when good pages go bad
Solution: Show your students how to incorporate line (either actual
or implied) into their pages. Adding a wide strip of cardstock to the
background, for example, can provide solidity and order to elements
placed on top of it. Aligning photos in a grid formation will create stability
and direction on a layout.
Space
Problem: On my older layouts, I had a tendency to place photos far apart
on the page without regard to the space between and around them. I must
have also been uncomfortable with “white” (empty) space, because I filled
each and every inch of the layout with SOMETHING. Because I didn’t
understand how to use space effectively, my pages looked disjointed and
chaotic.
Solution: Teach your students that empty space actually carries visual
weight and is useful for balancing the “filled” areas of a design. In
addition, encourage students to pay attention to margins on their layouts.
Consistent spacing creates cohesiveness on a page. Finally, suggest that
they closely group smaller photos, using consistent margins between
and around them. Like a collection of glassware displayed in your home,
closely grouped elements create more visual impact on a layout.
****
Although I must say that I’m tempted, I don’t intend to redo any of those
early scrapbook pages. It’s fun to look back on them and see how I’ve
progressed as a scrapbooker. Plus (embarrassing as they may be) older
layouts make great examples to share when teaching students about
design.
I encourage you to weave these basic concepts into the next class you
teach, whatever the project. Developing your students’ knowledge of
design will help them improve the quality of their work, create layouts
they’ll always be proud to share, and keep them coming back for more!
In the next issue, we’ll take a look at additional ways
in which good pages go bad.
Janet has been an instructor and designer for Memory Bound Scrapbook Store (www.memoryboundscrapbookstore.
com) for several years and has taught at the Get Inspired Scrapbooking Expo, Iowa Scrapbooking Convention,
and Midwest Scrapbook Convention. She has a background in human resources and corporate training, is a
Certified SDU instructor and a graduate of Creating Keepsakes University. Janet’s work has been published in
several books, and she won first place in the journaling category at CKU-MN (March-05). Janet is an avid blogger
and a regular contributor to the “Iowa Voices” commentary series on Iowa Public Radio.
Do you have questions about teaching that you’d like Janet to address in future columns?
42 scrapbook business
Contact her at
jpetersma@mchsi.com.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92