I like to make things bright, bold and photo focused. My style is about bold colour and clean lines. I like to keep things simple so that the focus of the page is about the photographs, which is the most important to me. I like to sketch a rough draft layout for placement. It doesn't have to be perfect, it is just something I use as a reference tool.
Look to designers from other disciplines for inspriation. Fashion and home decor magazines are a great source of inspiration for me. I love the bold fabrics and funky designs. They inspire me to think about design in a different perspective. My approach to the craft also has a lot to do with my background in photography. A lot of the same rules apply to layout and design that apply to photography, for example the rule of thirds and subject placement.
Die-cuts are a simple way to achieve great effects on your page. One of my favourite products to use is the ellison design Thick Cuts(tm) Layered Flowers - they have so much versatility! They can be 3-dimensional, layered in different colours, embossed and curled and cut up to look so many different ways.
An extra tip. A real time saver when die-cutting is to use paper that is already self-adhesive. It saves the time of having to apply glue to each piece of paper and makes embellishing fun and easy. If I do use adhesive, however, Diamond glaze is my must have product especially when it comes to sticking down heavy or hard to stick items. I find myself using it for anything and everything! |
