Hi everyone! Deborrah here today with a tutorial on using brushes, paint and even a sketch photo to liven up your layouts!
When I was paper scrapping, I would spend hours figuring out different ways of adding interest to my layouts. I would print on vellum and lay it over photos. Paint, gesso, glue and stitches found their way into my layouts in my search for depth and texture.
When I discovered digital scrapbooking, I was amazed at the things I could do that weren’t available to me before! But, I still wanted to use the beloved techniques I had discovered. So, I combined them! Today, I’m going to show you how you can combine digital techniques with mixed media to create a unique story for your precious memories.
Let’s start with a photo sketch! This is something I discovered a few years into my digital adventure and I love using it. One of the best tutorials I found on how to create a sketch from a photo is from Photoshop Essentials. You can find the tutorial here.
This is my original photo.
And this is the sketch I created.
I already had an idea for the design. I wanted to place the photo on the left half of the layout and then blend it into the paper using a blending mode so that it looks like I sketched the photo right on the paper.
The kit I am using today is Rachel Jefferies Amazing Things Will Happen which you can find on Sale today at the LilyPad, the deep discount ends tonight!
It has a wonderful selection of papers, but not a lighter neutral. So, I chose the kraft neutral background paper, then took the same paper and using the Hue/Saturation and Levels adjustments, created a lighter neutral.
Now, I place my photo on the lighter paper and blend it into the paper by changing the blend mode to darken. You’ll find the blend modes in the box at the top of the layers panel on the right. It usually says Normal, but if you click the little arrow next to it, a whole list of options appears.
I clip the photo to the background paper to get rid of the excess ends (right click on the photo layer, and select Create Clipping Mask. It will “clip” the photo to the layer underneath). The photo blended beautifully, but left some sharp edges, so I added a layer mask and using a soft round brush, brushed away the edges.
Now, to add papers! I really love the papers in this kit, so I chose several and placed them behind the photo. Adding a drop shadow really gives it a layered paper look. These are the numbers I used to obtain the shadowing.
Time for some anchor points. I love clusters of flowers and working with visual triangles, so I created some floral clusters with the many varied flowers and foliage available to me in this kit. I really like how the turquoise flowers pick up the blue of Hanna’s blouse.
I love texture! The feel of fabric, the depth of color, the warmth of paint, the randomness of splatters. This is something I always manage to add to my layouts, even if just a little bit. The flower clusters have deep color and texture, but I want something more. And that’s when I turn to brushes.
Most of Rachel’s kits contain brushwork, whether an individual brush file, or separate elements of paint, gesso, stamps and marks. These little elements can add warmth and depth to a layout.
When I first began experimenting with them, I was intimidated. Where do I put them? Why? Which ones do I use?
Over time, I became more comfortable and began to use these elements more and more - now I cannot imagine a layout without brushwork! Let’s take a look at how I can add some of these elements to my layout.
First, where to place them. I decide where to place my journaling, then look for spots that I can use paint/brushwork to either highlight, elongate a cluster or fill in. I’ve marked the possibilities that I see with red arrows.
Layers of paint and stamping can be created using premade items provided in a designer’s kit or by using the brush file provided by the designer. A brush file has an .abr extension, and is loaded into Photoshop. Let’s take a look at how this file works.
Click on Window in your Menu Bar, then choose Brushes from the dropdown menu. A Brush box will pop up. Click on the 3-lined icon in the top right of the popup box, and choose “Import Brushes.”
Navigate to the folder which contains the brush file provided by the designer and choose the file. Now, you will have loaded the brushes and you can work with them!
As you can see, by clicking the small arrow beside the brush collection, you can see all the brushes in the file. If the list is too small, play around with the little white slider arrow on the bottom to make them bigger or smaller.
To “stamp” on your layout, you will need to (1) create a new layer above the layer on which you want to stamp; (2) select the brush icon on your toolbar; (3) select the image you wish to use; (4) choose the color you wish to use to stamp; and (5) stamp on the layer you created.
Your “stamp” is now on its own layer and can be rotated, made larger or smaller AND enhanced with styles! For example, I want to give this paint blob a gesso effect.
To do this, double click on the layer and when the styles box comes up, choose Bevel and Emboss.
Here is a close up of what Bevel and Emboss does to the paint.
Notice how the paint has raised texture and depth, just like a blob of gesso or paste. You can play around with the various sliders and numbers to create the depth and look you like. I even added a drop shadow with all the numbers at 0 and the blending mode set to multiply. There is no limit to the fun you can have with brushes!
So, after some playing around with the various paints, brushes and other marks in the kit, this is the result.
Look at the difference the paint and texture gives the layout! Now, it’s simply a matter of adding paper bits, elements and stitches.
I used Rachel’s Messy Marks Dates for the date on the hanging tag, and even added a layer of white brushing around the edges of the layout to give it a finished look.
I hope this tutorial will encourage you to experiment with brushes and styles to give your layouts a mixed media feel. I have to say that digital mixed media a lot less messy than pulling out the paint, glue and gesso.
Happy scrapping!