Color blocking... Those curls.

So today I have a layout to share. I used the color blocking technique. Since I find it difficult to design a color blocked page without seeing it visually first I draw it up in Adobe Illustrator. This way I know how many photos I need, what size, how many pattern papers I want use, etc.

First the layout:

Tutorial:

(Note: I use Illustrator because I am familiar with this program. It is the one I use to create vector illustrations and graphics. You can probably do the same in photoshop or even draw this with a grid paper. But this is how I do it so I thought I would share.)

The first step I took to creating this layout was create a new document in Adobe Illustrator. Make the Width and Height 12 inches and make sure the Units drop down says Inches. This is the only thing you really have to remember about this. The other settings you can ignore.

Next we need to turn on the Grid and turn on Snap to Grid under the view menu.

Now to set up the grid to 12 boxes by 12 boxes. This one I always have trouble finding. First go to the Edit menu up top. Go down to preferences and select Guides&Grid. Set the subdivisions to 1. Click ok.

Here you see we have a large 12x12 grid to play with. A blank canvas to draw and change until our hearts are content.

Next you are going to want to grab the square shape tool. And start drawing the blocks you want.

This is what the blocks of my page look like after I futzed (technical term there) and played around with the size of the blocks. I found them to be visually pleasing to my eye and I liked the flow of the page. What I love about doing this digitally is I can make as many changes as I want before cutting into my Pattern Paper. 

Next, I write in the numbers with the text tool so I know how big each paper or photo needs to be. This is the easy part. I just count the boxes. Then print it out.

I normally tape this on the wall by my desk so I can refer to it without it getting covered with scraps and embellishments. The good thing is you can use this drawing over and over again as the base for your layout.

Here are some other projects I did using the same technique (click to be taken to the page):

The Finish Project:

Details:

Some vellum love here.

A My Minds Eye Sticker for my date stamp.

Here I used the silhouette to cut out a Project Life Shape and then behind it I glued strips of pattern paper to make this striped effect.

I hope you enjoyed it and it inspired you to try out color blocking. 

Thanks for stopping by today!

Teka

Products used: