when good pages go bad
Color
Problem: Many page problems can be traced to color issues.
Even experienced scrapbookers struggle with color. While color is a
personal choice, and there are “no right or wrong” color combinations in
scrapbooking, there ARE probably some color schemes which work better
than others with particular sets of photos. When I look at older scrapbooking
pages and identify why I don’t like them, color choice is often the cause.
And when a student shows me a page and says, “Something is not working,”
we always start by looking at color.
Solution: Changing the color combination (or changing the way color is
used) is often the key to helping a student fix a page problem. A good rule of
thumb is to work with a three-color scheme: A cool or neutral color for the
page background, a warm or light color for the title and journaling, and a
third color to function in a supporting role. Cool colors visually recede, and
warm colors visually advance. I relate this concept to fashion: Experts suggest
wearing light-colored clothing on parts of your body you wish to highlight
and dark colors on other areas. The same concept applies to scrapbooking.
It’s also helpful to suggest to students that they can base their color scheme
on what the subject of the photo is wearing, the colors in the photo
background, or a combination of the two.
Patterned Paper
Problem: A related trouble area is patterned paper. There are many beautiful
papers on the market these days, yet scrapbookers often struggle with how to
use them effectively on their pages without overwhelming the photos.
Many page problems can be traced to choice of patterned paper. I’ve found
that there are three typical problems in this area: The colors of the paper
itself, the amount of color contrast, and scale of the pattern in relation to the
subjects in the photos.
Solution: Help your students choose patterned paper that will not steal the
show. Assuming they have chosen a workable cardstock color scheme, help
them select a patterned paper that incorporates those colors. Just last week,
I helped a student who had created a layout with a teal, pink, and red color
scheme. She was unhappy with it, but didn’t know why. So we found a
striped patterned paper which incorporated those colors and added a strip
of it to the layout. The pattern tied the color scheme together and she loved
the completed page.
scrapbook business 39
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