SCRAPBOOKING STYLES

How can speak about styles in scrapbooking ? Any attempt at classification proves to be dangerous : there are no styles. There is a MULTITUDE of styles! In fact, each scrapbooker has its personal technique recognizable and thus defines a style which is clean for him… Main tendencies exist however between which scatter a multitude of intermediate styles.

American style

It is the style of the whole beginnings of the scrapbooking. Let us not forget that this creative leisure was born in USA and that he arrived in Europe only at the whole beginning of the year 2000… then inevitably that counts.

The style says” American” is a scrap very charged, with relatively few photographs (in general one by page), based on the play of papers of various textures, colors and various patterns. In this style, one uses also many embellishments (see embellishments page). The decoration is paramount by the play of textures and colors… Papers are always coordinated, complementary or of degraded colors.

The American style is liked because all the pages seem to be different : there is so much work on papers for the bottoms, so much of embellishments that one always has the impression of a great diversity.

Sometimes, this style becomes too charged, heavy. The interest for the photograph disappears in front of accumulation of various decorations… Some scrapbookers likes that… Let us not forget the American origin of the scrapbooking and that in USA all quickly becomes disproportionate ! (a smile for our american friends !!!)

It is often for these excesses that some scrapbookers adore this style and recognize themselves on specialized sites.

It should be noted that the cost price in this manner of making quickly proves prohibitory. By want to charge the page in embellishments, the invoices of the specialized store consequently increases !

The European style

Contrary to the American style, the European style proves much more stripped. The greatest place is left with the photographs which become the center of interest of the page.

All decoration is based on the choice of papers which must be in harmony and to tone in with, these papers being worked much chalks, stamps and felt-tip pens.

There are less embellishments - what makes to reduce the cost price of the page - and the creativity then takes over to compensate the purchase of stickers and other commercial decorations.

The technique consists in staging the photographs by simple means like cutting, joining, assembly, framing and by the addition of texts and colors. The gauges of cutting become essential tools in order to give to the pages the sought regularity (TOGA).

The commercial leader of the European scrapbooking is AZZA of which the definite concept with the beginning of the year 2000 is conveyed by a team of stimulating, all impassioned by the photograph and his development.

These stimulating “from the House" accompany you and guide you in your achievements, they advise you on the material and help you to choose according to your own project. Of course, these stimulating agentsagents of the trade-mark AZZA and sell its products.

In short, the European style privileges the photograph with the decoration. This photograph is used in all its forms: cut out or not. The cuttings laid out on the page create a movement which animates it, gives him life, the reduced decoration and very simple only intervenes to emphasize the photograph. Simplicity and examination.

Freestyle

freestyle : is used to describe an activity (often an individual sport), for which a participant is free to choose his style, or rules to be followed… (WIKIPEDIA). It is exactly what seems to be in scrapbooking in connection with the freestyle.

For our interest, one can say that it is the key of freedom and freshness which one takes compared to the general rules of scrap. In a few words: Let go your creativity and RELEASE you (RELAX?) !

That starts with the use of not-standard dimensions… Give up traditional the 30x30 or even A4 ! Innovate, invent new dimensions, new forms ! Making mini-album, making round pages, in the shape of warhead or in the shape of boat… it is that the freestyle!

Create your own papers ! Do not hesitate to use painting (acrylic preferably) and give blows of brushes on your sheets while following your inspiration! Use masks - bought or better, manufactured by yourselves - Stain your sheets, match even forms and colors.

Use, for the embellishments, of uncommon materials to embellish your pages. Do not hesitate to write your journaling “with the hand” : you write badly? Such an amount of worse or so much better! Essence is that you leave on the page a personal touch, your digital print ! Draw, decorate, make doodleling… as on this last image…

One often confuses freestyle and mixed-media.

As its name indicates it, the mixed media is a mixture of techniques: acrylic papers, adhesives, paintings, diverted old images, old buttons, plugs… thus very close to the scrapbooking as opposed to what some can think!