watercolor painting. If I do that for the next competition, then will the people who use markers be complaining that the contest is unfair because they're unable to get the same type of gradations with markers? Will the watercolor people cry foul on the oil paint people because oil paint can get much smoother and more realistic colors? Every medium has its limits. And the mediums that have the nicest effects are often the hardest to use.
I think people may assume that since I did the Tortle picture on a computer that it was somehow easier. That single image took about 8 hours, minimum... much longer than it takes me to complete a watercolor painting.
Anyway, whatever the consensus is, is cool by me. Even if we decide to do the competition with crayons, I'm okay with it.