It is a common mistaken belief that traditional scrapbooking and it’s digital counterpart are 2 separate past-times. Personally I see them as the same but the way in which you eventually get your scrapbook page ideas down are dissimilar.

So the method that follows can apply to both traditional and digital scrapbooking. The steps are the same just the medium that you use is different.

Step 1. Choose the pictures

The primary purpose of any scrapbook page is to capture memories. Almost all of the time this is performed by using photographs as the centerpiece of the design. So it is only fitting that the initial step in the procedure of creating your first scrapbook page is to pick your photos.

There are no set rules of how many pictures you need to use. I’ve seen many successful page layouts made using just 1 image and others using as much as 10 or even more.

My tip is to choose one photograph as the main focus, the whole page design can then be based around it, which makes your job as a scrapbooker all that more simple.

After you’ve picked your principal photograph you might need to use others to compliment it. Try to use further photographs that enhance the tale that you’re attempting to tell. These maybe photographs taken from different angles/view points.

Step 2. Pick a theme

Picking a theme is usually less complicated when you’ve selected your principal photograph, as everything can be based around that main focus.

Pick out one or two colours from the photograph to base your page around. Or for a bolder statement try a contrasting colour.

Also see what textures are present in the picture and incorporate those into the design. For traditional scrapbooking this is going to be gluing similar textures and objects to the page. For digi scrappers you might use digital elements or extra textured overlays.

Step 3. Organise your materials

This step is mainly directed to traditional scrapbookers who’ve collected a massive stash of scrapbooking supplies. Going through your supplies now will both save time later but might also give you more inspiration for the next step. If you are scrapping digitally sort thru the files on your PC in the same way will help. You may even need to have a look online and see if a kit is available based mostly on your selected theme – this alone is one of the great advantages of digital scrapbooking – the convenience and speed of gaining more supplies by a click of the mouse.

Step 4. Plan the layout of your page

My tip here is to have a look at what other scrapbook designers are doing. This is great way for inspiration and new concepts to try in your scrapbook layouts.
Whatever you do always attempt to add your own stamp (no pun intended) and do not copy everything exactly.

When you start working out your layout try to not be too symmetrical. To the eye this can be boring. A page can be much more engaging with a few layout tweaks.

Many artists around the world use the rule of 3rds when they’re composing an artistic work. The same rule can apply to scrapbooking too. Divide the page into thirds. This may be horizontally or vertically and try to include an engaging part in each third. Try not to be too stiff with the structure by laying your pictures and elements a touch outside of the third to link everything together.

If you are traditional scrapbooking don’t fix anything down till your certain on the layout. Obviously digital scrapbookers can experiment and play around as much as you like, even saving variations of the layout which may even be used on different page later down the road.

Step 5. Add depth by layering

One of my favourite methods of giving my scrapbook pages a lift are by adding depth. I do it by layering.

Now this could be using 2 or 3 different papers with slightly offset overlaps as the base of the page. Or I use the same technique underneath my photographs.

Step 6. Add journaling

The final step is to add journaling. Don’t include journaling for the sake of it. Everything on your page should have a purpose. Often I won’t include any journaling in any way. But if I have got a story to tell that reinforces the photos, or there was an event that proceeded the particular photograph being taken, I can document this memory on the page.

Making your first scrapbook page shouldn’t be disconcerting. There isn’t any right or wrong way to scrapbook. There are only less complicated ways. It’s a straightforward formula that I find works for me. Give it try yourself.

Rich Pargeter is an artist and digital designer based in the United Kingdom. In his free time he enjoys making digital scrapbook designs and shares them together with more scrapbook page ideas on his blog at TopScrapbookPageIdeas.com