May-June 2008 Issue

• Continuous Learning

• Scrapfest 5 - Winners Circle

• Scrapbukan Na at the Scrapfest

• Featured Store: Time for Scrap It!

• Scrapping Boy Layouts

• Scrapbukan Na with Fontwerks!

• Fun Ways With Ribbon!

• Cards for Giving

• My 1st Mother's Day

• Sketch of the Month: June 2008

• Sketch of the Month: May 2008

• 30-Minute LO: Back to School

• 30-Minute LO: Mother

• Same Product, 5 Ways...Mother's Day

• Same Product, 5 ways...A Tribute to Dads

• Times Trading - one stop shop for crafting tools

• Designer Spotlight - Kristine Yao

• Protect Your Photos with a Watermark

• Altered Art

Eye on design Archive

• October 2006
  Creating Balance in Your Scrapbook Pages

• November 2006
  Unifying Your Scrapbook Pages

• December 2006
  Creating Emphasis In Your Scrapbook Pages

• January 2007
  Creating Movement

• March 2007
  Elements of Design --- Shape up!

• April 2007
  Make A Splash with Water Splat Shapes

• May 2007
  A Bouquet of Flowers For Mom

• June 2007
  Elements of Design - Line Up!

• July 2007
  "Stripe" Up A Conversation

• August 2007
  When Is A Line Not A Line?

• September 2007
  Elements of Design - Color Basics

• October 2007
  Color 101: Symbolism of Color

• November 2007
  Color 101: Monochromatic Color Schemes

• Dec 2007/Jan 2008
  Color 101: Complementary Color Schemes

• February 2008
  COLOR 101: TRIADS AND DIADS

• March 2008
  COLOR 101: ANALOGOUS COLOR SCHEMES

In previous columns I talked about how your choice of color scheme can influence the feeling that viewers get from your scrapbook pages. You can harmonize your page and keep the focus on photos by using a monochromatic color scheme. Alternatively, you can add energy and drama to your pages by using the contrast in hues in complementary or triadic schemes.

This month I want to show you how you can create harmonious pages while still adding a bit of oomph! by using an analogous color scheme. This kind of palette uses shades or tints of 3 to 5 colors that lie beside each other on a color wheel (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1: Colors lying directly beside each other on a color wheel are called analogous colors.  

Analogous schemes offer the best of both worlds – the simplicity and harmony of a monochromatic scheme with just enough color contrast to keep things interesting!

The number of hues that you use on your page is up to you. In Figure 2, I used 3 colors (blue, blue-green and green) to tie together the blue sky and green pine needles. The cool color palette reinforces the chilly theme of the page.

Fig. 2: This analogous scheme uses blue, blue-green and green to tie the photos together.   

In Figure 3, I chose 5 warm shades (yellow, yellow-orange, orange, coral and pink) to create a quilt-block design.

Fig. 3: I used 5 warm colors (yellow, yellow-orange, orange, coral and pink) for this quilt-block design.  

In Figure 4, I combined 5 colors (purple, purple-blue, blue, blue-green and green) to give a relaxed feel to a simple page.

Fig. 4: Remember my article on the symbolism of color? Cool colors can suggest rest and relaxation – perfect for these weekend photos of my son with his best friend (son of the infamous Kat Azanza!).

Remember that you can combine tints or shades (or both!) of the hues in your color scheme.

In Figure 2, the dark green effectively frames the blocks of lighter blue and blue-green.

Also, adding white or black can create some contrast if needed.

Let your photos guide you when choosing your color palette.