The self-inflicted challenge I was faced with in putting together this week's sketch, was an interesting one--albeit one I often find myself dealing with. Using 4x6 photos. In other words... completing a layout using photographs I've already printed in 4x6 format, when the vast majority of sketches I'm drawn to utilize photos in odd sizes.
Ideally, when I'm working with sketches, I'm searching for either a) a sketch that accomodates the number of photos I have in mind to be scrapped or b) a sketch that just plain inspires me. In either case, in an ideal world, once I've found said sketch, I print my photos in the required sizes and then just go about the assembly process of my layout. Easy peasy.
But let's face it... we don't always have that kind of advanced preparation before us. Sometimes, we're just sitting down to scrapbook because the mood strikes and we're ready to take advantage of that stolen moment of craft-time, right? So what do you do? You reach for a stack of photos you've already had printed and decide to make do.
One glance at this week's sketch will tell you I didn't settle for one that accomodated my required photo size (4x6). I'll also tell you that I had 3 vertical photos and one horizontal photo that also did not meet the blueprint for this sketch. So why did I pick it? It's simple. I liked it.
And one way or another, I was going to make it work. Somehow.
So I stole elements of the sketch that I liked--the border along the side, the general shapes & overall design and the flow. Then I simply discarded the elements of the sketch that didn't work for me--the photo sizes, the journaling box and the placement of the title, etc. etc. Don't be afraid to make changes to your sketches! Contrary to what you might think, the sketch police are NOT going to come after you for making the necessary alterations to yield a page that suits YOU.
Here's a trade secret of mine for altering sketches that utilize odd-sized photos to accomodate your already printed, standard 4x6's. It all comes down to simple math though, so it's not much of a secret at all--just break down the elements. In the original sketch, can you see how two 4x3 horizontal photos are equivalent to one 4x6 vertical photo? So when you take a step back from the sketch and view it for its basic structure and not just the specified photo sizes, it's a lot easier to make the changes you want to make without taking too much away from the overall design.
Is it easier to assemble layouts using sketches when you have all of the photos sized and printed according to the blueprint in front of you? Yeah, sure it is. Not gonna lie to ya. But I'm also not going to tell you that all of those photos you've printed over the years can't be used with your favorite sketches. So breathe easy... and embrace the challenge.
Today's sketch provided by Becky Fleck's February Page Maps, available for download & reference at pagemaps.com. Supplies used for the layout include patterned papers and stickers from Bella Blvd's Winter Wonder collection and the Imaginisce iRock tool & crystal hot rocks.
