Telling the Story

The following article is contributed by Liz Eaton, the founder and head educator at The Anywhere Studio, a place where scrapbookers can go to take online scrapbooking classes.

As scrapbookers and paper artists, telling the story is usually the main point of every layout, mini book, or project we do.

To tell a great story, you need to:

• Establish from your photos the story you want to tell
• Decide what the best techniques would be for that particular story
• Gather the supplies that will be used for the layout
• Create the layout with the photos and supplies
• Show everyone you know your work of art

Below is an example of how I used the principles above to tell one of my own stories in a layout.

In this layout I wanted to talk about perception, how a photograph is perceived from a certain point of view and how it can alter from person to person or even how it can change by the different effects you can do to it once it is either on your computer or printed out in front of you.

When I took the pier photo and when the other photo was taken of me, the thought never occurred to me that the two might end up on the same layout someday. When I took the photo of the pier I was thinking more about how beautiful I thought this view was and how I wanted to capture it. I didn't even know the photo of me taking the photo was taken until later when my friend shared it with me. Right when I saw it, though, I knew there was a story that needed to be told. I knew I wanted to remember the feeling I was having and that story. It is always amazing to me that a connection with a photograph can be made even long after it was taken.

Once I knew I wanted to create a layout with these two photographs, the next step was to find the right technique and supplies to bring the story together. I started the layout by using the cardstock water distortion technique that is explained on my website, TheAnyWhereStudio.com, in a class called inspiration tags: series 2, photo distressing.

I thought this technique was the perfect way to show how I thought about myself in that position; I liked the idea of fading into the background and washing away in the surf. I wanted the two photographs to be contrasted, with the one I took through my lens being crisp and clear, and the one of me taking the photo to be faded and distressed. This is how I wanted to tell the story.

After I had my photos selected and prepared and had used the technique I thought worked the best, the next step was to gather the supplies I thought would best complement the photos and story I wanted to tell. Once I gathered my supplies it was amazing how quickly the whole layout came together. Once you have all the elements it's a breeze to tell the story.

So, to recap. To tell the story:

• Establish from your photos the story you want to tell
• Decide what the best techniques would be for that particular story
• Gather the supplies that will be used for the layout
• Create the layout with the photos and supplies
• Show everyone you know your work of art

Shop at the Scrapbook.com Superstore for all your Scrapbooking Supplies!
Enjoy 5-Star service, HUGE selection and LOW prices!
Click here to start shopping!