| |
| |
 |
|
|
 |
  |
Back to inspirations
Just girls!
What can I say more, it’s so good to be a girl… I admit it, I recognize it and I assume it…
And here is a bright, merry, inspiring and very very Freestyle kit. It’s right for you, beautiful and talented girls….
And to put you in the mood here is the chronicle of Karine Courtemanche about Freestyle.
Have fun!!!
by
What is freestyle?
If you search the web for the definition of the word “freestyle”, you’ll land on the description for styles in many sports, a style that accents mostly the figures, the presentation and not the speed. Just think of snowboarding or ski.
I found this definition I really liked: “adjective that indicates the idea of freedom, variety and diversity; a curious, hybride music is, by essence, freestyle.” That’s so easy to apply to scrapbooking! Curious hybrid creations, those are qualifiers that really correspond to what I do! Actually, for me, freestyle is that little touch of freshness and originality that we can add to a scrapbooking page, or any other type of creative project.
There are no rules for freestyle.
What better way to illustrate this style I love so much than by giving you examples? Here are some ideas that came to mind that you can try, it should spark your creativity…
Use papers that have absolutely no link to your subject. I would say that that is my specialty. The papers I usually choose don’t match my photos! I use my papers according to my mood, that’s it! It’s raining and grey outside? I will do a yellow page! Then I combine with photos I like. No head scratching, only impulse. I often see scrappers in the store, photo in hands to match with the papers. Leave all of that at home, have fun! Combine colours, patterns and companies!
Eccentric topics. You like your blender? You’re taking a walk and are drawn to the pattern on a big rock? Well photograph all of that, creatively, and do a layout about it! Come on! You’re dying to!! Combine your original subject with whatever paper- you know that paper you just LOVE at the moment… and bingo: an extraordinary page!!
Doing pages in a non-traditional format is also a way to turn your layouts into a bit more freestyle. But it’s difficult to mix in your album, you’ll tell me. Doesn’t matter! Create your own album from scratch! We can play with the shape : why not create a round page… or ovale, triangular or in the shape of a heart or a sunshine… You’re attached to your 12x12? Then have an element run out of its borders. Try doing an enormous page (on a poster board) or a tiny one… there are no limits… only those of your imagination. It’s also a good idea to create mini albums. There are no rules here either! Anything can be used as a base for that mini album: chipboard scraps, coffee filter, product packaging… Create pages in different sizes for it, others completely transparent: the results can be fun!
Incorporating found objects or interesting material. A clothing label, a ticket stub, old keys, tea sachet holder, or the sachet itself (once thoroughly dried of course), the image on a greeting card that you liked, a page ripped from a notepad… As for me, I have a thing for pipe cleaners. There are tons of colours available, I can shape them any way I want… I love pipe cleaners! Here you will ask the million dollar question: is it acid-free? Personnally I don’t worry too much about that. I’ll sometimes be careful when the objects touch my photos, and when that happens I will spray the objects with an acid neutralizer spray. But honestly, it’s rare. If my page yellows, well it will have that little vintage look in… 25 years!
Acrylic paint is an awesome medium for freestyle! It’s amazing all that you can add to your page with just a little paint! The brand doesn’t matter, as long as it’s acrylic paint. Let loose your inner artist! You don’t need sophisticated classes to add a few brushstrokes of paint on your page. Actually, several techniques used by artists can be used to give that freestyle touch to your creations. For examples, masks: You can buy ready-made masks but you can do techniques from the art world… like using substances that won’t mix with the paint, like metled beeswax or vaseline, that you pour here and there without necessarily making patterns, then you cover with paint, leave to dry and remove the substance (ok so for the beeswax, it’s a little more complicated) but the goal is to create an original abstract background.
And pens! Remember that article that I shared with you a while ago? Here’s the time to take those pens out! You’re missing an “e” to create your title? Just create one by hand! Doodling is a perfect way to create unique pages! You’re not good in drawing? That’s an excellent reason to doodle on your pages! Doodling it just leaving your mark… you’re able to doodle on an envelope while talking on the phone? Then you can do the same thing with a scrapbook page. It’s not a contest! It’s just a matter of adding a bit of “pep” to your layouts… a little bit of yourself!
A last tip? Alter your embellishments! Cut shapes out of chipboard. Use only a part of it. Cut your flowers. It’s by seeing someone cut Prima flowers that I discovered that petals looked like tiny hearts. You like polka dotted flowers, but already have so many regular flowers? Then just add polka dots to those, either with pens or acrylic paint. Same with buttons: personnalise them!
You know what? These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg! Freestyle is being original and unique. Therefore, there are as many ideas as there are scrapbookers. You just need to have the guts to try. I think that’s the only thing to remember: try. Cause in art, there are no limits.
Suggestion of reading:
- « Freestyle » Autum Leaves,
-«Oser le style libre» article in « Style & Scrap » , Spring 2007.
- Blog: Freestyle Québec
- A Blog which is not active but which is filled of good ideas: http://www.autumnleaves.com/freestyle/
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
