has become the focal point, the picture which highlights the rest of the project. The color of the flower was further highlighted by using cardstock and patterned paper in the same vivid pink.
JW Marriott by Kristy Harris
Cool colors of blue highlight the water features found in this resort hotel in Phuket Thailand, while highlights of bright warm colors such as yellow and red make this layout feel tropically inspired.
Supply Credits Cardstock: Die Cuts With A View, WorldWin; Patterned paper: Rusty Pickle, Autumn Leaves, Mod; Brads: Making Memories; Flowers: Prima; Rub-ons: American Crafts/ Trademarks; Photo corners: Heidi Swapp; Tags, photo turns: Rusty Pickle; Other: Button, thread
Favorite Vacation by Kristy Harris
Using bright colors of coral and lime green, grounded with splashes of brown and black, give a definite tropical feel to this layout about the grounds of the JW Marriott Hotel in Phuket Thailand.
Supply Credits Cardstock: DCWV; Patterned paper: Luxe Designs; Rub-ons: Luxe Designs; Chipboard paisley: Fancy Pants Designs; Chipboard flowers: American Crafts; Acrylic paint: Ranger (paint dauber); Other: Ink
Source It!
While I am blessed, by living in Asia, to have a daily source of inspiration, it is possible to get introduced to Asian colors no matter where you live by taking a virtual field trip to Asia. For example, great sources of inspiration can be found in any Chinatown or other Asian community in cities throughout the United States and Europe. Watching Asian movies is a great way to take a field trip to Asia. Watching Raise the Red Lantern, Lost In Translation, Monsoon Wedding, Crouching Tiger/ Hidden Dragon and the comedy Kung Fu Hustle will fill your creative well with amazing Asian colors and images.
Zen by Kristy Harris
This layout is an example of using two values of the same hue to make a monochromatic layout. The green cardstock and lighter shade of green-patterned paper complement the natural shades of green found in the picture. A simple title completes this layout, which focuses on the picture of a Zen garden.
Supply Credits Cardstock: WorldWin; Patterned paper: K&Company; Font: Times New Roman
I hope that as you read this chapter and view the layouts you will better understand how color and their cultural connotations can add an interesting new dimension to your scrapbook projects.
Zen Aesthetics
The Beauty of Japanese Simplicity
Japan is a paradox. While it is one of the most modern societies in the world, the Japanese culture is also one of the most traditional. Tokyo represents the modern with the bright, crazy colors of the Kawaii style, the pervasive use of pastels in Hello Kitty style and the Goth look associated with the animae-inspired Harajuku kids. All provide wonderful inspiration for layouts, but I’ve focused on muted colors, especially earth tones, and the monochromatic palettes found in the Zen aesthetic. Proponents of Zen interior design believe that natural objects should be showcased and that the use of bright colors and bold design are inappropriate. To create the Zen aesthetic in scrapbook design, a layout should use monochrome palettes or earth tones, the patterned paper should be simple and not overly ornate and the embellishments should be minimal, which will result in the photographs taking center stage.
To really understand monochrome palettes, perhaps a bit of color theory would be valuable. I hear “color theory” all the time, but how about a real easy-to-understand explanation? A color is actually called a “hue,” and each hue can be changed by altering its value, or its intensity. A hue’s value is adjusted by making it lighter by adding white (thereafter called a “tint”) or darker by adding black (called a “shade”). It might help you to think of a tint in relation to gray on a gray scale. Starting at the center and moving toward the left side of the scale, by adding a bit of black at each step, gray becomes darker—moving from gray toward steel, on to charcoal, until finally you’ve reached a full black. Starting again at the center, if you move toward the right of the scale adding a bit of white each step of the way, you will be moving from gray toward true white. If you replace gray with a color, each subsequent lightening of the original color is called a “tint.”
Us by Edleen Maryam
Using a collection of patterned paper by one manufacturer makes paper matching easy. Edleen’s layout in the earth tones of greens, browns and blues is highlighted by a splash of white. Though the paper is patterned with multiple flowers, the busy paper doesn’t overwhelm the picture because the color scheme is muted and limited. I really like Edleen’s Zen approach to paper cutting here. By cutting around the flower, she slipped the photograph in behind the flower, adding depth without adding multiple embellishments.
Supply Credits Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper: My Mind’s Eye; Stamp: 7gypsies; Other: Brads, gems
TRADITIONAL JAPANESE COLORS
Historically, Japanese colors have been earth toned and linked to nature. The colors used in traditional Japanese textiles were produced from simple vegetable dyes and were often linked to the seasons. When wanting to feature Japanese and Zen colors in your layout, consider using combinations of the following colors:
Greens: Pine, Apple, Grass
Blues: Blue-Green (called Ao in Japanese) and Indigo
Pink: Sakura (very pale pink), Plum Pink and Scarlet (used in moderation)
Reds: Plum, Rose
Browns, Tans and off white
It is also possible to create different tones of color by adding gray to change the intensity. Therefore, a monochromatic color scheme is one that uses all of the same colors, in varied tints and shades. In other words, a layout using a specific hue of green, with additional accents of varied tints or shades of the same hue, would be considered monochromatic. Later in the chapter we will discuss other color combinations in traditional color theory.
The example projects use monochromatic combinations or combinations that feature earth-toned colors. For those who love to play with color, the good news is that Zen layouts need not be void of a second color. Recall that while true monochromatic projects are shades and tints of the same color, Zen proponents will permit themselves to use a splash of an accent color to bring about a specific emotion or to highlight a design detail. This can be accomplished in your scrapbook projects as well.
Japanese Browns
by Heather Taylor
Simple without excess embellishment and using two tones of the same hue, this card is the perfect example of a monochromatic Zen-inspired card.
Supply Credits Cardstock: Bazzill; Stamps: Stone House Stamps (word), Art Neko (mon); Inks: VersaMark, VersaCraft Black; Ribbon: Nostalgiques
TIP In the Zen aesthetic, the use of a small embellishment in a complementary color adds excitement to an otherwise monochromatic palette
