Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Extending the Giveaway and Contest

It's come to my attention that, for some reason I've been unable to figure out, comments are not coming through on my giveaway post, and I think it's kind of pick and choose with the name the drawing post - there are some comments on that one, but I know at least one person who tried to comment and was unable to.


Due to this, I'm extending both the giveaway and the name the drawing contest (click on the links to see the original posts including the prizes, rules, etc.) through Sunday, August 28. You can comment on this post for either one, but please check back to make sure your comment comes through. I don't moderate comments, so it should go up immediately.

If your comment doesn't work, you can leave a message on my Facebook page or tweet @melissalynndart. You could also shoot me an email at black_unicorn11@yahoo.com if you wish, but make sure to put something about blog giveaway or name the drawing contest in the subject, so I don't think it's junk mail.

Comments already left on the name the drawing post will be counted - no need to submit them again, but if you entered that contest, go and make sure that your post is actually there.


Sorry for the inconvenience. If anyone knows what's going on with the comments or has suggestions to fix it, please let me know.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Giveaway! And a special offer for today!

Sorry for the weekend absence. Put some new fence up and got my horse moved to a new pen so I can work with him. Happy to see him up close again instead of from across the pasture!


I've been talking about my upcoming 2 year anniversary of selling online... well, today's the day! In celebration, I've marked everything in my ArtFire shop 10% off. Today only!


Also, it's time to kick off the giveaway I promised!


$25.00 credit to be used for whatever your heart desires at my shop on either Etsy or ArtFire. The winner will have to let me know which shop they prefer to shop at as the set up is different for each (a coupon code for ArtFire, a special listing for Etsy).


To enter, you must follow my blog and leave a comment with the following:

Name: 
Email address: 
Your favorite item in my shops: 
Something you would like to know about me, whether personal or art-related, or something you'd like to see me blog about: 


You can earn additional entries by sharing this giveaway on Twitter (mention @melissalynndart), Facebook, or your blog. Comment here with a link to your tweet or blog post or copy and paste the text of your post on Facebook. Make sure you leave a separate comment for each way you share and include your name and email in each comment.
You may also earn an entry by making a suggestion for my "Name the Drawing" contest on that post and commenting here that you did so.


Entries will be open through Monday, Aug. 22, and I will randomly pick a winner on Tuesday, Aug. 23.

Good luck!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Anniversary contest - Name the Drawing!

Even though I finished this drawing over a year ago, I still haven't been able to settle on a good title for it, hence the theme of my anniversary contest!

Can you think of a name for this drawing?





Post your suggestions here and include a way for me to get in contact with you whether it's an email or Etsy/ArtFire account where I can message you.


Entries will be open through August 22nd. I'll choose the winner on August 23rd and get in touch with you. This is not a random drawing; I will choose the name I like the best.


The prize? Your choice of any one of my pencil prints or photographs. In addition, your options include a print of my new Sawyer drawing or my fair photographs (some limits apply) which are not in my shops yet.


Can't wait to hear your ideas!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Let's get the party started!

August is my month to celebrate! My little blog turned one whole year old on August 3, and my Etsy shop will be two years old on August 15.

To get the party started, I'm announcing the same type of cascading discounts I did last year. First purchase from either my ArtFire or Etsy shop gets a 25% discount. The next person gets 20%, then 15%, 10%, and finally, 5%. This will be refunded through PayPal unless you contact me prior to purchasing, so I can make a special listing with the discounted price.

I've got some more fun stuff planned for the upcoming week or so including a giveaway, a contest, and more, so stay tuned! If you don't already follow me on Facebook or Twitter, now's the time to do so as followers at each site will get their own exclusive gifts!

I'm also planning a blog post all about myself since I've never said very much about myself personally, so if there's anything you want to know about me, now's the time to ask!

Monday, August 8, 2011

County Fair photo placings

Here's a complete report of how my photos did at the county fair last weekend. Each category has four divisions - black & white, color, sepia, and digitally enhanced.

All photos except the digitally enhanced (obviously) and ones with other changes noted are SOOC (straight out of the camera) except for cropping to 5x7 and being made into black & white or sepia. I know some people would disagree, but I never photograph in black & white or sepia. If I've got the color version, I can easily make them black & white or sepia, but it doesn't work the other way.

People:
Black & White
1st place & Reserve Champion!
Taken July, 2011, at Jerland Farm in Wisconsin. 
SOOC.
I just adore this photo, so I was very pleased that it did so well!

Color:
3rd place
Taken October, 2010, at the Catholic Church in St. Leo, MN.
SOOC.
A little disappointed with this placing as this was another of my favorites photos.

Sepia:
2nd place
Taken June, 2011, at the Crystal Springs Rodeo, Clear Lake, SD.
Drastic cropping (original photo included horse).
Pleasantly surprised that this one placed this high as none of my photos from the rodeo were real high quality due to the low lighting and distance from the subjects.

Digital:
1st place
Taken October, 2010, at the Catholic church in St. Leo, MN.
Used the cross process feature on Picnik.
Happy to get a first, but I thought the other photo of this couple (above) was better than this one.


Animal:
Black & white:
1st place
Taken July, 2011, at Sand Creek, WI.
Rotated slightly.
I love my macro setting! The animal division is always very competitive, so I'm always happy with a blue ribbon in it!

Color:
1st place
Taken July, 2011, at Jerland Farm, Wisconsin.
SOOC.
Another blue ribbon in the animal category! I'll admit this was not one of my favorite photos, so I was surprised.

Sepia:
2nd place
Taken July, 2011, at Jerland Farm, Wisconsin
SOOC.
I actually liked this photo much better in color, so I was happy with a 2nd place.

Digital:
2nd place
April, 2011, Jerland Farm, Wisconsin.
Made black & white but brushed out the foal to be color (loooong process!)
Very happy with a second place on this one!


Sport Action:
Black & white:
1st place
Taken June, 2011, at Crystal Springs Rodeo, Clear Lake, SD.
SOOC.
Again surprised due to the graininess of the photo and it not being a "typical" action photo.

Color:
Didn't place
Taken June, 2011, at Crystal Springs Rodeo, Clear Lake, SD.
SOOC.
Love this photo, other than I'm really disappointed with the graininess. Hadn't expected it to place.

Sepia:
2nd place
Taken at Crystal Springs Rodeo, Clear Lake, SD.
SOOC.
Better than I'd expected on this one, but then the judge didn't know what I know - I was going for the whole horse, but it bucked right out of the frame!


Landscape:
Black & white:
Didn't place
Taken July, 2011, at Sand Creek, Wisconsin.
SOOC.
Liked this one much better in color, but could only take one landscape photo in color, and this looked better in black & white than the one below. Still... had thought it would at least place.

Color:
Didn't place
Taken July, 2011, at McCrory Gardens, Brookings, SD.
SOOC.
Love the light and unique perspective of this one. Very disappointed with no ribbon.

Sepia:
2nd place
Ida Noyes Hall, Chicago, Ill.
SOOC.
Really surprised this one placed so high. I didn't know if a building would even qualify as landscape.

Digital:
2nd place
Taken February, 2011, in my yard in Minnesota.
Used the boost feature in Picnik.
Really liked how this one turned out and am happy with the placing.


Fair: 
(new category this year, so I hadn't been looking for photos)
Color:
2nd place
September, 2009, South Dakota State Fair, Huron, SD (We were allowed to take photos more than a year old for this category this year since it's new. Usually photos must have been taken since the previous fair.)
SOOC.
Really good placing considering I just went and found a photo for this category. Usually, I'm looking all year long for shots for each category, so I have lots to choose from.


Still life:
(There used to be a flower category, but they dropped it this year, hence the flower photos in the still life category.)
Black & white:
2nd place
July, 2011, McCrory Gardens, Brookings, SD.
SOOC.
Another that was much better in color, so I'm happy with 2nd place. Was a little miffed though because they had it turned 90 degrees on the display board with the back flower pointing straight up, and it looked strange with the stem coming from the side of the photo.

Color:
3rd place
July, 2011, McCrory Gardens, Brookings, SD.
SOOC.
I'll admit I'm very disappointed with this placing. I love the light and shadow on this photo and really thought it would do better. This one was also displayed wrong, but it didn't really matter with this one.


Any other subject:
Black & white:
Didn't place
July, 2011, Jerland Farm, Wisconsin.
SOOC.
I'm just plain peeved about this one. It was also displayed on the board at a 90 degree angle with the horses' noses pointing straight down. It looked ridiculous, and I'm quite mad thinking they probably judged it that way as well.

Color:
Didn't place
July, 2011, Sand Creek, Wisconsin.
SOOC.
Another disappointment. I'm rather happy with this photo.

Digital:
3rd place
Rockefeller Chapel, Chicago, Ill.
Used focal zoom feature on Picnik.
Love this one too and a little disappointed with the low placing.

Overall, I'm very happy. The judge last year didn't like my photos at all, and I didn't get a single blue ribbon, so I did much better this year. I also had fun entering the digitally enhanced divisions for the first time!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Completion of Sawyer drawing

You can view the first half of the process here: Drawing My Horse - Step by Step

That post took us up through the first three hours of work. So here are the progress photos continuing from that point.

3 hours, 15 min.

3 hours, 30 min.

3 hours, 45 min.

4 hours

4 hours, 15 min.

4 hours, 30 min.

4 hours, 45 min.

5 hours

5 hours, 15 min.

5 hours, 30 min.

And this is the photo I was working from:


I'm needing ideas for a title for this drawing. Should I just call it "Sawyer"? Or should I give it a more creative name? Any suggestions?
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