Looking to improve in 2020
 

What advice would you give to someone fairly new with this hobby? I created about 30 pages this year and although they aren't bad, there is definite room for improvement I just don't know where to start! Maybe areas such as: shadowing/clustering/photo editing

Would it be odd to see if someone is willing to mentor and/or provide constructive criticism to my pages once I have completed them?

I'd appreciate any helpful hints you could give.

I don't know if you do or not but using templates may help, scrap-lifting other layouts, tutorials on techniques like warping shadows, etc.
We have tutorials here on the site plus you can always google how to do things in your specific program.
Pinterest is also your friend for inspiration.
Hope that helps at least a little.

Hi, not sure what program you use but shadows will help tremendously. You can buy shadow styles from various designers, at different stores. I don't think SSD has any here. You could also try scraplifting different style pages until you find your preferred style. Templates and scraplifting scrappers who cluster are a great way to learn. Also maybe do some challenges, those usually help with stepping out of your comfort zone and learning new things. Just remind yourself you got this and you'll do great. :)

I love this hobby and love helping people who have questions regarding techniques, etc. It's so much fun when you have someone there, holding your hand or walking you through the process!! :wub:

What program are you using?

Looking back, what do I wish someone told me about digital scrapbooking - - work on your shadows. Shadows play a HUGE part in a layout. Once I started working on my shadows, my overall mood changed about my scrapping. (don't know if that makes sense)

There's a bunch of tutorials here at SSD, that are really valuable, especially when on matters like shadows! You can find them here:
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/tutorials/

If there is something that you want to do, but don't know how to do it, but saw someone do it, message them. Ask them how they did what you are trying to do. Hopefully they'll help you as best as they can or at the very least tell you what they did to achieve that look!

Another thing that helps build confidence and growth in scrapping (at least for me) is using templates. They help you learn how to put together a well-designed layout. When you are stuck, you can pull them out and use them as a base. Learn how to use your templates for more than just one layout by adding more photo photos, rotating the template, etc. Templates are a fun foundation to a layout and there are a ton of them in the store!!

If there's anything that I can help you with, feel free to inbox me here or message me on Facebook. If I don't know how to do what you want, maybe we can find it together online! :wub:

I'll second this. I'm always open to answer questions about a font I used, a technique, etc. :):hugs:

That being said....I would use scraplifting a lot to learn basics like composition and clustering. I'd just use the exact same kit and try to recreate the page. That helped A LOT!

Then just learning as many shortcuts to achieve those techniques. I think being able to get my pages done fairly quickly helps me stay motivated to create more. Nothing like trying to create a page with new techniques and then getting fed up because the page takes hours and hours to complete.

I say the same thing every year.... I need to switch over to PS..... I am just not getting the sharp clear pages like anyone else who does use PS, and that's really what I've been wanting. Hubby bought me courses on udemy to help me learn the buttons quickly, I have my subscription to PS, I just hate change sooooooooooo much!! lol Also when I sit to scrap I like to go on a scrapping spree, with something new I am sooooo slow and that discourages me. I know I just need to make myself sit down, go through the courses and be ok with just learning and not getting stuff done right away so I can get to where I want to be.

Other than that, I have been quite happy with how much I have accomplished this year. It may not have been as much as I was hoping to get done, but it was certainly WAY more than the past couple years so I am very happy with that. :)

I use PS so since you're not using that, I can't help with specific software instructions but in general.....any questions regarding design, color, clustering, etc, please feel free to message me or friend me on FB and we can chat. I definitely don't mind helping if I can.

Definitely shadowing is a must IMO. Creating a realistic shadow creates a depth that really adds life to a page so I shadow everything except overlays/brushwork/paint.

The design tip section is where I would suggest starting your focus in the tutorials area. The visual triangle is a super important aspect of design that helps me feel like a page is cohesive and all of the parts work well together.
https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/t...y/design-tips/
What is here in that section is by no means exhaustive, as I only see 3 specific elements of design addressed in the titles listed, but it would be a good place to start. Google 'elements of design', check other scrapbook sites for more tutorials for more info on design principles you can use/think about while you are putting together a page. Of course people don't agree on what the exact number of elements of design there are, you will find numbers from 4 to 12 usually. A little bit of study on what makes a good project visually goes a long way to understanding what makes a scrapbook page you admire look the way it does. Also keep in mind that deliberately breaking the elements of design can be stunning too ;)