Giveaway!

I'm sorry, this giveaway is now closed.

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As promised, I'm doing my first giveaway! Your entries for the giveaway will actually become part of my painting for the Church's art contest, so I need a lot! This year's theme is "Remembering the Great Things of God."

WHAT YOU GET

example of the process:

I will be giving away a custom pencil drawing of the subject of the winner's choice (from a photo the winner will provide.) If you want a portrait I will do up to TWO people.

The value depends on what the finished piece will be, but to give you an idea, I typically charge about $50/head for pencil portraits, sometimes more if they are extremely complicated.

The piece will be done on 9 X 12 watercolor paper and will be sent unframed. I normally do the actual image as an 8 X 10 so there is plenty of room to frame it however you'd like (hmmm . . . confessions of a former picture framer . . . )

WHO CAN ENTER

Anyone eighteen or older! If you are not a blogger, please provide an email address I can reach you at if you win. You can either make that part of your comment or email it to me at KristalsBlog @ Yahoo.com (no spaces)** with GIVEAWAY EMAIL as the subject.

**As of Oct 20, 2012 this blog has moved to kristalcoles.com and my email is now
CONTACT @ KRISTALCOLES.COM

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

1. Go to the online exhibit from the last competition {CLICK HERE} and look around.
2. Return here and leave a comment on this post, telling me
a. what your favorite piece was (for first initial entry) AND
b. in ONE WORD, what you think of as a "great thing of God." (for an additional entry each!)
3. (Optional, but greatly appreciated) Link to this post on your blog. Make sure you leave a comment with your blog address letting me know if you did this. (for another entry!)
4. (Optional, but - again - greatly appreciated!) Email this post to as many people as you feel comfortable sending this to. Make sure you leave a comment letting me know if you do this. (for yet another entry!)

This would be worth 8 entries!

DEADLINES, TERMS, & OTHER BORING BUT IMPORTANT STUFF

The giveaway will run through Saturday, September 6.

The winner will be notified via email and I will post it on this blog by September 13th.

By entering you agree that, if you are chosen as the winner,you will allow me to use any image you provide, as well as the finished prize image on this and any other blog/publication.

By entering you agree that, if you are chosen as the winner, you will not provide me with an image that is already copyrighted, unless you own the copyright and will provide permission for use.

Grafted In

A visual representation of the grafted olive tree from the allegory in Jacob 5, this piece also represents my personal grafting into the church; the scriptures that were instrumental to my conversion, the support and nourishment I received from members, and the blessings that have resulted.

Further Explanation of Artwork

This piece is a representation of my own ongoing story. At first glance you see the olive tree built from many different pieces. As in the allegory found in Jacob 5, the tree, or vineyard, represents the body of the church. As new members are baptized they are “grafted” into the whole. The branch on the right holding the marbled stone is my branch. This represents my joining to the church body.

The dimensional pattern is of an abacus. The “beads” are positioned to represent the number 9,024,569 (the total membership of the church in 1994, the year I was baptized). If you were to reposition them to count the beads that are turned (the vertical ovals) you would show the number 300,730 (the number of convert baptisms in 1994). These numbers are reiterated on the frame as a reference.

I am so honored to be counted among the membership of the church. The marbled stone is used in both of the above numerical representations as well as representing the number one – for my own baptism.

In the allegory, the servant of the Lord nourishes the trees of the vineyard. Likewise we are nourished with the word of God. Upon close inspection you will see selections from Jacob, chapter 5 (the allegory of the olive tree); Alma, chapter 32 (faith is like a seed); and Mosiah, chapter 18 (baptisms at the Waters of Mormon) make up the hill the olive tree sits on. If the church as a body stays rooted in the scriptures, it will be strong.

Please know that I did not use actual pages from any book of scripture for the art piece. I used images printed from a computer.

But I didn’t just want to tell of my conversion. I wanted to use the contest as a way to direct people to the church and to share the gospel. To do so I hosted a giveaway contest on my blog. To enter the giveaway visitors had to go to the church’s website and view last year’s contest pieces, then return to my website and leave a comment stating, in one word, what they thought was a great thing of God. I then encouraged my readers to email others about it.

Written upon the leaves are all the comments I received from my giveaway contest and emails. They represent the great things of God and the blessings He has bestowed upon His children.

Feeling {FUNKY}

funky [fuhng-kee] adjective

1. offensively malodorous

2. (of jazz) having the soulful feeling of early blues

3. stylish and modern in an unconventional way

4. in a state of cowardly fright

5. dejected, depressed, perturbed, agitated, distressed

I am currently in a {FUNK}! It's time to get back to some daily sketching. I'd like to do an alphabet series. Each day I will do a sketch for a letter of the alphabet and post it here.

I also need to get started on my entry for the Church's art contest (I can think of at least 5 of you who should also enter. . .) I may combine both projects...we'll see. Before I decide I need your help.

Please, please, please leave a comment by Sunday the 24th at midnight answering the following:

1. What topic would you like to see for the A-Z sketch series (i.e. Arizona, Food, Animals, Baby stuff, Feelings, Religious, etc.)? You do NOT need to choose from these examples - be creative!

2. I'm thinking of doing a giveaway to help me with the contest entry. If I do I will be giving away a custom piece of art (small painting, custom pencil portrait, etc.) Would you enter? Would you tell all your friends (after all the purpose would be to get A LOT of feedback)? What would you like to see as the giveaway?

Seriously, no lurkers! Leave a comment and get me out of this FUNK!

Art Update

Two more days until I need to have the painting finished! It's mostly done. I just have a few finishing touches (which always seem to take the longest) and the frame. I'm a bit nervous about the frame.

I have been taking pictures all throughout the process so you can see how my mind works {or doesn't work!} and what goes into a piece like this. Remember, you helped me come up with part of it with your responses to my giveaway. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Are you excited to see it? Do you have any ideas what it will be? Tell me your guesses (hey, maybe some of the guesses will end up in The Gallery on the side bar as well)! {Lisa, don't tell!}

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I haven't been feeling well this week; migraines, nausea, fatigue, etc. so I really want to win this giveaway from from Wendy at Going Incognito!

Freebies, Deals, and Giveaway Sites

*Last Updated 05/21/09*