Inspired By...COMICS

Watching all those amazing Watchmen commercials the past couple of weeks has made me really want to check out the original graphic novel. And after I went out and bought it, it got me thinking about graphic novels and comics and how beautiful and inspiring they are! They have great design elements on every page and with every line of text, and the colours and characters...well it's a gold mine really!! So I decided to do a little page up using my new favourite Watchmen novel as my starting point!

Things to look for:
- Graphic novels and comics are usually set up in a grid pattern, which translates really well into scrapbooking. Copy a page layout from a comic book and slot your pictures and pattern paper into the squares and rectangles.

- Text and dialogue in graphic novels are usually in small boxes or quote bubbles. Breaking up your journaling into smaller bits and pieces makes it easier to tell your story, especially if you're not a strong journaler!

- The white borders around the illustrations in a graphic novel allow for easy reading and while each box stands alone, they also have power as a group. Now don't pull out your rulers for this, but try adding some white space around your photos or pattern paper on the next layout you do.
- Take inspiration from the bright (or muted) colours within a graphic novel or comic book. The colours are chosen to set the mood of the story...just as the colours you choose for your layout help tell the story behind your photos.

In my layout, I kept things very simple and monochromatic. I loved the large chapter title that stretched across the entire page in my Watchmen novel, but I didn't have a large photo to put beside it. So I flipped my layout and mimicked the small grid on the facing page using pattern paper and my smaller photo. I also used the standard comic book tactic of sticking my text in precious little white boxes (which I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE). And keeping my sentences short and to the point I think I get my point across without overwhelming the page with writing!

So let something other than another scrapbooking layout inspire you this week. Try flipping through your favourite non-scrapbooking magazine or looking through your children's picture books. Inspiration is everywhere!

Happy Creating!