How to pick layout colors??? And cardstock vs patterned paper???

Ok, back with some more questions.

I have some photos in mind and some memorabilia as well. I have a scrapbook, patterned paper, and letter stickers. Now what in terms of the layout (colors and paper choice)?!?

I am utterly confused as to how and what colors I use. Are any and all colors ok?? Or will the wrong colors take away from my pics?? I am not creative in the least and none of this is coming naturally to me.

I am also confused about patterned paper and cardstock. For a 12x12 album, which one do you use for the main 12x12 piece of paper??? What are the real differences between the 2 for how they are supposed to be used?

Any and all help and explanations are GREATLY appreciated as I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

Thanks!!!

I pic a color or two from the photo to use as my main color for the layout, usually the color the person in the pic is wearing.

As for cardstock or pp as your base either or which ever you like the look of, more often then not my base is cardstock cause I am just not that good with pp yet, however I HAVE used pp as the base and it turned out quiet well.

Id suggest taking a look around the gallery here for inspiration

hth

I usually pull a couple colors from the pic to use as the main colors for the paper and card stock. Normally, I will pic a color that is not prominent in the pic, but it depends on the look.

I use card stock for matting the photos and as a base for the lo, even if I cover up the entire piece of cs with pp, it makes the lo more sturdy.

You can use them however you want! That is the beauty and sometimes the overwhelming feeling that is scrapping!

• Solydulce9 Said:

on the home page of sb.com (or the bottom of any page) is a program called "Scrap by Color." it can help you decide what colors go well together.

you can also upload a pic into that program and see what colors it recommends for you to use.

good luck!

You can use whatever colors and patterns you want. It kind of depends on your style preferences and comfort level.

For example, I have found that I prefer to use colors that help the main photo subject to stand out the best or that best complement the subject. I use solid cardstock as my 12x12 page base, with patterned cardstocks as the cut out strips or shapes to decorate the page. It depends on the patterns, though. I mostly prefer more subdued patterns to busier bold ones. If I have a really bold, busy pattern, I try to use less of it so as not to distract too much from the photos.

If the photos have a fun shape or texture, like if the subject is wearing a ruffly skirt, you can echo that texture on your layout page with the elements you choose to include. It's really up to you and what you would like to do.

For some reason, some pics I just know what patterned paper & cardstock I want to use.

Then there are others that I have to flip through some papers to figure it out. With these, I often pull out papers/cardstock & put the pic on top to see if I like the effect.

I don't necessarily look for colors that match my photos as much as complements them. Then again, I tend to do a lot of animal & vacation layouts and use a lot of neutrals.

Just go with what looks/feels right to you. There is no right or wrong.

When I started I had no idea how to match colors and was overwhelmed by the choices, so I used plain cardstock 12 by 12 as a background, had all my photos matted in black paper, and then stick embellishments and make a title (use a sharpie on a scrap of paper and mat in black)... that worked ok for me for a couple of layouts, the key is to play around before you stick... as you do it more, you start experimenting with patterned paper etc...and patterns on patterns... I like to use paper from same collection to help me match.

I used to think less is more - but now I'm all about, patterns, textures, colors, stripes, dots, plaids...Some of my pages look like a two year old dressed themselves - but I love them! LOL

I do like to pick a color from the photo or the theme - for instance I did a Trail Riding page and I cut out tree trunks in a brown sort of patterned paper, and bushes out of a green patterned/texture paper.

It's a personal preference I think...I sometimes choose the colors/papers/look before I even know what pictures I'm going to put in! LOL

The beauty of scrapbooking - pretty much anything goes.

Sometimes I
1) pick out a color in the pic that I want to bring out with my paper choice
2) pick pp based on theme of the event/pic (Christmas, Easter, etc) and as long as they don't clash too badly with pics, it works. Or you can turn pics to black and white when doing that.
3) use CS as my bg and throw in pp here and there, sometimes for title, matting, or blocks
4) use pp as my bg and use cs as accessory. If it's a busy, bold pattern I may cut a 10x10 or 11x11 cs square for the middle of the page and let the pp serve as page border.
5) use any variation at any given time

There is no wrong answer and using the color tool is a good idea and just going through the gallery for examples.

Good luck and welcome!

pretty much what they said! Sometimes it's just personal preference,,,,,I use very little plain cs,,,,,,I lovvvvvvvvvvvvvve pp, its' so pretty! and I love mixing pps

There's no wrong way! Whatever you like! Pick a bunch you like and start placing the pics on top of each one til you find something you like! Everyone's style is different, and we LIKE it that way

i choose around 2-3 color combination, sometimes i research of a good layout and think out of it

I gravitate towards choosing neutrals for my background (white, cream, kraft, or black) and then adding color in smaller doses so as not to take the focus away from my pics.

I also tend to mat my photos on solid colors of cardstock or patterned paper for the same reasons.

But I often do scrap with a color background, too... When I do that, I tend to pick a color that is in the focal photo, OR a color that complements whatever color is very overwhelming in the photo. For example, if my focal photo is mostly green leaves, with one yellow flower, I would probably choose not to mat it on green, because it would all run together... So instead would put the pic on white or yellow.

I choose to mat photos on patterned paper very seldom. When I do, I generally mat on either a small or subtle pattern, or with a very generic pattern (stripes, polka dots, letters, etc.). I don't generally choose one that is busy with many colors and fussy bits, because it always seems too chaotic to me when looking at it...

Good luck! Feel free to experiment and make mistakes, it's okay, it's the creative process! And don't be afraid to commit to a layout being imperfect--no one's is perfect, even those in the mags... Scrap it, put it in your album, and move on. Before you know it, you'll have found your style and will be more confident about your choices. But if you always second guess yourself, you could get stuck in that pattern, too, and I just don't think it would be relaxing or fun then...

It really is a matter of your own style and what looks good to you. But my suggestion is check out the gallery. They have a catergory that maybe might help. Like if you are doing an outdoors or sports or wedding. Put that in the search box and get ideas from that. These people on here are so talented you can get several great ideas.

Just go with your style and it will be fine. Keep scrappin. Have fun.