In the introduction to my eBook Stretch Your Sketches I talk a little about my love of sketches.  I have used sketches ever since I started scrapbooking a little over three years ago.  They are an essential part of my creative process – I cannot make a layout without one.  One of the goals of my book is to teach scrapbookers how to get the most from sketches and their own layout designs.

I have mentioned this before, but one reason that I love sketches so much is because I tend to take a long time selecting products.  For me that is the fun part of the process.  I save time by having a design in mind before I start working, which allows me a little more time to play with different papers and embellishments during the creative process.  Sketches set the foundation for my page; they give me an idea of where I will place my photos, title and journaling. From there I let the photos and the story be my guide when choosing papers, embellishments and their placement.

Today I want to share with you two layouts that both started from the same sketch.  When seen side-by-side the similarities between the two layouts are obvious.  But these layouts won’t be in an album side-by-side and by using a sketch and applying a simple principle to “stretch” my sketch I was able to create two layouts that I love easily and quickly.

Here is the sketch that I started with, it is a simple single photo design and featuring a 4x6 photo:



Here is the layout I created using that sketch:

 

I want to take a moment here to thank my sister Deborah for allowing me to post her photo here.  I know that the time spent in the hospital after giving birth is not when most woman feel particularly attractive.  But really, few things are more beautiful than a happy family.

In order to stretch this sketch, I simply replaced the single 4x6 photo with two 3x4’s:



and here is the layout I made from this sketch:



I think it is nearly impossible to get two children under the age of 4 to both look into the camera at the same time.  I couldn’t choose just one photo from the set we took at church on Easter Sunday.  So instead I chose the best one with Gabe making eye-contact and one with Nathan making eye-contact.  I figured the two photos average each other out.  That works, right?

This is just one example of the many tips and techniques outlined in my eBook.  Whether you love sketches as much as I do or you just need a little creative push every now and then to get you going I think you’ll find Stretch your Sketches to be a great resource for teaching you how to get the most from your sketches.

 

And just like in my eBook here are some bonus sketches to help spark your creativity:

Because I can never pick just one favorite photo:

 

Inspired by a Container Store Ad in Real Simple Magazine:



Because I *love* trios of photos:



Have fun stretching!

And if you leave a comment on this post, I'll pick a random winner who will get a free copy of my eBook. Let's hear it!