hiring an artist

So, one thing that's been working well as a filter hiring programmers is asking applicants to answer a simple programming question in their cover letter.

I decided to try the same thing with art.

Here's my oDesk job post:

draw this better ($20)

please spend an hour drawing this better:

to apply:
- submit a 1 minute sketch of a nose, with your name on it

thanks!
~Greg

I asked applicants to sketch a nose. There was a bit of confusion about this, since my drawing doesn't include noses on the faces, so some applicants thought they were meant to sketch a nose on the face.

I hired the first three people that submitted a nose sketch, and I kept the first drawing they submitted — I didn't ask for any improvements. The whole process from job-post to final results happened this afternoon/evening. Here's each person's application sketch, and their final drawing: