when i went to crafts and design school, i loved our swap challenge days. those days we had to start by preparing a bag full of rather random materials and templates and things, then we swapped bags and had the rest of the day to make something like a piece of jewellery or a more general work of art out of what we got in the bags. we could add our own material but were supposed to use as much as possible of the stuff in the bags.
i wonder if this wouldn't be fun to do on gimp chat? prepare a zip file with an xcf that's not completely empty and some resources (patterns, brushes, paths...) and then swap zips and try to make something of what you got. what do you people say?

Sounds like fun!

That seems to be an open challenge to the community and is great, AnMal! Good idea. Nice avatar, too.

fun, i'll take this as a sign of interest .

i hereby make this the official swap challenge thread, and here are the rules:

to share a resource kit:
1. the folder should contain an xcf-file that you've started up with something - at least two layers that are not empty, and as many paths/selections/channels etc as you like. also, the folder should contain at least three (and preferably more!) other resources - brushes, patterns, gradients, basic images to play with or be inspired by, etc. your imagination sets the limits. try to add items you really like or get inspired by yourself.
2. the folder should be named "swap challenge #gimp chat username", so people know which folder they got, and so we can keep track of what folders are taken and not.
3. share your swap challenge folder or a link to it in a post in this thread.

to use a resource kit:
1. choose an unused folder from the posts in this thread and make a post saying which one you downloaded.
2. make an image of your own, using the xcf in some way (you don't have to use all features of it, but at least some of them) and at least one of the other resources - it's usually more fun when you use more of them, you really get to stretch your own limits.
3. when you're done, make a post in this thread, with your resulting image and some words about what you used and how you used it - you don't have to write a whole novel, just tell a bit about what you got in the resource kit and how it featured in your image.

i have a folder to share already, so i hope someone tags along and posts another!
dropbox: swap challenge anmal

Sounds like a good idea.

Anmal - I have downloaded your 'dropbox' files - something has to get me away from paisley

But when I open the XCF file, I am suddenly confronted by what is there ... all those masks ... its clear my GIMP 'learning journey' is getting longer and the destination is further away than ever ... certainly not in sight!

But I will see what I can come up with.

oldmangrumpy: hmm, i think a gimp learning journey continues for as long as you want to! there will always be new scripts and plug-ins to try and now and then new gimp versions to get to know. and i know there are loads of features in gimp 2.8 that i hardly give a thought to - i've given the cage transformation tool a go, but that's a long way back now and i never really tried to get to know it better. who knows what i could come up with if i did?

as for the xcf - use it just as you like! delete the masks if they bother you . or turn the masks into selections and the selections to paths or channels, so you can use them in other ways. or play around with the masks - disable and enable to see just what they do, use "brightness and contrast" on them and see what happens, or paint on them or draw gradients on them or whatever and see what it does to the actual layer. oh dear, i guess i'm a bit in love with layer masks...