This 9 photo sketch makes good use of a 3 inch circle punch.  After that, there is very little cropping of the other photos.  The collage on the left page is balanced by the large circle and focal photo on the right page.

The layout only uses 6 photos, to allow more room for journaling.  And instead of a large photo on the right, I used Tim Holtz Grungeboard Numbers (which I love!)  I used 3 patterned papers and 3 solids.

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.

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.

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 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 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.

This 12 photo sketch came from one of my fastest layouts ever. I hope it works just as fast for you!

This layout is only 10 photos, since I used one of the circles for journaling. You’ll also notice that the other small circle is not a photo, but a patch I bought at the aquarium.  I didn’t measure it at the time, but thought it was about 3 inches.  Since I use that size so much, I must have an eye for it, because that is exactly what the patch size was!  There are 3 patterns and 3 solids used here.

This 10 photo sketch is all about blocking. The paper is blocked on the background, and the photos are blocked on top of that. The blocked strip at the bottom helps the eye move across the layout, while the half circle behind it helps anchor the strip.

The simplicity of the sketch was perfect for keeping the focus on these photos.  One difference you may notice is that I used 2 quarter circles instead of one half circle.  I goofed and didn’t make my original circle large enough, so I cut it up and turned the pieces around to get this look. You’d never know, if you hadn’t seen the original sketch and if I hadn’t told you, though! There are 4 patterns and 3 solids used here.

You ask, I try to answer! I had a request for a sketch that used an 8×10 photo on one side, with several others on the 2nd side.  This 8 photo sketch is the answer to that request.  The weight of the large circle on the right helps balance the size of the photo on the left.

In this layout, I used a 5×7 photo, plus a large-scale embellishment, instead of the 8×10.  Using a busier pattern behind it helped take up some of the visual space that was left by using a smaller photo.  I used 3 patterns and 2 solids.

This 9 photo  sketch is another that is based on a layout by Robin S.  I was attracted to it, of course, by the big circles!

The first example is Robin’s original layout. She used 5 patterns and 4 solids. You may recognize the photos and papers from Sketch 23, as this was another set of photos we worked on together.

The second example is my take on the sketch. I still used 9 photos, but the arrangement is completely different. Also, I flip-flopped the layout of the papers, to make them work better with my photos. I used 5 patterns & 2 solids.

This 6 photo sketch requires very little measuring of your papers.  The circles are 2 sides of a 12 inch circle. The large strips are both 6 inches, with 1/2 inch strips layered on top of them.  From there you really could arrange your photos in whatever way you like.

The first example is just like the sketch.  I used 3 patterns and 4 solids.

The 2nd example is one of those layouts that combines 2 sketches. You can see the influence of this sketch, with the side circles, but there are also the strips from Sketch 22. The pictures on the right side of the page are in a classic arrangement that works for almost any sketch. I used 4 patterns & 3 solids.