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What is your process?

Ronisdragon

Ronisdragon

Why can't someday be now?
Joined
Jan 19, 2012
Messages
717
Hi Ladies.
I've had no mojo and when I try to make myself scrap my pages just won't come together. I was wondering what your process is? I never know how my page will look till I'm done with it. When I sit down I to scrap I usually don't have any idea of what products I will use or even have an idea of what I want my composition to be. I can't ever picture what supplies I own or what will go well together. When I first started scrapping I only bought Disney themed kits so I would use the Cinderella kit with my Cinderella photos. I would open every item in the kit and just start placing things. I <3 TLP but often there isn't a complete kit I'm working with, rather elements and other papers from another designer etc. I feel like I'm not sure where to begin or how to combine various products. Also not having a specific theme for the product makes it hard for me to know what photos to use the products with. When placing elements on my page if the element doesn't look right immediately I get rid of it. How do you figure out how to make things work in the long run when they dont work as soon as you place them? Do you usually have a plan in mind when scrapping? How do you combine products? How do you decide which products to use with which photos? What is your process for creating layouts? Sorry this is so long. I'm just trying to figure out how to get past my stumbling blocks and I thought maybe my process was the problem. Thanks for your help!
 
I think "our process" is always a work in process. I think we all go through phases where things flow faster than others. I find when I scrap a lot, I have even more ideas for new layouts. I would suggest a $1 composition notebook that you keep with you for a week or so. Make lists of layout ideas, lists of photos you just took or scanned that you know you want to scrap, lists of "stories" you want to tell. I have two of them going right now. I even sketch if an idea is coming to mind.

I have a list of ideas about questions the kids might want to know the answer to about my ex and the early years, like how we met and how he proposed, etc. I have ideas about my childhood home, my first junior high boyfriend, etc. So I have these running lists to choose from if I'm looking for ideas.

I am often inspired by word art in scrap kits. It will be the start of an idea that I can flesh out. I get inspired by the vague theme of kits as well. Another inspiration for me is story prompts like Sara Gleason's. I find that those generate my favorite layouts. I'm not saying that all my layouts have to be deep and introspective but the ones that share how I felt about something are more meaningful to me Han the who what where layouts I used to do.

I was very inspired by a class by Ali Edwards where she asked us to look at an old family photo and said what do you wish you knew? I am trying to make the layouts I do now answer that question even just a little, how did I feel about my son's graduation day not just the activity of the day.

I often work by color. So if I love a certain kit and find a photo or two to use and that one kit doesn't have all I need, I'll pick additional items by color. I use ACDSee to tag my items by type and by color so I use that to find things to use. Picasa is a good free alternative to try and see if organizing is helpful for you. I will pull twenty things onto a psd file to see if I like them, move them around, resize, tweak the color, etc and maybe keep five or six. Those five might lead me down another path looking for different things. Don't be afraid to pull it in and try it, if you don't like just turn off the layer.

So a big long narrative that might not have helped at all.... Best suggestion is notebook to gather ideas and write stories to use as your journaling when you get a chance to make a layout. If you'll brainstorm for 15 to 20 min every day, you'll have a list of great ideas.
 
I know I get lost if I have no goal in mind for a layout.

Often, I'll start with a photograph. I go through my photo files, pick out a photo or eight, and click on them. Then I'll go through my templates. If there's a CT deadline, then I know which ones I'm using, and I go with that. If I need to, I alter the template a little bit, but not too much. I'm finding that these days I place the photos first.

As for supplies, omgosh. If my pictures have a theme/event/action going on in them, or a really strong dominant color thing going on, I'll take a look through the kits that seem to apply. I know I forget about a lot of my kits, but that's okay. Then I'll lay down the backgrounds and layers. Then I'll either use the elements that go with the kit (if I started with a kit) or paper pack, and start using keywords in Explorer. I don't use a fancy program. It might mean I miss the "perfect" element if I haven't tagged or renamed it, but I don't stress about it. Cuz honestly, no one in my family is going to care if it's not "perfect", so I go with the flow. That doesn't mean I don't fuss with blending and the photo filters if I use them.

I'll go to my TLP folder. I'll take a quick look through the file pictures. If I see a file with doodles, frex, that I love I click on that folder, check it out, and maybe click on a doodle that I think will go with my theme/photograph/kit, etc. Or I'll do a search for "grill" and a few grills will pop up from various sources and in different styles. I choose the one that fits best, and click on it.

Somewhere along the way, I'll start thinking of what story I'm going to tell. I have to beef that up more. Maybe put a sticky note on my screen so I don't forget details like smell, taste, temperature, sounds, etc to make it more immediate. I don't always follow the placement of the text where the template designers puts it. Then I spend a lot of time choosing a font. Fonts are where I lose a lot of time. I think I'm a frustrated magazine designer! (which is what I wanted to be in high school, go figure)

I hope this helps. I find it helps to limit my choices so I don't get overwhelmed with stuff!
 
It has literally taken me years to get my process and my style down but now that I know what my style is I can get a page done in like 30 minutes. I love templates and I love a more clean line style so I always start with a template and then I usually stick with a main kit but will add other products once I have used all the things I want to in the main kit I am working with. I use the other things as fillers in telling my story or if it will help add to my page. I also usually see a kit I want to work with that also works with some pictures I have or a story I want to tell and I will start working it out in my head. Then it just kinda flows on the canvas. I still have times where my mojo is gone though and I have gone through about 3 or 4 of those periods since I started scrapping.
 
process??? um... I have no idea. I can tell you I tend to listen to music to match the mood of the page I'm working on. And on all those occasions that I use lyrics on a page I tend to listen to that song over and over and over and over and over and over (you get the point) while working on the page. What else...? I set up all my papers first. Then I place all my frames/photos. Next elements, followed by paint. After that shadows, then custom shadows. Journaling last.
 
99.9% of the time I open up the photos I want to work with first. Then I make a blank canvas and arrange the photos (whether it be via template or frames or scraplift or just whatever). Then I go through my stash to find something that works. If nothing seems to fit right, I go shopping. LOL First I pick backgrounds. My element placement has no rhyme or reason. LOL The title is usually last unless I already have something in mind.
 
Process? lol.
I always always start with my kit and then go look for pics.
I don't know why. That's just always how I've done it!
I also have some templates that I made that I pull into PS because I have to start with my photo placement and then work around that. :)
 
Sometimes when you are missing the mojo...
I think a good place to start is your completed albums.
When you look through them find out what you actually LIKE seeing now that you are done with the pages. What do you like viewing? Is it the photos that really matter? Do you find you like seeing the embellishments or the coordinate theme feel you get when using themed products? Do you like seeing LOTS of photos or when do you like to focus on just one? See where I'm going with this? After you find out what you really love when appreciating your books can give you a whole different outlook on how you begin your scrapbooking pages. Focus on creating what you love.

I found out a lot about myself this way. I came to the conclusion that I LOVE seeing the photos... and not just one on the page, but ALOT of large photos. So I try to stay true to this. I rarely ever scrap just one photo, I stick to having both large photos, and a number of them on every page.
 
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