The Secret to Scrapbooking Faster and Achieving Harmonious Layouts With Minimal Effort

Do you need some ideas for creating harmonious scrapbook page layouts? If so, consider using scrapbooking sketches for design inspiration.

What Is a Scrapbooking Sketch?

Scrapbooking sketches are typically black and white (or occasionally gray/ black/ white or color) outlines that detail where to put all the major elements on a scrapbook page layout. A sketch could be expected to show you where to put your photos, title, and journaling. Many sketches designate placement for embellishments too.

Basically, the sketch is a general guideline that you can follow to put your scrapbook page together quickly and easily. The sketch designer has done a significant amount of the planning for you, allowing you to concentrate on the enjoyable details like which photos and patterned papers to use.

Even if you follow a sketch exactly, there is plenty of room for creative interpretation. A single scrapbook sketch could be interpreted in infinite possible ways. It is interesting to see blogs and magazine columns where many different designers have interpreted the same sketch. Each layout turns out different, even when they are all based on a single sketch.

Beginners, Get Started With Scrapbooking Sketches

Beginners may find scrapbooking overwhelming at first. The supplies alone can be enough to overwhelm a person, without even considering details like photo placement and design principles. Sketches can help a beginning scrapper to easily deal with some of the most difficult aspects of scrapbooking.

Scrap Faster With Scrapbooking Sketches

Time is precious. If you find yourself wishing you could get more pages done in less time, scrapbooking sketches may provide just the shortcut you're looking for. Instead of spending your time struggling to work out the details of where to place your photos, you can spend the time putting more pages together.

Becky Higgins' Scrapbooking Sketches

There are numerous talented designers who are creating and using scrapbooking sketches. One of the most famous is Becky Higgins. Her trend-setting work has been instrumental in popularizing scrapbooking sketches, and she has authored multiple books, magazines and columns on the topic. Her work is in high demand, and her sketches have helped scrappers all over the world simplify their scrapbooking page layouts.

Here are some Becky Higgins resources that you should know about:

Becky Higgins' Web Site

Becky Higgins' Blog

Becky Higgins Free March 2009 Sketch Downloads for Creating Keepsakes Magazine

Becky Higgins Free April 2009 Sketch Downloads for Creating Keepsakes Magazine

The Best of Becky Higgins Sketches Book at Amazon.com

Creative Sketches, Volume 2 by Becky Higgins, available for sale at Amazon.com

My Creative Companion book by Becky Higgins

Where to Find Scrapbooking Sketches

Rebecca Ludens at about.com has compiled a list of her favorite scrapbooking sketches.

Got Sketch? blog with original scrapbook sketches by Valerie Salmon.

Card sketches from Card Positioning Systems

Christina VanGinkel has written another interesting article about scrapbooking sketches too.

Share Your Favorite Scrapbook Sketches

You are invited to share links to your favorite scrapbooking sketches in the comments section below. Thanks in advance to anyone who posts links and inspiration.