Get It Scrapped Blog » Art Journaling

Tell a Story with Vintage Ephemera | Caroline Preston’s Scrapbook Novel

Debbie Hodge — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:51:36 +0000

Scrapbook and art journal pages allow us to tell stories – of ourselves, the people in our lives, and sometimes even of characters we imagine.

The imagined stories fiction writer Caroline Preston has told in her novels have been heavily inspired by her love of the vintage scrapbooks in her own family and the manuscripts and ephemera she studied and preserved in her work as an archivist at at the Rhode Island Historical Society, the Peabody/Essex Museum and Harvard’s Houghton Library.

Caroline’s novel Jackie by Josie was drawn from her (brief) researching stint for a Jackie O. biography. Gatsby’s Girlchronicles F. Scott Fitzgerald’s first girlfriend who was the model for Daisy Buchanan. In The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt Caroline has drawn from her own collection of vintage ephemera to create a novel in the unique form of a scrapbook: a scrapbook novel.

In the webinar recording below, Caroline shares vintage scrapbook pages, a look at many pages from her new novel, and pictures of ephemera she collected for the book. She also answers a whole bunch of questions from our audience about the book’s making as well as tracking down and purchasing ephemera.

Caroline has agreed to come back soon for another webinar in which she’ll share more of the vintage scrapbooks she’s collected and talk about what we can learn from them that’s relevant for our own scrapbooks. Click here to get on our mailing list and receive notice of the event.

Check out Caroline Preston’s website for interviews, links, a blog with peeks at her favorite ephemera finds, and even a video trailer for the book by clicking here: scrapbook novel.

Want to make sure you’re collecting today’s ephemera and recording current times in your own pages? The October issue of Masterful Scrapbook Design covers this topic with ideas from paper and digital scrapbookers Kelly Purkey, Doris Sander, Paula Gilarde, Lynnette Penacho, and Keandra Willis. Seminar and article pdfs and 6 webinars in video, audio, and transcript formats. Cost $16. Click here and get “the times” in your own albums.

Transforming Photos into Digital Art

Debbie Hodge — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:23:32 +0000

by Jana Morton

Taking photos can transform the way you see the world, spurring you to notice little details that might otherwise go unnoticed. Creating art from those photos is a way to express the feelings these photos evoke – and to communicate those feelings to others.

All designs in this article are by Jana Morton and use supplies from DesignerDigitals.com.
Check out Jana’s gallery for details.

I discovered this in my quest to figure out how to scrapbook certain photos—photos that that I was hesitant to scrapbook because I loved them so much, I was worried about whether I could make a page that captured their essence, a page that was original and evocative enough to convey what I was feeling.

Using Photoshop, I found my way to scrapbooking the photos that deeply move me. Here are 3 ways for approaching the process of making digital art from a photo.

Highlight a moment

Some of my favorite pages take ordinary moments and make them extraordinary in their rendering. “One Person” and “Stop Time” are examples of this kind of page.

Try this:

Give a single photo center stage.
Create a background scene using digital papers, brushwork and blending.
Use blending to give the piece a “softer” feel – and thus emphasize the photo even more.

Combine photos in one seamless image

Bringing photos together in this manner can allow you to really capture the emotion of the photos themselves. What’s more, the photos combined this way tell a more complete story of a particular moment. “Write It” and “Cousins” are examples of this approach.

Make wall art

I originally used my photos on scrapbook pages or in simple frames around the house. As my proficiency with digital techniques has evolved, I’ve begun creating digital art that can be found in my home as well as the homes of my loved ones. As I looked at pieces of art on the walls of doctor’s office, the bank, the school, I realized my preference was to create art for my home from photos of the people and places I love. These are my absolute favorite types of gifts to give.

Yes these are scrapbook pages, but they are also digital art. Blending and digital backgrounds let me make settings that allow the photos to shine. You, too, can breathe new life into your photos using the tools in Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CS.

I encourage you to look at your own photos once again and find the art that is in your life. I guarantee it is there.

Jana Morton teaches digital art classes at Creative Passion. She is on the Creative Team at Designer Digitals. Jana has also been a spotlight artist for Somerset Digital Studios and been published in Creating Keepsakes and Somerset Memories. You can find out more about Jana on her blog janamorton.blogspot.com.

Real men have pink scrapbook pages | Ideas for scrapbooking boys with pink

askings03 — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:23:01 +0000

By Dina Wakley

I have three boys who I affectionately call “the fellas.”

I love my boys, truly and deeply! Having all boys, however, means that I have fewer opportunities to use cute girly scrapbook products and even fewer opportunities to use one of my favorite colors: pink!

I decided a few years ago that I was going to use more pink on my boy pages. I like pink, and my pages are a reflection of me. Plus real men can pull off pink, right?

Here are some ways to incorporate pink into your boy pages.

1. Include you on the page.

When you’re on the page, you can use pink without feeling guilty! I used a bright pink Hambly overlay for this background. I love how intense it is! It perfectly captures the feel of the goofy photos.

2. Make pink hearts.

For the layout “My Guy,” I cut lots of freehand hearts from a sheet of art paper that I made. The hearts are pink and work well to portray the love I have for my son.

On “My Boy,” I incorporated hearts cut from pink patterned paper. I like how they contrast with the black-and-white photos.

3. Pair pink with more “manly” colors.

Pink will instantly look more manly when you pair it with boyish colors like orange and blue.

This layout about my son starts with a sheet of light pink cardstock. I liked how the pink looked against the bright blue in the photos. I added layers of orange to complete the page.

4. Use pink in a small but effective amounts.

When making “Carter,” I used a pinkish frame around the photo. The pink looks good against the blue painted background and helps draw the eye in towards the photographs.

The only pink on “Oh Summer” is the bright pink title. I liked how the bright pink contrasted with the other colors in the layout and seemed to pop off the page.

5. Use it just because you want to!

I used pink on these tags simply because I love pink!

I love using pink, aqua, and mustard. It’s one of my favorite color combos.

I started making these tags before I knew what photos I was going to use. When I started searching for photos, I found these black & white shots of my fellas. I liked how the photos looked against the artsy background, so I used them.

I hope you have some new ideas for using pink on your boy pages. Remember, real men can have pink scrapbook pages! :)

Dina Wakley is a mixed-media and scrapbook artist who lives in Glendale, AZ with her husband and three fellas. You can find more information about Dina’s work and online classes on her website, http://dinawakley.com.

5 ideas for using shaped papers on your scrapbook pages

askings03 — Thu, 19 May 2011 20:08:24 +0000

By Dina Wakley

Shaped papers are patterned scrapbook papers that come in any shape other than a square.

You can find lots of them on the market currently. While it’s easy to add them to your basket in the store, it can get challenging to use them on a scrapbook page.

Here are five fun and easy ideas for using shaped papers on scrapbook pages.

1. Give the paper a new turn.

If your shaped paper has a unique shape on just one side, give it a 90-degree turn.

How does it look to you? Do you like the orientation of it? Turn it again. How does it look now?

When I saw the paper I used on this layout, “He,” I assumed at first that the point would go to the right or to the left. But as I turned the paper I found that I really liked the way the paper looked when it was pointing downwards. Don’t be afraid to turn your papers to get an interesting and fresh view.

2. Cut the center out of the paper to create a frame.

For this page, “Welcome,” I cut the entire white center out of a piece of shaped Jenni Bowlin paper. I then used the red frame on the layout. I like the way the red pops against the blue and green of the stars.

3. Create a custom shape.

For this layout, “Fallin’,” I cut the shaped patterned paper in half and placed it on the bottom half of a piece of kraft cardstock. Then I took another sheet of patterned paper and cut a “top” for the bottom. I just free-hand cut some scallops and made sure that the edges would generally match up to the shaped paper on the bottom. The result is a custom shape that makes a fun backdrop for my photograph.

4. Cut the shaped paper and place the cut side along the edge of your page to create a foundation layer.

A half-piece (or a bit more, or a bit less) of shaped paper makes a great foundation layer for a page. For this page, “He’s a Fan,” I cut the shaped paper and placed it along the right edge of the page. Then I created the layout on top of the shaped piece.

5. Use a solid shaped paper to tone down busy patterned paper.

For this layout, “Italy,” I knew I wanted to use the airplane paper. It was perfect for a travel layout! But, the bold pattern on the paper was overwhelming my photos. I took a solid-colored shaped paper and layered it over the airplane paper. It gave me a good foundation for my layout while still allowing the airplanes to peek through around the border

I hope you have a few new ideas to try with your shaped papers. Happy scrapbooking!

Dina Wakley is a mixed-media and scrapbook artist who lives in Glendale, AZ with her husband and three fellas. You can find more information about Dina’s work and online classes on her website, http://dinawakley.com.

Use color contrast to make art journaling pages pop

askings03 — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:00:10 +0000

By Dina Wakley

I love contrast.

If you want a page element to be powerful, contrast it with its opposite and you have mega-impact.

Contrast is what makes a piece of art surprising, or interesting, or even just plain good.

Contrast is essentially the use of opposites on the same piece of art. Opposites used together will draw the eye and provide excitement. Think in terms of light and dark, big and small, smooth and rough, upside down and right-side up. Any sort of opposite that you introduce will give you an interesting contrast.

Robert Henri, a famous American painter, said “A curve does not exist in its full power until contrasted with a straight line.” I love that. If you want a page element to be powerful, contrast it with its opposite and you have mega-impact.

Here’s how you can get contrast on your art journal pages.

A simple way to add contrast is to use complementary colors.

Complementary colors are colors that are opposite on the color wheel (such as blue and orange, yellow and violet, red and green). If you don’t have a color wheel, you need one. Print one from the internet or buy one from an art store, it doesn’t matter. A color wheel is very useful to consult when you’re looking for color ideas.

One way to use complementary colors (without totally overwhelming your work) is to first choose a dominant color, such as orange.

When you add orange’s complement, blue, add it thoughtfully and in small amounts. In this page, there are bold orange circles in the body of the silhouette. Then I introduced the small blue circle, and it really pops against the orange.

Even though I love contrast and I love complementary colors, I rarely use them together on the same background layer.

Let me clarify. If I am using yellow and purple, I don’t put yellow and purple on my palette and paint both colors on my background at the same time. Yellow and purple may very well end up in my background (as in this art journal page), but they are not the same layer. When complements mix, they make brown. Keeping complements out of the same layer helps you avoid muddying your work.

Let me tell you about my secret “contrast” weapon.

My secret weapon is…paint splatter. I know, it sound simple, but trust me, it will rock your world. Sometimes when I create a page, I like it, it’s fine…but it needs some “oomph.” A simple way for me to introduce a bit of “oomph” without overwhelming the whole page is with paint splatter in a complementary color. Splash a contrasting color across your work, and your page will come alive! On this page, I splashed orange paint over the blue hearts. Voila, instant contrast and energy!

Try using contrasting colors in your work…I think you’ll like it!

Dina Wakley is a mixed-media and scrapbook artist who lives in Glendale, AZ with her husband and three fellas. You can find more information about Dina’s work and online classes on her website, http://dinawakley.com.

Use proximity to impart meaning on art journal pages

askings03 — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:00:02 +0000

By Dina Wakley

I always say that one of the reasons I love art journaling is that there are no rules. Anything goes. You can do what you want. The process of putting paint on the page is more important than the finished outcome.

So, why care about composition?

I firmly believe there’s value and beauty in every art journal page. Every. Single. One.

But…knowing the “ rules” allows you to put an extra “oomph” into your work. When you understand composition principles, you have power over them…power to arrange them, power to twist them, power to make them do what you want to convey your meaning and intent.

The principle of proximity

Let’s look at the principle of proximity to understand this. Have you ever created a page and something is just “off”? You’ve got text and images and collage, but the page doesn’t seem to be saying what you want it to say? I would put money on the idea that your “off” page may have a proximity flaw.

Proximity means that items that are grouped together will be perceived as belonging to each other, or as relating to each other. When elements are close to each other on a page, that closeness implies a relationship. Proximity is important because it helps us understand what we’re seeing. If the proximity is unclear, then we get confused.

Proximity is important in art journaling. By being aware of how you are placing your elements on the page, you can control meaning and better get across your page’s intent. The easiest way to create proximity is to just move your page elements closer together. That’s it. Easy, right?

Take a look at these three art journal pages in progress. Each page tells a different story because of the way the silhouettes are grouped. Which page do you prefer? Do you see how the way that you group page element can change the meaning and feel of a page?

Here is a page from my art journal. I made sure all of the stamped images of the little girl were in close proximity with each other. Because they are close, you automatically infer they have a relationship with each other and you consider them as a group. How different would this page look if the girls were scattered throughout the page? How about if they were about the same place but there were more space in between them?

On this page, I used “Betty,” the silhouetted figure that I often teach with and have made many, many pages with. I overlapped the figures tightly and sewed on them to add some texture. The overlapped figures have a strong bond, and they impart meaning to the page because of their close proximity.

On this page, the trees are scattered almost equally across the page. The page has a feel almost like patterned paper because of the spacing. Imagine if the trees were grouped in a single row at the bottom of the page. What story would the page tell then?

Try playing with proximity on your journal pages. Pay attention to how meaning and feel change depending on how you arrange your page elements. Experiment, play, and most of all…have fun!

Dina Wakley is a mixed-media and scrapbook artist who lives in Glendale, AZ with her husband and three fellas. You can find more information about Dina’s work and online classes on her website, http://dinawakley.com.

Spray ink tutorial and spray ink projects

Debbie Hodge — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:08:36 +0000

Love spray ink? Wish you knew more about spray ink? Or are you just looking for some examples of spray ink projects?

Begin with Dina Wakley’s video tutorial and then check out the links for other online spray-ink how-tos as well as several spray-ink projects.

Spray-ink video tutorial with Dina Wakley

This video tutorial shares basic instructions for using spray ink on art journal and scrapbook pages. What’s more, it offers a fabulous look at art journaler Dina Wakley’s creative process—you’ll never treat a roll of paper towels the same way after viewing this lesson.

Spray ink tutorials

CK Shows You How to Color with Spray Ink

Creating Patterns with Spray Ink by The Everyday Scrapper

How to Make Your Own Spray Ink at WonderHowTo

Spray ink projects

DinaWakley.com

December Daily 2010 Cover Option One by Ali Edwards

A Fall Tag by Funsize Creations

Folded Paper Wreath DIY by Megan Hoeppner

Layout by Birgit Koopsen

Dina Wakley is a mixed-media and scrapbook artist who lives in Glendale, AZ with her husband and three fellas. You can find more information about Dina’s work and online classes on her website, http://dinawakley.com.

How to handwrite in shapes on your scrapbook and journal pages

Debbie Hodge — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:00:38 +0000

by Michelle Houghton

Sometimes, for something fun and different, I like to write my journaling in shapes—not just in a circle like we did above but spiraling around the edge of a circle or other shape. It isn’t practical for reading—the reader always ends up upside down and backward trying to read around the loops—but it adds a fun visual punch to your page and, sometimes, I find that the journaling is more for me this way. Here is one of my favorite journal blocks using this technique.

the how-to

1. As with the journaling blocks already described, you will need to determine the space need for your block at the beginning. I usually put these blocks on a separate sheet of paper, since they are complex to draw and, thus, easier to manage on smaller pieces. If you decide to do yours on a separate sheet, size that down now.

2. In pencil, draw the outer edge of your shape. In the example above, it would be my heart shape. The one I will walk you through is a circle, but the same directions will work for any shape. For these circles, I usually use a circle cutter or stencil. Writing around the edge makes even small flaws very obvious so it is better to start with a perfect circle. If you do not have a stencil or compass, grab a cup or small bowl to trace around.

3. Eventually you might be able to take out these next 4 steps, BUT for today let’s make this as easy as possible. While this adds a little time, it might help you get your writing moving around your shape. Draw another circle about 1/4 of an inch inside your original. Continue drawing circles, each one gradually getting smaller by about the same 1/4 of an inch all the way around. Notice these circles are hand drawn and sketched, they are not perfect, they are just guide lines.

4. Pick a starting point, on the ring just inside your outer edge, for your writing and mark it with a dot. Turn your paper so the dot is straight up for now. Move your pencil about 1 inch to the left of your dot still on the ring and draw a gradually curving line from your first inner ring connecting it to your second inner ring. This is hard to explain in words so check the example.

5. You are going to connect all the rings this way moving from the outer rings to the inner rings. Connect the second ring to your third, your third to your fourth and so on… The curves that are doing the connecting should all be on the same side of your circle, so the shape all seems to curve inward at the same point.

6. Erase the sections of the original circles where the curves inward are replacing them. You should end up with one long continuous spiral.

7. The rest is easy! Lightly pencil in your journaling, and then go over it in ink. I do not go over my spiral line with ink. I feel the image is already complex enough so I erase my pencil lines, cut out my shape and attach it to my layout—that is: if I am still seeing clearly enough to get it on straight.

Michelle Houghton is a wife, mother and artist living in Iowa. Teaching high school art, doodling, scrapbooking and Copics has been her passion for over 15 years. You can find Michelle’s classes at Creative Passion, her tutorials at Get It Scrapped and Tiffany Doodles, and her blog at Scrapweaver.

How to make circle journal spots for your scrapbook and journal pages

Debbie Hodge — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:03:47 +0000

by Michelle Houghton

OK, I love these little guys! I love the frame the circle creates around my journaling. Circles will come in at the end of the steps but grab a scrap piece of paper first and do some practicing. You know what I’m going to say: “Get your elbow off the table.”

With a pencil, start practicing circles. Go over and over one circle. Just keep your pencil moving around on the same path. Trying to draw a single perfect ring is near impossible, but if you go around 4 to 6 times for each circle you can usually end up with some pretty good shapes. Here is an example of what my practice page would look like.

the how-to

I like my circle journal blocks to overlap elements on my page, so the paper elements of my layout including photos need to be adhered in place.

You can do these on a separate sheet of paper, but they are much more effective right on the page, so, with pencil, start with horizontal lines for the journaling. The top line will be short, and the next few will progressively get longer. When you think you have about half of the space you need for journaling start making your lines progressively smaller again.

With pencil, write in your journaling. Keep your journaling to the center of each line so the lines can hang out of your circle in some spots. This step is to make sure you have the right amount of space. This is the best part: because you are making your own block, you can add or take away lines as needed.

Stay with your pencil for this step. Now take a deep breath: it’s circle time. Get your elbow up, and—just like you practiced—loop several rings, VERY lightly, around your journaling. The rings will hopefully overlap your lines in some places and not in others. When you have done 4 to 6 loops, stop. Take a look. Do you like the shape you got? If yes, move on. If no, erase only your rings and try again.

In ink, go over your lettering first and then your straight lines. If some of your journal block overlaps slick surfaces make sure you are working with a pen that will work on those papers. Realize as you hit edges that your pen will bump. Here is a hint: it is easier to draw from the top layer onto the bottom layer than it is to go from the bottom layer up and over the edge to the top.

Time to go over your circle with ink. Same drill with your pen: elbow up and go around your loop—3 to 4 times this time. You will not trace your pencil lines exactly but you will be amazed how much those pencil lines will help guide you. Erase all of your pencil lines.

You did it!

Michelle Houghton is a wife, mother and artist living in Iowa. Teaching high school art, doodling, scrapbooking and Copics has been her passion for over 15 years. You can find Michelle’s classes at Creative Passion, her tutorials at Get It Scrapped and Tiffany Doodles, and her blog at Scrapweaver.

Make an art journal cover with a digital image and an old book

Debbie Hodge — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:47:45 +0000

by Amy Kingsford

I have always been fascinated with old books . . . the smell, the worn edges, the discolored and torn pages all seem to hold a certain history that should never be discarded. Every year, though, libraries, bookstores and schools discard millions of books–leading me to believe that we are coming to the end of an era.

With the internet, audio books, and e-books now at our disposal, the “conventional book” is becoming largely overlooked. Perhaps now that we have new innovative ways to “read” our books, it’s time to search for fun creative ways to repurpose our old ones!

For this project, you will print an image (that you can design with digital scrapbooking supplies) to image transfer paper and then iron it onto an old book cover.

supplies & tools

an old book
image transfer paper (to print your cover image to—and then to iron on to the book cover).
3 book rings
large stick
iron
drill
jute
Crop-a-dile or hole punch
exacto knife
photo editing software (optional) Note: For those of you without an old book on hand, check with local vintage stores, flea markets, schools, and public libraries for discards.

1. Remove the cover from your book, by using an exacto knife to slice through the paper lining and binding tape that holds the book together in the front and back creases. Then remove the spine from the front and back covers by slicing down each of the creases. Set aside the book’s spine and the bound pages–they may not be used in this project but they may be useful for future scrapbook pages and projects.

2. Using your photo-editing software or your own hand-drawn images, design the cover of your journal. I layered a digitally framed and hinged photo with other digital papers and elements to create my cover design. You may also buy a pre-made transfer. When choosing a transfer type, keep in mind the properties of the book you will be transferring it to (i.e., light or dark colored, the material the book cover is made out of, etc.) and choose an appropriate transfer method.

Supplies: Yesterday Page Kit by Anna Aspnes; Letterbox Naturalist Kit by Katie Pertiet; Ad Challenge 9-27-09 by Katie Pertiet; Everday Inspiration Challenge 10-25-09 by Katie Pertiet; Mixed Bag Brushes and Stamps No. 3 by Katie Pertiet all from Designer Digitals. Ornate Frames by Rhonna Farrer from House of 3; Big Dreams and Pocket Treasures Kit by Laurie Ann; Old Woody Alpha by Paula Kesselring; Studio Remnants by sherrieJD and Studio Tangie all from ScrapArtist

3. Whether you are printing your image or drawing it, make sure to read your transfer instructions to see if your image must be mirrored. Once your transfer has been designed and printed, trim around the edges as best you can, so that you avoid transferring negative space.

4. Determine the placement of your three holes in both the front and back cover and punch them out using your Crop-a-dile or hole punch.

5. Use a hot iron (check transfer instruction for temperature settings and procedure) to apply the transfer to the book using firm pressure. Avoid sliding the iron over your transfer as this creates slippage and bubbling. Remove the backing paper and allow the transfer to cool. If needed re-punch your holes in your cover, so that they are not covered by the transfer.

6. Find a stick approximately the inner circumference of your book rings and about a half inch longer than your book cover. Make clean cuts on the ends of the stick using clippers or a hand saw. Clean any fraying bark, stray branches, etc. Use the holes in your book cover to make markings on your stick that correspond.

7. Clamp the stick into a vise and use a drill bit that corresponds to the size of your punched holes, drill the three holes through your stick.

8. Now thread your book rings through the stick until the joint in the book ring prevents it from going further. The side in which the book rings protrude, will be the inside of your spine and your book rings will acts as a “three ring binder.” Then through the same holes, thread a length of jute that is equal to four times the circumference of your stick or book rings, in the opposite direction that you threaded the book rings (towards the front of the spine).

9. Continue threading the ends of your jute through the front and back cover and tye them in a knot, thus binding your cover to your spine.

Now you’re all ready to fill your journal with inspiration and memories! Here are a few ideas:

Fill your journal with blank pages so that you may document your life on a daily basis.
Use the original pages of your book (maybe two pages glued together for stability) and some gesso (as a mat for your any writing) to create a fun nature-inspired journal filled with poems, random thoughts, and photos of the beautiful world around you.
Take one of the fabulous art journaling classes offered by Dina Wakley and you will soon have this journal filled and be moving onto the next!
Or try your hand at digital art journaling, and register for one of Pattie Knox’s Digital Art Journaling classes!

Amy Kingsford is a happy wife and blessed mother from Northern Utah. She teaches at Masterful Scrapbook Design, Creative Passion Classes and also shares ideas, inspiration and instruction on creative approaches to modern scrapbooking and papercrafting at her site AmyKingsford.com