Coloring Patterned Ribbon Templates

Article written using Adobe Photoshop 11 with Windows 7

All ScrapSimple templates are adaptable, but Brandy Murry takes that versatility to a whole new level with a treasure trove of patterns to mix and color in Modern Day –April’s ScrapSimple Club!

The geometric patterns in Modern Day work beautifully with just about any photo, and, although there are many methods for coloring ScrapSimple products, let me show you the way I like to color layered patterns that I know I’ll be using again and again.

You can use this method with the Fabric Buttons or with any of the papers, but for my sample I used the ribbon template – Patterned Ribbon 5, which contains a base and 4 patterns.

Open the template and make a copy, close the original. This will become your working file. Click on the New Layer icon and add a new blank layer above the base and above each of the patterns.

Turn off the visibility icon (“eye”) of patterns not in use at the moment. I wanted the Argyle design, so I turned off Swiss Dots and Plaid.

Choose a color for your base and fill the blank layer above the base, using the Paint Bucket tool, then clip the color fill layer to the base Ctrl+G in Windows or Cmd+G on a Mac. In order to keep the ribbon texture, you’ll need to use a blend mode on the color fill layer. I almost always use Overlay, but try Multiply to darken the effect, or Screen to lighten it.

Next, fill the blank layer above Argyle_1 with a color and again use Overlay or other blend mode. Repeat with the blank layer above Argyle_2.

Merge the Argyle patterns and color layers with the base before adding it to your layout, but – IMPORTANT – go to Edit > Undo (Ctrl+Z or Cmd+Z on a Mac) to un-merge them on your working file. You’ll want to keep separate layers for coloring future ribbons.

What makes this method so appealing is that you can make new ribbons in about a minute just by changing the colors in the color fill layers. I used mostly blues for my granddaughter’s winter layout, but I colored the same Argyle ribbon in earth tones to embellish my grandson’s photo. I colored the ribbon again in floral colors that coordinate with my rose photo.