We are excited to bring you a new series here on the blog where we interview Scrap Girls Product Designers & Creative Team Members about their layout design process. We hope this will give you insight into the inner workings of their creative process and inspire you along the way!
This time we are interviewing Creative Team Member Joyce Schardt!
Where do you find inspiration for your layouts?
Most of the time I find inspiration in my photographs. They tell a story or evoke an emotion.
What is the first thing you do when beginning a layout?
The very first thing I do is duplicate my photo and then make any necessary adjustments using Photoshop, Lightroom or RadLab. If I’m not 100% pleased with the picture, I know I will not be happy with the finished layout.
Would you say that you have a ’system’ or do your layouts seem to fall into place as you go?
Oh how I would love to say that my layouts ‘fall into place’ but most layouts take a minimum of four hours. My ‘system’ begins with the photograph, selecting a template then searching my stash for a collection that complements the picture and theme of the layout.
Is there a product or tool/technique that you use on most layouts?
My favorite ScrapGirl’s product would be blenders, either paper or a brush. The ability to blend is unique to digital scrapping and that is why I think it’s so special.
What is the one piece of advice you can give our readers?
Less is more. Although beautiful, it is tempting to use dozens of embellishments and papers on a layout, I feel it detracts from the purpose of scrapbooking. Which brings me back to the first question, “Where do I find inspiration?” Inspiration is found in the photograph. It needs to be the most important part of the layout for that is how the ‘story’ is preserved for generations to come.
Joyce’s layout step by step:
I was intrigued by the latest Watercolor products by Syndee Nuckles and wanted to step outside the box as I experimented with different ways to use them. I began by applying each of the eight actions to copies of my photo to observe the variety of effects. Then I randomly layered the different results and changed the Blending Modes. I also used the original photo, with a reduced opacity, to give just a hint of color. After selecting the most interesting combination, as demonstrated below, I added a Watercolor Wonderland_Paper to the top layer. And finally I clipped a hue/saturation adjustment layer to the paper to change the color ever so slightly. What I discovered in the process is that these Watercolor products offer endless creative possibilities.
Original Photo
Step 1 – ScrapSimple Tools – Actions: Watercolor Photo Masks used Action 8- paper
Change Background to Transparent.
Step 2 – Photo at 50% Opacity. Blending Mode Soft Light.
Step 3 – Used Action 5 – paint words.
Duplicate Layer for stronger impact. Blending Mode Soft Light
Step 4 – Used Watercolor Wonderland Paper as my background set my photo at:
Opacity 65%
Blending Mode Overlay
Digital scrapbooking products used: