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Scrapbooking Made Simple 103Designing Your LayoutFor many people, designing a page layout is the most daunting portion of the whole scrapbooking process, especially if you aren’t naturally artistic. For those that weren’t born with a paintbrush in one hand and a color wheel in the other, here are a few tips to help make your scrapbooking layouts look sensational. Photographs A layout can consist of a single page or two pages that face one another, depending on the number of photographs you are working with. Begin by choosing a photograph that will be the main focal point of your design. Allow the composition and color to help you choose a theme. For example, a toddler bending over to examine a lady bug on your last trip to the park might inspire a nature theme, park theme or even a lady bug theme. If more than one photo will be used, make sure they all fit into the same theme. A single page can hold from three to six photos depending on the size of the pictures. Color Color is important when planning a photo layout. Generally, follow the less is more rule, and keep the number of colors on your page to three. You want your photos to be the focus, not the rainbow of colors behind them. Play with different shades and patterns, placing them under your photos until you find a combination that makes your pictures come alive. When choosing your three colors, the dominant and most used color should be a neutral like tan, gray, yellow or cream. The second color should be a highlight color, used less often, but matching a prominent feature of your photograph such as the fabric in the subject’s dress or the shade of her eyes. The third color is used to add interest and should coordinate with both your neutral and highlight color. Always make sure your three colors come from the same cool or warm color family. Colors from the warm color group are those with yellow red or orange hues, while cool colors tend to accent shades of green and blue. Arrangement Once you choose your theme and your colors, you can begin experimenting with page layouts. Place your photos on top of the background paper and try different groupings and arrangements to see how they look. Consider the following tips:
Cropping and Matting Before we end, let’s talk a little bit about cropping and matting. Cropping is an important part of creating interesting and dynamic pictures and involves cutting your photograph to get rid of excess background images, and bring out the focal point of your subject. Plus, cropping can allow you to fit more photos on a page. Though square and rectangle cropping shapes are the most common, consider other classic shapes such as circles and ovals. And, as always, more is less when it comes to diversity of shapes. Matting is the process of mounting your photographs to create an attractive and complimentary border. It is one of the most basic embellishments you can use in your layout and is the feature that gives many scrapbooking pages their finished look. Matting can be done with paper (solid or patterned), cardstock or even poster paint. Photos can be mounted on one, two or three different levels of matting and can be flat or thick. Matting can be left plain or embellished with stickers, decorations or used as labels for photos. Have fun with your scrapbooking, experiment and let your creativity flow. There is no wrong or right way. At Memories Unlimited you can find cardstock, stickers and other products to make your scrapbooking experience fun and memorable. Check out their kits as well. Memories Unlimited carries dozens of perfectly coordinated, themed scrapbooking kits that come with all the paper, embellishments, and trim you need. All you need to do is add the photos. And remember, Memories Unlimited sells all their products considerably below retail price, so you can feel good about your purchases. |
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