Every time I make a new sketch, I make a mental note that I have to go back and make a layout from it someday. It doesn’t happen as often as I would like, but slowly I’m making the effort to go back to some older sketches and use them. For me, as trends come and go, it’s fun to go back to an older sketch and see how I can make it new again. Sketches are just a starting point, so it’s always easy to adapt and update to fit your current style.
The sketch I used for my “Back Attack” layout is from my book: Sketches for Scrapbooking, One-page Sketches Volume 2. If you have this book it is the ninth sketch in the book. If you don’t have this book it can be purchased here:
The sketch has two 3 x 4” photos and one 4 x 4” photo, but I had a sequence of square photos taken from my phone so I adapted the sketch to fit those. I went with 3 x 3” photos and added a small mat to them.
The paper design on the sketch has the two large pieces above and below the photo, like I do on my layout, but where they differ is how the smaller strips of paper are arranged. On the sketch they are on top of the large pieces, just above and below the photos. I didn’t do this for two reasons. One, because I had used a paper (for the large piece) that has lots of colors and those big, bold circles, I was afraid those smaller strips would be lost on the busier pattern. The second reason I moved the strips is because I thought I would use them to extend the design towards the top and bottom of the layout to create an even margin around the edges of the whole design.
Everything else on the layout is generally pretty close to the design of the sketch. I added some stitching (of course!), more stars, and move my journaling strips up a little.
Another thing I want to point out is how I used the blue paper to help bring focus to the blue of Jackson’s gi. I like highlighting the focus of the photo with matching colors on the layout. It’s a super easy way to help your subject stand out.