Bursting out your story - Technique Twenty-Seconds - first in a series of monthly technique and/or tutorial sharing

Here is the first of a monthly feature at another freaking scrappy challenge ... technique twenty-seconds!!!  If you would like to share a tutorial let me know!!  You do need to provide your own technique, or unique variation on one (and please credit the original), and send it to me at anne.wride.pennington@gmail.com.  If we will be featuring it, we'll let you know as soon as is possible!!! Today's tutorial is my own - I would love to share with you my passion for using sunburst patterned papers!!!

Most of us know that well placed lines can draw the eye to the focal point of our design. I have a favourite type of paper is a natural to apply this design principle to – sunburst pattern papers!!! This style of paper design completely energizes me creatively .  Sunbursts  are ideal to showcase a story, a photo, or an idea.   The extending rays of the paper design are a natural focal point. They lead the eye outward or inward  to your main subject! A number of examples follow that will illustrate just exactly what I want to share with you about this amazing paper design.

In this layout there are two focal points – one at the bottom of the sun rays, and one in the centre. The eye is drawn into the centre, but is naturally lead out by the lines to the story that spills out at the bottom of my page.

I flipped the same paper to tell my story from another angle.  This time I had a single focal point, but added a pearl for interest in the centre of the sun’s rays.  I also made use of the natural lines of the design to draw the viewer to the titling in the corner of my layout:

With this layout I used both the rays of the paper and the lines of the angel’s arm extension to draw viewers' eyes to the story I wanted to tell them. I love this paper -  it is almost as though with a wave of the angel's arm that my story appears in this layout:

Next,  I began my story at the centre of the sunrays, but thought it would be pure fun to spill some of my design around the bottom of the layout to give movement and energy to my layout:

I love whimsical layouts and used the sunrays to spread some whimsy across the paper in this example.  The elements placed across the rays of sunburst give the layout some movement and interest:

Here is another burst of whimsy.  I cut into the rays of this paper’s design so that I could layer them over my photos – again using the lines of the sunburst to draw the viewers' eyes to my focal point.  By placing my photos a little off-kilter I also added energy and fun to my layout :

Sunbursts are not the only paper that you can use to draw the eye into your story, but for me, they are the most freaking fun!!! The next time you pick up a piece of scrapbooking paper, or an embellishment – look at the lines of the design, and work with them!!!

all layouts and article by Anne Pennington