A Crafty Type of Girl

That's what my friend Rosemary Harris calls me. You know how you meet someone and even without a lot of chatter, you recognize a "kindred spirit"? Yep. That's how I feel about Ro. She's very elegant, very smart and you can almost see the wheels clicking as she listens because she's REALLY tuned in and thoughtful. (The page above is a "virtual" cupcake from me to Ro. Enjoy!)

Ro is celebrating her new book The Big Dirt Nap. Nab it now--I predict it will sell out quickly! Go to http://www.amazon.com/Big-Dirt-Nap-Business-Mysteries/dp/0312369689/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234974099&sr=8-1

And even though she's incredibly busy, she found time to allow me the honor of guest blogging on at Jungle Red Writers. I wrote about our common love of dogs. Check it out at

http://tinyurl.com/bkzn7t

Now that blog post initiated a response from Jan, who said she'd really like to get into scrapbooking. And Ro was a bit surprised, I think, when she saw my scrapbook layouts. I brought them to Love Is Murder where Ro and I were on a panel. I had a hunch that a lot of our audience would be unfamiliar with what modern scrapbooking looks like. I remember the first time I saw pages which had been published in Memory Makers, the scrapbook magazine. My jaw dropped. You see, the publication process flattens out pages (of course, since it's translating them from 3-dimensions to 2), and often alters the colors. So the first time you see real pages in real life, well, it can be a bit of a shock.

So, Jan, here are some of my most recent pages. I've been teaching classes on doodling, and these were created specifically to show different ways to use pen marking on layouts. I hope you like them!

PS You do know you can follow me now on twitter, right? I post journaling prompts regularly. If you are a scrapbooker or a diarist or someone who needs a nudge with his/her writing, they might be useful. Go to twitter.com/joannaslan and click FOLLOW under my name.

How to Doodle

What is doodling? It’s playing with your pen on paper. You can’t do it wrong.

What are the “secrets” of doodling?

1. Pencil-in first—You can always erase. Even if you don’t follow your pencil lines exactly, you’ll have a better end product. Soft, number 2 lead is best. 2. Create a shape--Use pre-cut shapes such as templates for a more controlled outcome. Pencil around the shapes—and then use ink. Wobbly lines look great! You can also trace around the outside of chipboard letters or inside any negative shape from a punch.
3. Add filler—These are the doodles within doodles that fill up the empty spaces. Start a collection of fillers, covering enough space so you can see how they look, how much density and visual weight they have. I suggest you put this collection in a small notebook, preferably one with blank pages. You can also keep samples and clippings in the notebook for reference.
4. Consider visual balance—If you have too much fill or too much thickness at one end of a shape, your doodle might not look “right.” Give your work the squinch test: Squinch your eyes nearly closed and look at your work. You’ll see what stands out and what looks right.
5. Use pens in differing thicknesses—This’ll give you variety in the filler and the outlines. But…please note that some inks smear. The best pens for doodling seem to be the Sakura Micron and the Zig markers. Let them dry a few minutes first before adding any color. Flair markers make a lovely line, but…they definitely smear. So read # 6 and # 7 carefully.
6. Scan your doodles before you add color—Once you do, you can add any color you want. If the color smears, or isn’t to your liking, simply print out your scan and start over.
7. Thicken or extend depth—Thicken some of your lines, or add background, or add a “drop shadow” (Best done AFTER you color in your doodle and let the color dry.)
8. Cut it up—If you cut out your doodles, you’ll have more control over them. You can always cut away parts that aren’t as pretty as you’d like. Also, if you doodle several of the same letters, you can cut out the ones you like and leave behind those that aren’t as satisfactory. Use a fresh blade in your craft knife and cut out the CENTER of your letters first. Instead of a cutting mat, cut on a glass surface. (I use an old kitchen cutting board of tempered glass. The self-healing mat surfaces are often uneven, and your knife can get caught in the “scars.”)
9. Practice! Here are a few ideas to try:
* Doodle a phrase inside a box—This will force you to alternate shapes and sizes of lettering to make the phrase fit.
* Snuggle the letters up to each other so they nearly touch—or fit one letter almost inside the other.
* Trace around a photo and doodle a frame! Cut out the inside and put the photo behind your frame.
* Outline a border on a die cut or a punched embellishment.

Here's a list of great resources with examples of doodling:

http://scrapbookideas.wordpress.com/2007/07/09/technique-doodles-as-background-paper/

http://www.scrapjazz.com/topics/Techniques/Penwork/907.php


http://scrapbooklady.typepad.com/katie_the_scrapbook_lady/2006/07/oodles_of_doodl.html

http://www.craftsupplies.ie/shop/chat/viewtopic.php?t=10017

http://www.craftsupplies.ie/shop/chat/viewtopic.php?t=4425&highlight=doodling

http://www.craftsupplies.ie/shop/chat/viewtopic.php?t=8255&highlight=doodling

http://www.scrapfriends.us/articles/doodling.html

http://www.faithsisters.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/29794

http://www.aussiescrapbooking.com.au/article.php/how-do-you-doodle-part1

http://www.aussiescrapbooking.com.au/article.php/how-do-you-doodle-part2

http://www.scrapjazz.com/topics/Products/761.php

http://scrapability.squarespace.com/scrap-rants/2005/12/13/digital-doodles.html#followup325979