# 6-year-old wins junior duck stamp contest **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 19, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143 "2013-04-19T16:15:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/1 "2013-04-19T16:15:46Z")
Is there anyway in hell a 6 year old could do this? > **[6-year-old wins junior duck stamp contest](https://www.bhpioneer.com/local_news/article_01202176-962c-11e2-8194-0019bb2963f4.html)** > > SPEARFISH — Of the 770 pieces of art submitted for the 2013 South Dakota Junior Duck Stamp contest, one stood above all the rest — and it was created by ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/2 "2013-04-19T16:17:36Z")
> [@](#): > > She created the painting with some coaching from her parents. “Some”, eh… ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/3 "2013-04-19T17:16:13Z")
I really clicked the link with an open mind. But no fucking way did a 6 year old paint that. Ugh. Fucking asshole parents. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/4 "2013-04-19T19:11:35Z")
With a ‘coach’ that is an accomplished artist in the field, it seems… possible, but I’ve never seen a 6-year old produce anything even remotely as good as this. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_I\_Am](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Sam\_I\_Am](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_I_Am)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/5 "2013-04-19T19:15:08Z")
I guess if any 6 year old could, it would most likely be one who has natural ability (her dad is a painter), and lots and lots of time to be coached (she is homeschooled). ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/6 "2013-04-19T19:20:59Z")
If I had a 6-year-old who could paint like that I would make sure to get video documentation or I wouldn’t expect anyone to believe it. So no, I don’t believe it. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/7 "2013-04-19T19:24:46Z")
Yeah, I was all like, “Y’all are a bunch of haters, 6-year-olds can do amazing work.” And I clicked on the article and thought, “There’s the photo of the duck, but where’s the kid’s painting?” And then I figured it out and burst out laughing. Yeah, color me skeptical. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/8 "2013-04-19T19:41:32Z")
I’m going with the consensus. I’ll be astonished if it turns out that girl actually did this painting by herself. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/9 "2013-04-19T19:57:04Z")
“Here, honey, let me hold your hand and, uh, coach you while you paint this.” ---
**Author:** ![Deegeea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Deegeea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deegeea)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/10 "2013-04-19T20:13:14Z")
I don’t have any trouble believing it. It’s rare, but child prodigies are not impossible. Googling around I found quite a few other children were artistically advanced at age 6. Here’s one impressive article: > **[Pictured: Incredible watercolour paintings by boy aged just SIX](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1203226/Pictured-Incredible-watercolour-paintings-boy-aged-just-SIX.html)** > > Kieron Williamson's attempts are so beautifully rendered that artists ten times his age will be filled with envy. And another one: > **[VeryVietnam.com is for sale | HugeDomains](https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=veryvietnam.com)** > > This domain name is available, own it today. Affordable payment options. Fast and professional service. Another: > **[At 5 Years Old Her Paintings Surpassed Yours Right Now (48 pics)](https://izismile.com/2011/11/10/at_5_years_old_her_paintings_surpassed_yours_48_pics.html)** > > 16-year-old Akiane has been amazing the world with her unique paintings since she was six, and has progressed every single year. Each year her paintings become more and more impressive, proving that within such a short period of time she has... ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/11 "2013-04-19T20:15:44Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Yeah, I was all like, “Y’all are a bunch of haters, 6-year-olds can do amazing work.” And I clicked on the article and thought, “There’s the photo of the duck, but where’s the kid’s painting?” And then I figured it out and burst out laughing. Yeah, color me skeptical. Thank you, you worded it better than me. My reaction was exactly the same, by the way (down to being confused by the photo and looking for the kid’s picture). I’d be raising an eyebrow if they claimed a 10-13 year old painted that, but I’d probably keep it to myself. But 6? No fucking way. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/12 "2013-04-19T20:23:08Z")
> [@Deegeea](#): > > I don’t have any trouble believing it. It’s rare, but child prodigies are not impossible. > > Googling around I found quite a few other children were artistically advanced at age 6. > > Here’s one impressive article: > > [Pictured: Incredible watercolour paintings by boy aged just SIX | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1203226/Pictured-Incredible-watercolour-paintings-boy-aged-just-SIX.html) > > And another one: > > [http://veryvietnam.com/2011-10-10/beautiful-paintings-by-6-year-old-vietnamese-australian/](http://veryvietnam.com/2011-10-10/beautiful-paintings-by-6-year-old-vietnamese-australian/) > > Another: > > [At 5 Years Old Her Paintings Surpassed Yours Right Now (48 pics) - Izismile.com](http://izismile.com/2011/11/10/at_5_years_old_her_paintings_surpassed_yours_48_pics.html) Without video of the kids painting, I am skeptical of all of these, especially the first one (the Daily Mail? Seriously?). Other parents have claimed their kid was an artistic genius, but when they have to prove it (put the kid alone in a room and watch them paint with hidden cameras or the like) it always turns out the parents are lying. The Vietnamese girl seems the least likely to be a fraud; her paintings show talent, but not nearly as far beyond her years as the others. I still think she’s mostly a fake though. Extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence and all that. ETA: i noticed in the articles all the parents are making lots of money off this stuff. Yeah, it’s fake ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/13 "2013-04-19T21:42:49Z")
Am I wrong in thinking the duck painting is a lot different than the paintings in the links posted above? That duck was almost photo-realistic. It seems much harder to pull that off. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/14 "2013-04-19T21:53:50Z")
They may not have touched the brushes or the canvass, but coaching can take the form of sitting next to somebody with a second easel and saying “Okay, now take your #3 fan brush, dip it in the sap green and do _this_ with it. No, that’s wrong. Be lighter with your stroke, like _this_.” Over the course of a year, nearly anybody could produce a decent painting with that sort of coaching. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/15 "2013-04-19T22:14:14Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Am I wrong in thinking the duck painting is a lot different than the paintings in the links posted above? > > That duck was almost photo-realistic. It seems much harder to pull that off. Agreed. I can accept the possibility of the other pictures but not the duck one. Even with a professional painter standing right there and telling the child (or even an adult) what to do, I don’t think a non-professional would have the muscle skills to make that painting. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/16 "2013-04-19T22:27:54Z")
Both of my parents were artists, and I inherited artistic ability from both of them. But there’s no way in hell I could have painted that at age 6. My guess is that it was done like “paint-by-numbers,” with Daddy drawing all the contours and mixing the colors. Even the gradients can be done that way. Don’t forget, we’re seeing a tiny version of the real thing. So I’m calling “fraud!” To say that an “artist” did a painting “himself” means that he did the entire creation by himself. I wonder whether any of the other contestants are suing. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/17 "2013-04-19T22:35:52Z")
Maybe her parents will drive her to the event in their Pinewood Derby Fleetwood Brougham. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/18 "2013-05-02T22:30:09Z")
Looks like the folks here weren’t the [only ones](http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/2/feds-accuse-6-year-old-plagiarism-strip-duck-stamp/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS) who are calling fowl…er…foul. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/19 "2013-05-03T11:33:32Z")
Okay, I can believe it a whole lot more if she started from a tracing of a photograph! ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143/20 "2013-05-03T12:20:07Z")
Reading the Thread title I had no point of reference as to what a “Duck Stamp Contest” might be. I could only imagine contestants stamping upon ducks. I thought, “No way a 6 year old could bring her foot down with sufficient power to successfully stamp down a duck!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-year-old-wins-junior-duck-stamp-contest/656143.md?page=2)