This 7 photo sketch, with 4 large and 3 smaller photos, could easily be altered to use just 4 photos and 3 embellishments.  I don’t often design with a large focal photo on the right page, but it works this time partly because of the size progression of the photos on the left side.  (I think… really, I’m not a design expert, so am just guessing, folks!)

In this layout, I only used 6 photos, and added extra title space.  I also left space for journaling at the bottom left of the right page.  The layout uses 5 patterns and 1 solid.

Yes, it’s true!  Our technical difficulties are over, and Sketches by Suzy has finally returned, with our own domain name, a new look, and what else?  New sketches!

To celebrate our return, there are 10 new sketches that have just been posted, and one of them has never been seen before!  Even more are completed and just waiting their turn to inspire you. There will be four more today, and then you can expect to see a new sketch every Thursday!

During the downtime, I have had some time to think about how to make this website better for all of you, and about new features I want to add.

One of those is already in place… you will notice that some of the posts include product links for the example layouts. Those links lead to sites you can see and/or buy the products used.  I do not endorse those sites, they are just where I most easily found the product.

Sketches by Suzy has a page on Facebook.  If you like this site, please consider becoming a fan.  There you will hear about upcoming changes to the website, and soon you will be able to see the new blog posts right in your Live Feed.

Last, but definitely not least, I want to tell you about this picture here.  That’s me on the right, but on the left is my mother.  She is a fan of Sketches by Suzy, but she is my personal biggest fan, too.  It is mainly from her that I get my sense of design (she has an art education degree and is a former art teacher).  She is the one who looks at my scrapbooks first for the photos, then the overall layout, and then the design details.  She is also the one who encouraged me to start scrapbooking, way back in 1998. It is very possible that without that encouragement, my sketches would not exist.  Thanks, Mother, and I love you!

A Super Sketch occurs when the girls and I all do a similar layout, but with different results.  No, wait, that’s pretty normal for us.  So a Super Sketch must be when I then take those layouts and create at least 2 sketch variations from them, to share with all of you!  This is the very first time I’ve done it, and hope to have more in the future.

This sketch has a strong focal point on the left side, with several overlapping circles and circle outlines.  Due to the placement of the title, it is best to use a solid paper for the outermost circle.  The larger circle on the right helps bring visual balance to the layout.

This layout, created by Robin S, was the original inspiration for all of the layouts and sketches.  The circle outline on top of the focal photo on the left is painted chipboard, but you could also use paper and popdots for the same effect.  There are 3 patterns and 4 solids (or almost solids) on this layout.

Take Two!

The second sketch orients the focal picture horizontally, and uses a different size photo altogether. There are also more photos on this sketch, plus room for a subtitle and journaling. While the layout of the paper initially looks similar, you’ll see some changes if you look closely… for instance, the 3rd circle in the top left corner of the right side.

This layout, created by me, happens to be one of my all-time favorites that I have done. (The rest of the title quote says, “…is our favorite place to be.”) There are 4 patterns and 2 solids used here.

Take Three!

The third sketch gets the most pictures on the layout, at 7, and still leaves room for journaling. Christine liked my idea of using a second circle on the right side, but she brought it out of the corner and down to the middle of the sketch. Also, while her focal photo on the left is vertical (like the original), it is smaller and she used a smaller and more offset topping circle.

The layout, created by Christine P, at first appears to be simpler, but still manages to sneak in a few doo-dahs!  A major embellishment constant on these layouts is the ribbon(s) on the top outline circle on the left side. Not only are they fun, they take up some of the “dead” space near the top of the layout. And while it may look like the circles on all these layouts are different sizes, I promise you they are all exactly the same size! This layout uses 4 patterns and 2 (almost) solids.

This 17 (that’s right, 17!) photo sketch is one of my personal favorites. On the left side, along with an uncropped & matted 4×6, there are 12 two-inch squares.  If you have basic knowledge of a photo-editing program, you can print those 12 squares all together on just two 4×6 canvases.  (Of course, you can also crop 4×6 photos down to size, as most of us are used to doing.) This sketch also shows where you could place embellishments such as brads or rick-rack.  The smaller circles (brads or paper punches) are an important design elements that help balance the layout.

This layout focuses on faces, but could be used for anything.  It would be great for a “through-the-years” type of layout… in fact, I may just have to do that myself!  There are 4 patterns and 4 solids used here.

This 7 photo sketch uses mostly full-size photos, for those of you who make good use of your camera’s zoom lens. The 2 photos on the left could easily be replaced by a larger single photo or several smaller photos matted together. That element is balanced on the right by the vertically aligned photos near the center of the layout.

In this layout, there are two different focuses. On the left are the posed shots, and on the right are the action shots.  The layout uses 3 solids and 4 patterns from BoBunny.

This sketch gets alot of pictures onto your layout, without sacrificing on size very much.  Most of the photos on this sketch are 4×3, which is exactly half of a 4×6.  In a photo program, you can put two 4×6 pictures onto one canvas, save and print it as a regular 4×6 print either at home or at your favorite developer.  Or, you can intentionally not zoom in on your shot, to make cropping the photos easier.

All of the photos in this layout were originally 4×6 size, cropped down to fit. The focal photo is the only full-size photo on the layout, which gives it even more impact.

This 8 photo sketch is simple in it’s design, both in the arrangement of the photos and in the layering of the papers. If you are new to using sketches, this is a good one to start with.

This layout is almost exactly like the sketch. It uses 4 patterns and 2 solids.  The papers are from the “Storytime” line by Cosmo Cricket.

As I prepare to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Sketches by Suzy blog, I have some fun things in mind for all of my visitors.

1. “Where to Buy” links to the posts, or a “Where to Buy” section (haven’t decided which,) when possible.  I’ve had many emails about where to get some of the products used on my layouts, and I thought this would make it easier on everyone.
2. A Reader’s Gallery, organized by Sketch #, where you can show off your take on my sketches.
   
3. All of the sketches in a printable or book format, so you can take them with you to your scraproom or crops!

There’s more… lots more.  And because this blog is for you, not me, I’d love to hear what you want from this blog!  Submit your suggestions through the comment section of this post.

This 14 photo sketch was inspired by two different layouts, one done by my friend Christine (left side), the other by my friend Robin (right side).

In the layouts, you can see that they both used mostly the same photos and papers, with similar but different results. They both used parts of a brochure and postcards in place of some photos.

Christine’s layout uses 10 photos with 3 patterned papers and 2 solid papers. 

Robin’s layout uses 14 photos, 3 patterned papers and 4 solid papers.

This 8 photo sketch is inspired by a layout my friend Christine P. created. The rick-rack could be doodles or stitching or rub-ons or ribbons, but it is an important part of the sketch.

This is the 7 photo layout that Christine created. It uses 4 patterns and 1 solid. She amazes me how she can just start cutting paper and sticking it down, without knowing how she’s going to crop her pictures or where they’re going to be placed. Her layouts always turn out looking great, though!

Before I created the sketch, I was inspired to create my own version of Christine’s layout. I only used 6 photos, but kept the same basic elements of the layout and the sketch. It uses 3 patterns and 4 solids.

This sketch gives you the opportunity to have fun with papers and embellishments, and yet have room for plenty of photos (11!). The double-matted focal photo is an important element, as it helps balance the busyness of the right side. A 5×7 photo would work just the same.

The layout that this sketch is based on uses only 9 photos, because I used more and larger embellishments, and included journaling.

This 12 photo sketch is fairly simple.  The repeating squares are a strong design element.  The double mats on the photos are a part of the sketch, and help pull the design together, while also helping the eye focus on the photos.

This layout uses 8 photos, but holds true to the sketch by filling in the other squares with another patterned paper. The journaling takes the place of the smallest photo on the left page. This layout uses 4 patterns and 3 solids.

This 9 photo sketch uses 2 uncropped photos as focal points.  The small circle on the right echoes the larger partial circle on the left, and gives the layout added visual interest.

The layout below uses 7 photos, because one of the photo spots was used for journaling and another spot was used for a portion of the brochure that went along with these photos. The photos on the right side were also rearranged a little, to accommodate the embellishments I wanted to use. The layout uses 5 patterns and 2 solids.

This 8 photo sketch, uses a large half circle (again!), but it is so covered up by the other layers that it is more just the idea of the circle. Notice that it ends under the vertical strip on the right side.

This layout uses 4 patterns and 1 solid. It is only 7 photos, and you can see how I adjusted the sketch to make room for embellishments. Almost all of the photos are cropped just a little smaller, and the journaling is limited to the circle on the right side of the layout. One of my favorite things about this layout, though, is the bent corner. To achieve that, you must use double-sided patterned paper.

This 12 photo sketch is perfect for those times when you need to get a bunch of photos onto one layout, without sacrificing too much size. The photo block on the right side could easily be a single, larger photo, if you wanted it to be.  Or the photo strip at the bottom left could be smaller, thinner photos. Don’t be afraid to play around with this!

This layout is 11 photos, because I chose to use an embellishment in place of one of the photos.  There are 4 patterns and 4 solids used here.