DBM0706: flavor of wild Maine blueberries with a possible sharp aftertaste...(just kidding).
Mmmm...Miyuki!
Contest #2 summary:
In this contest we invite you to work with Miyuki's 10/0 Delicas. It’s a chance to have fun, make something beautiful, and win a prize.
Your entry can be in any of the following categories: jewelry, embroidery, sculpture (non-wearables), loom or off-loom weaving including but not limited to tapestry, or beaded beads (a set of four or more). Entries may, of course, fall into more than one category—a loom woven bracelet, for example—and that is fine.
• Make your entry using any of Miyuki's 10/0 Delicas, regular and/or hex cut. Other Delicas—11/0s and/or 8/0s—may also be used—but at least 60% of the finished work should be made from 10/0 Delicas, which are all listed on our shopping cart (they begin with DBM or DBMC) and are available at many retail bead stores and from some on-line resellers. Please check with your local bead store first to see if they carry this size. That is the best way to get the exact colors you want.
• Send us two clear digital photos of your creation—one closeup, one showing the entire piece. (See note "a" below for some tips on taking good photos).
• From your digital photos we’ll choose some finalists who will ship us their creations. We’ll choose the winners from those pieces.
This is the second in a series of contests Caravan Beads and the Miyuki Co. are sponsoring.
Contest rules:
1. Contest #2 is open to beaders of all skill levels, from the amateur to the professional. We also welcome entries from beaders in other countries. (Sorry—Caravan Beads employees and family members are not eligible.)
1a. Beaders in Sweden can find more information here, in Swedish.
2. All work entered in the competition must be original.
3. Entries must be the work of a single person. One entry per individual.
4. Please use the entry form on our website:
Images and entry forms must be received by June 2, 2008. Images should be saved as .jpgs and if possible, compressed in zip format before sending. (See note "b" below.)
8. Finalists will be notified by June 20, 2008. At that time we will instruct finalists on how to submit their entries for the final judging. (Note that although there is no entry fee for this contest, finalists will be responsible for all shipping and insurance expenses involved in sending entries to us. International entrants will also need to make arrangements to pay for return shipping.)
Judging and Awards
1. The staff of Caravan Beads and members of the Miyuki design department will select the competition finalists and prize winners.
2. The Grand Prize winner will choose one of the following prizes: A Mirrix mini loom; a complete set of Caravan’s Miyuki sample cards; a C-Lon® Bead Cord Super Sampler (1 bobbin each of 64 different colors); or a $300 credit to use on the Caravan Beads retail shopping cart at www.caravanbeads.net.
3. In addition there will be three Honorable Mention winners. Each will receive a $150 credit to use on the Caravan Beads retail shopping cart at www.caravanbeads.net.
4. Caravan Beads and the Miyuki Co. retain the right to use all submitted images and artists' text, to photograph all submitted items, and to use said photographs in any lawful way, including but not limited to publicity, publications, electronic media, etc., with full credit to the artist.
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a) A few tips for taking good photos:
Avoid 'noisy' backgrounds: A neutral background such as gray or white seamless paper works best. (We sometimes use white posterboard as a quick backdrop.) Please avoid patterned, textured, or brightly colored backgrounds; they will distract from the piece. Necklaces will show up better on a commercial jewelry display form than on a person.
Use a tripod. Handheld cameras usually shake which results in unclear images.
Focus and center the image. If the image is out of focus or off-center, the judges will either mark it down or skip it. The close-up you submit should show clear details of your entry. The overall photo should fill the image area so the judges can see what you have created. Take multiple images and submit the best two.
Good lighting is important. Avoid overly bright highlights or very dark shadowed areas. Soft indirect lighting is often the best. If you're using daylight from a window as your principal source, you can bounce light from a piece of posterboard to fill in the shadows on the 'dark' side of the piece. (There's a ton of information on the web about photographic lighting. Here's an excellent article about building your own nearly-free setup for small item photography.)
b) How to zip files:
Windows XP: Put the cursor over the folder you wish to zip and click the right mouse button. Go to Send To, then Compressed (Zipped) Folder.
For other versions of Windows that do not have the built in zip utility, there are free utilities such as PKZip(http://www.pkware.com/) and WinZip(http://www.winzip.com/) that will zip files on a PC.
Macintosh (OS X): Right click or control click on the file or folder to be sent. Select "Create archive of [the file name]' and save it.