To layer or not to layer.....that is the ??!!

[TN Traveler]

Hi everyone.......Have a question....When you're working on a layout do you normally use white paper and then accent w/color blocks and strips, lettering etc OR do you use color paper and then accent w/complimentary colors or none at all? Here's the deal. I'm working on my WDW album and thought I'd take all the pictures from our resort and make it a 2 page spread. Using blue letters from CM I'm going to spell out PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE. I'm thinking about placing the letters like this on the first page (left side) PORT flush to left side and then drop to next line, come in several spaces and lay out ORLEANS underneath.
Then on the right hand page drop the letters diagonally across the page to say "RIVERSIDE" so they'll start in the top left hand of the paper and end in the bottom right hand corner. I tried to lay this out in this message but it ran all the letters together and didn't make sense so have to describe it instead of show it! I chose cobalt blue letters b/c of the water/lake/river theme here. I'm also thinking I will cut some waves of blue paper accenting the sides of the paper to put in more color. So I'm laying this out last night and thinking this looks pretty good until I get one picture where it's against an almost white sky and blends into my white paper. So I thought I'd cut out a "frame" in the same color of blue I'm using on my waves. But if I "frame" one picture, shouldn't I frame all? I have 8 pictures of various size including 2 full size 4 x 6 shots of the water wheel and lake. They are really good pictures and don't want to crop them. I have 1 that I have cut into a circle and thinking I'll use one of the Mickey coasters left in the room to balance the 2 pages. What do ya'll think?

Also when you're "framing" pictures do you use 1 color or 2....like layers? I was on 2 Ps website the other day and noticed most all of the pix are either framed in 2 colors or placed against a solid color background. Especially Mickey pictures. Alot of folks layer w/red, black, white and yellow. This looks great but my goodness, it's very time consuming!

Thanks for any input ya'll can give.

Karen

 

[wtpclc]

1. I tend to do white page, colored accents. may times I only frame one phot. Just accent one. It adds to the page w/o taking too much time or becoming too crowded or over done. The sky one sounds like the perforec one to accent. Especially with the heading. That will already add a lot of color to your page.


2. I tend to use 1 layer. Just my personal preference. It also depends on size, etc.

Sounds like a great layout. Do you use a corner rounder? I love mine. It doesn't take away from teh picture if you like and don't want to crop, but it does give it a finished professional look.

Happy scrapping!

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Yes to all of the above. It just depends on what I'm doing.

I've matted one or all or just a scattering of photos. I've used one color, 2 colors, and sometimes even 3!

Backgrounds run all over the place. Sometimes it is solid - most often white, but sometimes another color. I do tend to use the wallpapering technique a fair amount but usually it is somewhat subtle. For instance right now I'm working on DS's photos from a trip to New Mexico and want a fairly rugged feel (he was backpacking in the mountains after all) and have used some topographical map paper I found as well as just a variety of rugged sort of masculine feeling papers.

I will mat on printed as well as plain backgrounds.

As for cropping - if I like the whole photo then I don't crop. I only crop when it makes sense to highlight a portion of the photo or if taking just a smidge off an edge makes it fit better without taking away from the photo.

After all it is the picture that is the whole point of this process!

Deb

 

[WDWMom]

I always use colored or printed paper as my background these days. I do not like the starkness of a white background but that is me. Most of the time I only use one color to mat. I have used too colors before if I am looking to enlarge the picture space or if I am adding some embellishment to it.

Regardless, it is your work and you must to comfortable with what you are doing and you are the one who has to like it. Be creative and try some new things and you will soon find out what you like.

 

[ToDisney]

I can't do the starkness of white either. So I usually use colored CS. Sometimes I mat with a coordinating color or colors, if I use a double or triple mat, sometimes I don't mat at all... and then other times I mix it up... lol... matting some in a LO and not others.

 

[PigletsPal]

I'm a layer even up to 3 sometimes and yes it is very time consuming, but that is what so great about scrapbooking there is no wrong way just what is your style. So if you only want to back one then go for it.