Advanced Clustering

This is another subject that I feel uncomfortable teaching-maybe that's why this is free!!  I am still learning and expanding my skills as I go, so I will just share what I do, but know that I don't think I'm an expert-not by a long shot!!

Clustering is all about layers, but it is also about balance.  I love to work in 3's when I'm clustering, but even if I do more than 3, I keep it at an odd number!  I know there is design knowledge to back this up, but I can't quote it so I just keep it odd!

I like to build from the bottom up.  I love us use paint splatters, grunge pieces, glitter or bead sprays as my foundation.  Then I like to add stitching or paper I can stitch down to my paper. I also like to scrap with greenery a lot and add those for clusters. By using either the same one but in different sizes or even several different types.

I also like to use journal mats and tags, even if just a corner is sticking out.  It gives dimension and depth!  And when you think you have clustered enough-add three more elements (that is a tip from Kayla--keepscrappin designs)  And she is so right!  You really can't overdo it!

Here is an example of a cluster I made and sell, just as the cluster:

I have the 3 leaves-at different sizes and angles.  Three flowers-even though two of them are stacked.  3 metal elements and then 1 of everything else.  And in all honesty, more could easily be added to this!  Clustering is so fun and a great way to make your layout stand out!

Advanced Shadow techniques

My previous tutorial dealt with basic shadows and how to apply them.  Also, in that tutorial (which can be found HERE), I included a set of layer styles that I created.

Today, I'm going to branch out into some more advanced tips and ideas.  There will be lots of fun things to play with!

First of all, no shadow on anything is the same.  The closer an object is to a flat surface, the less of a shadow and darker that shadow will be.  For example, stitching on a layout is very close and would have very little shadow. I would shadow it different than I would for perhaps some leaves that I would want to give the appearance of them popping right off the page!

So, today, I'm going to break down some basic scrapping elements and talk about how and why I shadow them.  One thing to consider too is that everyone has different preferences so feel free to tweak what I teach here to fit what you like!  This is by no means the only way to shadow!  In fact, I'll be honest, I'm a little nervous to even write this tutorial, because I don't "LOVE" my shadows yet!  They are still a work in progress!

There are two ways to apply a shadow.

1.  Using the drop shadow option in the layer box.

If you notice, I clicked the top box that says drop shadow.  If you then click on that line to highlight it, it will pull up the menu.

The default next to blend mode is usually multiply, but I like to change it to Linear Burn.  This helps to give the shadow a slight tint of the color of the background paper, so I think it is a little less harsh than the multiply.  However, you usually will want to lessen the opacity by quite a bit.

Direction--this is big.  Think about the sunlight hitting an object or several objects close together, the direction that the shadow falls is the same for all the items.  The direction will change as the sun changes, but all the items will change together.  For me, I like the directional angle of -45 or 50.  It puts it mostly towards the left upper side of the object.  So, I make sure on my layout that all the shadows are going in that same direction.  Default is 120 degrees, but feel free to play with this and find what you like best.  But whatever you do-be consistent!

As for distance, spread and size, this is what will vary with the item.  For the stitching above, I kept these numbers very small.  But look how they might differ with a leaf:

Notice how low the opacity is?  The farther away you want the item to appear, the lower you make that.  Also notice how the distance and the spread and the size are all a bit further away.  It gives the look that it is farther off the paper than the stitching.

By customizing each element and paper on your layout, it helps to give a lot of depth to your layout.  Done well, they can actually look like you did the whole layout with real objects and took a picture of it!  There are some layouts so well done, I thought I could reach out and touch the leaves and flowers because they literally popped off the page.

The second way you can do a layer and add even more customization is by not using the style option at all.

First, have the element on your paper and make a copy of it:

Look over on the layer palette.  Notice how I have two flowers there?  I'm going to highlight the bottom one and then go up top to Image>>Adjustment>>Hue/Saturation.  Slide the bottom two sliders (saturation and light) all the way to the left.  This will make the flower underneath black:

Now, you are going to unhide the pink flower on top and zoom way in.  Keep the flower underneath highlighted and make sure you have Auto Select unchecked so that it will stay on the layer you want it.  Ever so slightly move the black in the direction you want and where you want the shadow to fall.  Then just change the opacity to the lightness/darkness you want.

Also, don't forget to link the two layers together (highlight both, right click and choose "link layers" so that if you move the flower, the shadow will follow!

I added this flower layer so you could see it in contrast with the others.  I think this way makes it a little harsher.  For this one, I also changed the bottom flower layer from normal to linear burn as well as lowered the opacity.  But I personally like the little fuzziness around the leaf shadow better.  But I haven't done a lot with the second option, so there are probably things I'm missing!

Play lots with shadows!  I'm sure you'll discover lots of fun things on your own!