Cropping for Scrapbooks (Scrapbooking)

Aug 05

Sarah McKenna showcases the art of cropping your photos, and also how to use eyelets, in her two new books. Filled with dozens of inspiring layouts and step-by-step demonstrations, there are plenty of tips to pick up and techniques to learn.

Sep 05

Cropping is one of the basics of scrapbooking and... Sarah McKenna shows how to use it to enhance your photographs. As well as dozens of inspiring layouts, she takes you through step-by-step demonstrations to teach you the art of cropping, matting and composing a page - alongside techniques such as slicing, silhouetting, lettering, montage, mosaics and more. Although it is only a slim book, it is brimming with innovative approaches to composing your layouts and is sure to teach even the advanced scrapbooker a thing or two.

Sep 05

(reviewed with Eyelets for Scrapbooks)

Here is a pair of books full of stunning layouts to get you cropping and eyeleting your scrapbook pages. In true Search Press tradition first you get to grips with the nature of the beast - all about the materials and how to use them - and then it is on with the primer and projects. Learn how to cut your photos up and make them look more interesting on the page, and use those eyelets in a more creative and interesting manner to accent your themes and make things like brag books.

I like the colorful, let's-get-started approach in here, with the bright materials all laid out on the large format page like candies in a shop. There are no drawings here to illustrate what needs to be done, just lots of large photos which I think is better for this sort of work. A lot of the projects can be done quite quickly as long as you have the basics - nothing too hard to obtain in either of these books - and they are just long enough. I could think of more ways to crop my photos or use eyelets, but these books got me thinking in ways that sparked my imagination to think of more. User friendly and inexpensive (GBP6.99/$13.95) they are ideal for slipping into your crafting stash along with your cardstock and photos.

Nov 05

Although entitled Cropping for Scrapbooks, this book has a lot more on offer. It begins with simple tips and techniques for adding photos to your layouts. The book then progresses to larger projects with more informative step-by-step guides to achieving stylish results. Keen to encourage individual style, the book introduces techniques such as slicing, silhouetting and montage, and identifies how we can all create great layouts with a little effective cropping.