One Sketch, So Many Possibilities…

This month Backstreet Beat focuses on using a sketch as a time saver. May is an incredibly hectic month for many people. It signals the winding down of the school year with proms and graduations to be celebrated/belabored. It’s the month when mother’s are revered and spoiled. It is also the month to get ready for summer fun, when playing outside is a must and sitting at a scrapbook table is not a priority. However, playing outside so much leads to massive amounts of photos that ultimately need to be scrapped, so why not start with a sketch to get the inspiration flowing and pages created quickly and easily.

Check out all of the possibilities that a strong and balanced sketch can produce while still leaving plenty of room for personal choice. The circles in my layout were cut with a combination of a specialized circle cutter and punches. It was a quick and easy way to create fun elements on a page while providing many choices for materials. To make multi-layered circles stand out, vary the heights with dimensional foam or pop dots to add interest to the clusters. Include other circular elements like buttons or charms.

Original Sketch by Liz Qualman

Digital Supplies: Software: Microsoft Word, MAC Preview, Fonts: Monotype Corsiva.

Design Notes: Using the drawing tools in Microsoft Word makes it easy to create a sketch. I simply convert the document to a PDF and then to a jpeg to share with my friends online.

Play Time by Liz Qualman

Supplies: Paper: Jillibean Soup, Alphabets, Buttons: American Crafts, Chalk Ink: Colorbox (Clearsnap). Tools: Punches: EK Success, Border Punch: Martha Stewart, Circle Cutter: Creative Memories.

Design Notes: Circles are such a great opportunity to add fun elements like buttons and bright contrasting colors. Adding circles in different places on the page make the eyes move around and take everything in. The kraft background paper really makes the bright primary colors pop against it.

Journaling: We had so much fun enjoying the sunshine and playing at the park. It is such a treat to watch you grow. Maddie and Henry at Sherwood Park – Grand Junction, March 2010.