Basic 6 rules
Rule No. 1 - three semantic elements. Following the experience of the masters, harmony and integrity in the product will be achieved if the design is based on three semantic elements. For example, the first actual heading is a symbolic element (letters, numbers), the second is graphic (for example, contrasting edging), the third is decorative decorations made from materials of various textures.
Rule No. 2 - brevity in design. Maintaining consistency and moderation of details in the composition. Too much decorative elements will ruin the appearance of the product. The created composition should look harmonious. In some cases, professionals require a minimum of decorative elements to create an original and unique item.
Rule No. 3 - balance in the composition. Uniform arrangement of decorative elements is the key to an ideal composition. Do not overload the product to avoid an awkward appearance.
Rule #4 - repetitions. The key to impeccability and style is to use this rule in your work! When composing a composition, you should use similar (in color, texture, style) elements; they overlap and complement each other. An example is a repeating pattern based on a postcard and decorative elements.
Rule No. 5 of the golden ratio. Any creative direction cannot do without this golden rule. Its meaning is to divide it into parts so that they relate to each other in an approximate proportion of 1:2.
Rule #6 - Use straight lines. When forming a composition, not everyone can choose the correct and successful arrangement of elements in relation to each other.
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The solution would be to make a schematic drawing and sketch the product. Marking the base of the product with straight horizontal and vertical lines will help you correctly position ribbons and lace, observing the rules of the golden ratio, and diagonals will help you more accurately distribute repeating decorative elements.
Features of materials for scrapbooking
It is important to use special materials or worthy analogues, at least for the following reasons:
- This will make working on the product easier. Special tools and paper will speed up the process and make it enjoyable.
- The product will be stored for a long time and will withstand transportation well.
- Unprofessional materials containing acid and lignin destroy photographs.
This type of needlework is not cheap. Be prepared to spend money on materials by ordering them from online stores, possibly abroad. But for simple products that you can get your hands on, a small amount of inexpensive materials will do.
Several reasons for popularity
The technique is especially popular in the West, but also in the CIS there are more and more craftsmen or simply lovers of scrapbooking. Why does it attract so many people? Firstly, it looks very attractive, because doing the decoration by hand gives the work exclusivity. Let's compare a cover printed in a printing house with a circulation of a thousand copies and a unique cover made using the scrapbooking technique with your own hands.
A standard purchased album is a banal “photo folder,” but you can supplement an album using the scrapbooking technique with various elements. Also, the advantage of handmade is that anyone can create a product design that is attractive to them.
Secondly, the popularity of this technique is due to the fact that material for scrapbooking can be collected at home without spending a penny. It is very economical and convenient. As craft elements, you can use scraps of fabric, scraps of old curtains, artificial flowers, bows from holiday gifts, ribbons, brooches, shells, stones and dozens of other items.
If you want to purchase materials, then this will not be a problem either, because today hundreds of stores are open with a huge assortment of goods for handicrafts, where you can choose the elements of your future masterpiece. Let's compare the design from improvised means (Fig. 1) and purchased materials (Fig. 2).
Both works look very interesting, but the second one is more suitable for a chic gift for loved ones. But its cost also increases significantly.
Thirdly, scrapbooking is popular because of its practicality - it is a wonderful gift for a birthday or wedding. In the 21st century, it is very fashionable to give photo frames or albums. Don’t be trivial when buying ready-made work in a store, but decorate the gift yourself, because the best gift is the one made with your own hands.
This way you can decorate not only albums and frames, but also gift books for loved ones or yourself. Agree, it’s much more pleasant to hold your favorite book in your hands in a beautiful paperback or exclusive volumetric one.
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Fourthly, wedding or birthday invitations made using the scrapbooking technique are very popular today. Any bride wants to make her wedding unique, so everything should be perfect, including invitations, which you can make yourself or order from craftsmen.
You can make your birthday brighter too. Whether it’s for children or adults – it doesn’t matter; using the scrapbooking technique you can make an invitation to suit every taste.
Having received such a wonderful invitation to a holiday, you will definitely want to please the hero of the occasion with a similar craft. What could be more beautiful than scrapbooking postcards? This can be as a postcard with a text greeting or an envelope postcard for a monetary gift.
Among modern girls, the scrapbooking technique for decorating notebooks or diaries for friends is very popular. Each of us had such a diary in childhood, and each of us wanted to distinguish ourselves, to make it as bright and interesting as possible. You can also decorate a notebook for everyday use and make yourself happy every day.
Finally, let's talk about crafts using the scrapbooking technique as elements of home or office interiors. Of course, only girls use such things, but they will please the eye of everyone who notices them. Initially, only covers were made using this technique, but today dozens of new areas of its application have been invented. It could be a desk calendar, a box, a vase, a candlestick, a Christmas tree ball, etc.
Pens and ink
To apply inscriptions to a product, you should choose pens and ink of the so-called “archival” quality. Such materials do not fade over time. Markers, pencils, and paints are also used. Glue-glitter is suitable for decoration.
Calligraphic letters are written using special nibs (pens with a feather). Before using ink, make sure it is chemically neutral.
Scrapbooking is a “hand made” art, the essence of which is the creation and design of photo albums of various types, decorating the covers of books, notebooks, diaries or passports. Why is scrapbooking so popular in today's world of digital photography?
