50 Card Making Sketches Inspired Card Making

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http://50CardMakingSketches.comCopyright 2009-10

INSPIRED CARD MAKING

By Jennifer Gormly

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50CardMakingSketches.com

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Table Of Contents

1. Inspired Card Making ………………………………… Pg 3

2. The Fear Monster ……………………………………… Pg 4

3. Aren’t Plans Just Ideas? ……………………………. Pg 6

4. Card Sketches ………………………………………….. Pg 8

5. Card Sketches – An Example ……………………… Pg 9

6. Creating A Card From A Sketch …………………… Pg 10

7. One Sketch – Many Variations ……………………. Pg 13

8. Now It’s Your Turn To Get Creating …………….. Pg 20

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INSPIRED CARD MAKING

As card makers, we seem to be in a constant battle to come up with new

and fresh ideas. We want our cards to look simply stunning and we want

the recipients of our creations to be absolutely stunned by how talented

we are.

But unfortunately, it’s not always that easy!

There are literally thousands and thousands of designs out there to inspire

us and yet we are often short of ideas when we actually sit down to make

a card. Not good when the birthday party is an hour away, right?

But why do we have so much trouble? We are creative people, right? And

we love our craft. So why is it so hard to stay inspired? What is stopping

us from creating new design after new design and masterpiece after

masterpiece?

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THE FEAR MONSTER

A big problem many of us face when trying to design our own cards is just

plain fear. Our lack of confidence in ourselves and our own creative

abilities stops us dead in our tracks.

I know because I have absolutely been there! When I first started making

cards, I was terrified just to cut up my beautiful patterned papers in case I

made a mistake and ruined them (and my cards). I would have

considered that a complete disaster! That might sound a little silly but it is

a common problem and happens to so many of us because we do not

want to fail. We doubt that we can create something spectacular so we

question every little decision we make along the way.

I also used to take ages (sometimes hours) to actually stick anything

together. I would agonise over my designs. I’d keep shuffling things

around, trying different arrangements, taking things away, adding extra

things in – all in an attempt to make things just right. I doubted that I

was capable of coming up with a ‘wow’ design and as a result, I wasted a

lot of time and energy stressing myself out over nothing. Usually my

original designs were great, but it took me a long time to believe they

were good enough to share with others.

The truth is, there is no right and wrong when it comes to making cards.

Each card we make is an expression of ourselves. After all, making cards

is supposed to be fun! Sure, we can learn how to better co-ordinate

colours, how to arrange things so they work well together, how to use

different techniques and everything else involved in making a card. But in

the end, every card is an individual creation and something to be proud

of.

But knowing that doesn’t automatically make the fear and doubt go away.

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I have come a long way since my days of being afraid to cut up a piece of

paper. It took me a while to find the solution to overcoming my fear, but

once I did, my cards became so much better AND I am having so much

more fun.

The answer is really very simple. All you need is a plan!

Before you start pulling out all your supplies, cutting up papers, playing

around with embellishments and sticking things together, you need a

plan. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to create unique and

dazzling designs when you start with a plan.

A plan is simply a method thought out before you start. Every professional

sports person in the world goes into their match with a plan. They know

what their goal or desired result is and how they are going to try to

achieve it. Of course, throughout the match unexpected things come up.

But by starting with a plan, they have a strong foundation on which to

build – a foundation which can easily handle any adjustments and changes

they need to make along the way while still moving them towards their

goal.

Card making isn’t really all that different. It might not be on the same

scale as a professional sports match, but the same principles apply.

When you start out already knowing what it is you want to create, then

you can see what you need to do in order to create it. Not only that, but

you can be confident in all the steps you are taking as all the hard

decisions have already been taken care of. All you have to worry about is

having a fabulous time creating cards you already know will impress the

socks off your friends and family!

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AREN’T PLANS JUST IDEAS?

Before we look at how to use plans to come up with an endless stream of

ideas, it is important to understand how a plan differs from an idea.

An idea is just a concept or vague thoughts of something we would like to

make. There are no step by step instructions and certainly no suggestions

on how to adapt the concept to your own projects.

There are literally thousands and thousands of concepts out there in

books, magazines and online. I have spent many hours pouring over

magazines and surfing the internet looking at many of them, searching for

something I like and could actually recreate. I’m sure you have too. And

I’m sure you have found many absolutely beautiful and truly inspiring

designs. But how many of them have you actually been able to re-

construct yourself?

It’s not easy. A vast majority of the concepts out there do not come with

instructions. This is often because they are online inside people’s personal

galleries or on their blogs. They are only there so that the creators can

share their creations with their friends and loved ones. Of course everyone

wants to inspire others, but they aren’t there to teach you step-by-step

how to make them.

What would give you more confidence? A vague hint of what to do or a

very specific and clear direction?

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Another problem is that many of the designs and classes out there that do

come with instructions are often designed to sell you something. It makes

sense. Manufacturers and stores want to sell you their goods and they

hope that by showing you how to use them to make your own special

creations that you will want to buy them. It’s a very sound business

practice, BUT you don’t want to have to buy every single thing that comes

out and quite often even if you do, you can’t find it to buy anyway.

What you really need is a way to take other people’s concepts and lessons

and fashion them into your own projects so you always have a constant

stream of designs that are easy to make and will have your loved ones

thinking you are a super-creative genius!

Sound hard? I’m here to tell you it’s dead easy…

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CARD SKETCHES

Card Sketches are my secret to success. As soon as I started using them,

the originality and ‘wow’ factor of my designs went through the roof. And

they are so easy to use because they allow me to start every new card

with a plan. Which means I never feel lost or confused trying to come up

with a new idea.

What exactly are sketches?

Sketches are diagrams that show you what elements you will need to

make your card and how to arrange them so that they look fantastic. They

are not dependent on having specific supplies, using particular colours or

using any special techniques. This means everyone can use them

regardless of your level of experience, your style or your preferred

techniques.

Let’s take a look at how sketches work…

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CARD SKETCHES – AN EXAMPLE

Here is a sketch for a horizontal rectangular card:

At a glance you can see exactly what your card is going to look like. You

can also see the different elements you will need to make it and how to

arrange them so they look incredible.

For example, in this case, the card is made up of three main components.

The first is the background which is a rectangle that is matted and then

glued to the centre of your card. The second is a vertical strip that is also

matted and then placed towards the left side of your card. And finally, the

main focal point of your card is a circle that is centred towards the top of

your vertical strip.

Now that you know the three components you need for your card, you can

pull out your supplies, choose what you would like to use to create your

card and start having some fun. The hard decisions about designing your

card have already been taken care of, leaving you free to play.

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CREATING A CARD FROM A SKETCH

Now that you have your design, you know what components you need and

you have chosen your supplies, it’s time to put your card together.

For example, this card was created based on the sketch from the previous

page:

Materials Used: Purple cardstock, white cardstock, Provo Craft Purple Flowers

paper, Creative Imaginations Hydrangea Wash paper, four purple flowers (brand

unknown) and one purple brad.

Let’s look at how I made it:

Step 1: Making the Base

First you need a plain card. You can use a ready-made card or make your

own. I made mine by first cutting a piece of purple cardstock measuring 5

7/8 inches by 8 1/8 inches (15cm by 20.6cm). I then folded in half to

create a card and placed it in front of me with the fold along the top edge.

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Step 2: Component 1 – Your Background

As mentioned before, the first component is the background – a rectangle

matted and then placed in the centre of the card.

To create mine, I cut a piece of Provo Craft Purple Flowers paper

measuring approximately 5.5 inches by a little over 3.5 inches (13.8cm by

9.1cm). I then matted it with white cardstock and centred it on my card.

Step 3: Component 2 – The Vertical Strip

The second component is the vertical strip positioned towards the left side

of the card.

I cut a piece of Creative Imaginations Hydrangea Wash paper measuring

1.5 inches by 3.75 inches (4cm by 9.6cm). I then matted it with white

cardstock to give it a white border along the two long edges (but not the

top and bottom edges). I then glued it vertically to the card about 0.75

inches (1.8cm) from the left edge.

Step 4: Component 3 – The Circle

The third and final component of the design is the circle toward the top

left corner. To create my circle, I layered several purple blossoms on top

of one another and secured them in place with a purple brad.

As you can see, to create this card I followed the sketch design exactly.

You could create this same design over and over again using different

colours, patterns, papers and embellishments and each time you would

have a completely new and fresh look without tearing your hair out

wondering what to do.

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It’s so simple, even a complete beginner can do it!

And for those of you who are more advanced, a sketch opens up a whole

world of possibilities to you. Instead of worrying about how to organise

everything on your card, you can focus on all the fun techniques you want

to try. For example, instead of using a flat piece of patterned paper as

your background, maybe you could use a crimped or dry embossed paper.

And instead of using a flower for your circle, you could use a stamped

image that has been embossed and coloured, or a three-dimensional motif

you have made by quilling, anything you like in fact.

The possibilities really are endless.

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ONE SKETCH – MANY VARIATIONS

Now you have seen how a sketch works and the freedom it gives you to

infuse your cards with your own style by your choice of colours and

patterns and the techniques you use.

But you can also personalise your design by making some small changes

to the sketch itself. It’s very simple to do.

For example, for this card I not only completely changed my colour

scheme but I also made one small change to the sketch. Instead of using

a circle in the top left corner, I replaced it with a star-like flower.

Materials Used: Green cardstock, brown cardstock, khaki paper, Stemma

Milestones paper, Scenic Route Newport White Script paper and brown ink.

You could use any shape you like to replace the circle – a square, a heart,

a star, an ice-cream, a pair of flip flops or any other shape you can think

of. Just one small change and you end up with a brand new design.

Instead of changing an element of the design, you could add something to

the sketch.

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For example, in this card, I made one very subtle change. Can you spot

it?

Materials Used: Blue cardstock (two shades), yellow Bazzill cardstock, Daisy D’s

Sail Away Stripe paper, KI Blue Plaid paper and Suzy’s Zoo stickers.

I matted my circle with blue cardstock and instead of placing another

small circle in the middle, I added two very cute Suzy’s Zoo stickers to

create the perfect baby boy card. And of course, instead of stickers, I

could have very easily used stamps.

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But additions don’t have to be that subtle – they can be much more

obvious and have a much bigger impact on the overall design!

Materials Used: Dark green cardstock, white cardstock, Bo Bunny Christmas

Stripes paper, Bo Bunny Christmas Dots paper, red cardstock and Heartwarming

Christmas Messages stickers.

In this card I not only matted my circle (this time with white cardstock) to

help it stand out but I also added a rectangle in the bottom right corner of

my card to feature my Christmas sentiment. It’s a very simple change but

makes a remarkable difference to my design.

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Of course, if you can add elements to your design, you can take them

away as well!

Materials Used: Khaki green cardstock, Kaisercraft Rough & Tough Awesome

paper, Kaisercraft Rough & Tough Action paper, Wild circle cut out from

Kaisercraft Rough & Tough Action paper, a brown pen and brown ink.

I wanted this card to feel less formal and have a bit of a grunge feel, so I

removed all the matting then inked the edges of everything with brown

ink. Finally, using a brown pen I drew a dashed border around my

rectangle and vertical strip. It is a small change to the original idea and

yet it creates a completely different feel for my card.

Of course, there are an endless number of changes that can be made to

the original sketch to create totally new and original designs. Let’s look at

some more dramatic changes.

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For example, you could try rotating the design or even mirroring it, as I

have done in this card:

Materials Used: Yellow cardstock, red cardstock, Doodlebug Bright Wildflowers

paper, Doodlebug Tangerine Stripe paper, a red pen and a red flower sticker from

American Traditional Designs.

This is really the same card as the first card I showed you only I have

changed the orientation and the colours. Unless you were aware that I use

sketches and you put the two cards right next to each other, you may not

pick that they were the same design.

And that’s the beauty of sketches – unless you are in the know, every

card appears unique.

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If you want your design to look completely different, try changing the

shape of the design!

Materials Used: Black cardstock, white cardstock, Kaisercraft To Have & To Hold

Everlasting paper, a heart stamp (brand unknown) and black ink.

For this card, I stretched the design and turned it into a square. The

different dimensions give a new perspective on the design while still

keeping the fundamental elements of my original sketch.

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Once you’ve tried a sketch a couple of times, why not try to really change

it up like I did with this card:

Materials Used: White cardstock, pink Bazzill cardstock, Bo Bunny Summer Picnic

Punch Dots paper, Bo Bunny Summer Picnic Blossom paper and a flower cut-out

from Sassafras Lass.

Because you are familiar with the original sketch, you can see it coming

through in this card. But for someone not in the know, the changes make

it look like a fresh idea.

As you can see, for this card I did not mat by background rectangle. In

fact, I didn’t just use a single rectangle for my background. Instead, I

used one patterned paper to the left of my vertical strip and a different

patterned paper to the right of it. This made my background more

interesting and more of a focal point.

I also took the emphasis off the wide vertical strip to focus the attention

on my background and my embellishment by replacing it with a narrow

piece of pink Bazzill cardstock which just covers the joins between the two

patterned papers.

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http://50CardMakingSketches.com Copyright 2009-10

Finally, I matted my circle with white cardstock to make it stand out from

the busy background and placed a flower in the middle of it.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN TO GET CREATING

As you can see, when you have a sketch to guide you, that is, a plan,

making eye-catching cards is easy.

At the same time any given sketch is versatile; even small changes can

make a big difference. Just change your patterned papers, cardstock,

colours and embellishments and the possibilities are infinite and limited

only by your own imagination.

You can even create a different effect by changing the orientation of the

sketch e.g. by turning it upside down.

The great thing is, the thinking and designing have been done for you

saving you time and worry and making everything very clear for you.

Sketches make card making so simple and straight forward that everyone,

even beginners, can do it.

Now it’s up to you! Take a sketch, choose your components and start

making cards. And have fun!

I am confident that with this sketch and a little enthusiasm you will have a

creative and fun time, and will be rewarded even further by gasps of

admiration for your creations.

If you would like more sketches to play with and to help you

create your own amazing designs, please check out my book at:

http://50CardMakingSketches.com

http://50cardmakingsketches.com/

50 Card Making Sketches Inspired Card Making

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