I remember as a new digiscrapper, galleries were both awe-inspiring and also a bit daunting. If you are new to scrapbooking and galleries, the various different styles and methods people use may seem a bit overwhelming at first, and you may wonder what a scrapbook page *should* look like and how it should be.
The good news and short answer is that like any artform, part of the beauty of this hobby, is that your page can look however you’d like and be however you want it to be. There is no right or wrong way to scrapbook. There are various common styles scrapbookers will adopt and commonalities to all of them so let’s summarise and intro all the types and parts of scrapbook pages.
*Basic Anatomy of a Digital Scrapbook Page*
Regardless of the overall style of a digital scrapbook layout (or page, we use the terms interchangeably), each layout starts with a background paper just like a paper scrapbook page would but it’s a jpeg or bunch of pixels, an on-screen version of a paper. It is then built up with some combination of:
⦁ papers (either solid coloured or patterned),
⦁ photos,
⦁ a title that generally describes the theme of the layout or event photographed – made with anything from basic or dressed up fonts to alphas (alphabets);
⦁ and some kind of journalling. The journalling could be as simple as the basics (covering simply the who, what, where, when & why of the photo), or a full recount of the event or memories evoked by the photo, especially if it is not recent. It may also take the form of a list, poetry or include a quote or lyrics when preferred over traditional storytelling or written journalistic documentation.
⦁ On top of these, and for many of us, the fun part is decorating the page with elements, also called embellishments (or ellies for short) and the range that covers is expansive. If you use it in the real world, you can use it digitally. Stickers, flowers, paint, frames, glitter, ephemera like ticket stubs or vintage paper advertising; then to add to the realism, we may add ‘fasteners’ like tape, staples, stitching, clips, buttons…
and shadows. This is again to bring a sense of realism to an otherwise flat 2 dimensional page that would have some additional dimension in the real world. Basic shadows can usually be achieved as simply as clicking an option in a menu (and these were something I didn’t even know about at the start of my digiscrapping as a previous paper scrapper! They make such a difference to digi pages!)
All of these things, with the exception of a background, really are optional though. You can have a photoless scrapbook page which is heavy on the journalling (and this is the basis of Art Journalling and has a strong core group and following as a subset within The Lilypad). You can also have a page with no obvious title, where the photo speaks for itself or is supported just by a quote and maybe the date the photo was captured. And sometimes the photo doesn’t need much explanation if the title is sufficient or can stand alone. And if you think about it, newspapers can be considered a scrapbook but without any crazy element use or even any shadows. The way these key components are used and emphasised often comes down to the style of the page and the creator, so let’s look at different scrapbook design styles. Like other artists, most scrapbookers have one particular style they prefer and naturally gravitate towards while others change their scrapping style regularly.
*Let’s compare some Digiscrap Page Design Styles*
I’ve included digital template based pages below to make the anatomy (or underlying skeleton) of our sample pages easier to see but while templates can provide the bones to a layout, they are ultimately a guide, and even the most minimalist template can be utilised to create a maximalist page by changing how the above components are displayed, and conversely, a maximalist template can be stripped back for a more minimalist layout aesthetic.
Traditional Style – real paper scrapbook look based with some ornamentation from elements, focus on photos and text that supports them – may be characterised by use of papers, photos and elements for documenting and memory preservation. Multiple patterned papers are often used for added layers and interest and can be cut into various shapes for interest.
Page by me, bellbird – linked if you want to see it closer in the gallery and see template and product credits. This has a balance between solid and coordinated patterned papers which are ‘cut’ into triangles for interest. Some of the photo and title spots have been altered and quotes that support the rock climbing theme and feat have been used in place of journalling.
Artsy – may be characterised by use of art materials like paint, ink and drawing, with blending and stamping techniques to produce a predominantly flat page without really needing shadows. Dimension and realism are still achieved from texture within the paint work and paper choices. May be ‘clean or messy’.
Page by wombat146 – the sketchy lines of the triangles and the painted square underpinning the triangles and photo cluster mean there is less emphasis on traditional scrapbook papers but the shapes are still present, just made with more artistic means. The paint adds texture to the background and the stamped flowers are another way to add interest without bulk or the need for shadows but there is still dimensional element use with the petal flower, flair button and postage stamp. The different mediums used here make this an example of a digital mixed media page.
Minimalist – the ‘less is more’ scrap style- may be characterised by having large amounts of free space (referred to as negative space or white space); typically smaller sized photos, text and elements as well as using more solids or small scaled patterns and are (seemingly) simple in their composition.
Page by sucali- Small but still engaging photo. Smaller scale elements and prints on triangle papers. Still uses paper shapes but the scrapped area of the page covers less than 50% of the background paper, leaving significant amounts of free space.
Maximalist – the ‘fill the page style’ – may be characterised by having large proportioned components ( like using a big photo (as big as the whole page) or a big title) or really filling the page with elements or patterns that are bold or busy – it embraces the phrase ‘the more, the merrier’.
Page by Mrs_Peel – note how little of the background paper is visible around and between the edge to edge bold colours and patterned papers of the triangles. This has relatively more elements and multiple wordarts as well as journalling compared to the other pages. There is still room for more though – this is almost restrained element use for Mrs_Peel!
(I hope the visuals helped, and not to try to be more confusing, but Maximalists can be more Artsy than Traditional as well, they just tend to fill the page with predominantly more mixed media elements and techniques compared to patterned papers and traditional elements).
And because I know there are a lot of terms associated with scrapbooking and digiscrapping that can be confusing, here is a table of some of the terms that might help you and aims to address some FAQ’s we see in the Forum. If in doubt, you can always ask in the Scrapping Pad or Chatty Pad as well!
Are there any terms or FAQs you think I’ve missed or are you ready to dive in and make a page?
I’m in the process of figuring out which program to start from scratch with (based on all the info I gathered and blogged last month), and I’ll share that next time!
Monica says
I wish I’d had all this info when I started out! Thanks Justine!