FOLLOW, TWEET and PIN for the chance TO WIN YOUR FAVOURITE ‘SAID IN STONE’!

I am delighted to announce a new Prize Draw as a thank you treat for art lovers everywhere!  

Every time my facebook Fan Page turns a hundred 'Likes', I will gift one of my 'Said in Stones' to a lucky, random recipient :o) At the time of writing, it is at 238 ‘Likes’, so the first Draw will be at 300 Page ‘Likes’...

Instructions for entry into the Draw via Blogger or Google are:

1) Click to 'Follow' my Blog or Add me to your Circles on Google+

2) Re-Blog this competition post, or a link to it from your own Blogger or Google+ account

Instructions for entry into the Draw via Pinterest are as follows:

1. 1) Click to 'Follow" me
2. 2) Let me know WHICH IS 'YOUR' STONE by hitting the 'Like' button on the Plate of your choice and/or using the 'Pin It' option. Please write in the comments box below your Re-Pin which Row and Column number your stone is sitting in :o)
3. 3) Keep your fingers crossed! ;-)

Instructions for entry via Twitter are: 

1) 'Follow' me (JayTaylorArt)

2. 2) Tweet a link to the Plate Number of your choice from either my facebook Fan Page or here at jaytaylor.co.uk, stating which Row and Column number your favourite stone is sitting on...
3. 3) Keep your fingers crossed! ;-)

And here's how to be in with a chance of winning your favourite stone via facebook:

1) 'Like' my facebook Fan Page (if you haven't already)

2) EITHER - Tag 'your' stone from the 'available for sale' Plates in the 'Said in Stones' album (click the link to view the album)

AND/OR - 'Share' the photo in question on facebook or Twitter, stating the Row and Column of the stone you'd like to win (feel free to do both, of course!)

3) Keep your fingers crossed ;-)

That's it!

Winners will be notified as soon as possible after the numbers turn each hundred likes :o) and I'll send your stone out in its very own handmade box <3

Feel free to share this - all entrants to the draw are welcome!

Enjoy!

Jay

(N.B. If 'your' stone is 're-homed' before the Draw occurs, I will ask you to choose a replacement stone from those which are still available...)

P.S. For those of you who don’t use any of the stated social media, you can still enter the draw by contacting me via email with the Plate Number, Row and Column Number of the stone you’d like to win, or sending me a screenshot of the stone in question. I’d appreciate it if in return you would blog about the draw, or share with your friends - maybe you can come up with an innovative way of spreading the word that I haven’t thought of yet!:o)

P.P.S. You are most welcome to email me to let me know that you've followed one or more of the options above, to make double sure that I've received your entry...

365 Day Project: Day 25: July 2nd: ‘Ritual’

An undercover shot sneaked through the strings of my hammock at a party hosted by Everyone's An Artist on Saturday evening...I think I managed to grab it without disturbing them...eeep!


I had a bit of fun with this one, to accent the weirdness of it - as if that were possible or necessary! As well as adding a vignette and box, motion and gaussian blurs I applied a slight 'fisheye' effect and a dash of cross-processing.


And yes, you'll always find me snapping pictures at parties...it's the perfect excuse for not dancing/socialising/drinking...and it keeps me happy and entertained to boot!

365 Day Project: Day 24: July 1st: ‘Patience’

365 Day Project: Day 24: July 1st: ‘Patience’

This delightful trio of poster dogs for the phrase 'patience is a virtue' caught my eye (not to mention my heart strings!) as we were walking home through the local supermarket car park - they just looked so adorable...! It was extremely difficult to choose a shot, because they just looked so lovely in all of them! In fact, I'll let you in on a little secret - this image is a Photoshopped merge of two photos, which I couldn't resist having a play with in order to get all three dogs with their eyes open...I'm really pleased with the result - it took me ages, but I genuinely can't see the 'joins', so I'm happy that it was worth it...

In a bizarre and pleasantly quirky twist of 'fate' - call it synchronicity if you will - which I choose to look upon as life demonstrating once again its love of playing games with us all, I later discovered that the owner of these lovely dogs is an ex-Puma helicopter pilot trainer. Really, you couldn't make it up! Hope you like the photo, Angus :o)

365 Day Project: Day 23: June 30th: 'All Smiles'

Day 23: All Smiles


...Because of course this is EXACTLY how I looked and felt when I staggered back out into the dentists' reception area minus one wisdom tooth...!

365 Day Project: Day 22: June 30th: ‘Grace at Nine’

Day 22: June 30th: Grace at Nine

My beautiful daughter, who is just the most fantastic model :o)

We did a little 'shoot' looking for pics to send to the wonderful Randi Antonsen, who has made my entire YEAR by offering to paint a series of images of her - one of my absolute all-time very favourite artists painting my absolute all-time very favourite human being...pinch me, I must be dreaming :o)

365 Day Project: Day 21: June 1-28th: ‘Ducks-on-Thames’

Day 21: Ducks-on-Thames

Because it would be simply 'not-right' to live so near the river and let another day pass without a photo of ducks :o)


I took this shot hanging the camera over the edge of Wallingford Bridge - I do so like to experiment with unusual angles and perspectives on things. The image was then tweaked in Photoshop - levels, curves and a blurred vignette added...

365 Day Project: Day 20: June 28th: 'In An English Country Garden'

Day 20: In an English Country Garden

We babysat this garden (well, the dog and cat that call it their home) yesterday, which was a wonderful treat...'Gracie' spent most of the time hanging out with the Mr and Mrs Newtington and Monsieur Le Frog...hmmm, and I wonder how Mama spent the day...? click, click, click...!

I am absolutely delighted with this sepia shot - I think it is right up there with my very best work, and makes me wonder what on earth I might achieve with a pro camera! The original colour shot was already very promising, but when I started playing with it, at some point I converted it to sepia and just about fell off my chair - it suddenly sprang to life and became something very, very different...and very, very lovely :o) 

My post-editing skills are improving quite rapidly as a result of this 365 day project: I can't bear the idea of producing a years' worth of throw-away shots ;o)  So I was able to tweak the sepia tones and contrast, and the blur and vignette to make the whole thing look...well, really special, I reckon :o)  I'm very happy for Gracie that she'll have lovely images of herself to refer back to - and I'm enjoying it SO much! I love 'painting' with photography!

365 Day Project: Day 19: June 26th: 'Freddie-on-Thames’

This little 'beach' area is a magnet for dog-owners and their projectile-following pets - any trip to paddle in the river is likely to yield photo-opportunities of this nature :o) I love Freddie's intent gaze in this shot..."Throw it. Just throw it. JUST THROW IT! Please!!!!!"

365 Day Project: Day 18: June 25th: Puma on the Prowl

Day 18: June 25th: Puma on the Prowl

We've had snail hunters, predatory kites, me out rust-hunting...I wonder what these fellows are hunting for? Blood? Glory? Honour? I don't know. Today it was donations and the next generation of young hunters...tomorrow it could be the youngsters of Afghanistan or Libya - all a bit disconcerting if you ask me, but they were very pleasant and dashing fellows to a man...


Yes, they seemed like personable, friendly, proud-of-their-profession chaps, but presumably killing is their business...and business is good...when they're not charming the locals by dropping in unannounced at the park and allowing their children to run all over their 40-year-old Puma, that is...!

365 Day Project: Day 17: June 24th: '6'

365 Day Project: Day 17: June 24th: '6'

Well, I reckon 16 days without rust and peeling paint is just about ENOUGH! :o) So off I went, rust-hunting...I also found masses of juicy wild cherries along the way, which is always an added bonus :o)