Hello everyone! I’m Allison Davis, the new sketch artist for Scrapbook & Cards Today. I’m super excited to be here sharing sketches with you all! I’ve been creating and using sketches for over 15 years and during that time I’ve also enjoyed teaching about how to adapt and customize a sketch to your own needs.

I always say that sketches are not a rule that has to be followed, they are simply a starting point that you can build on with your creative ideas. The choice is yours! You can follow them exactly down to every teeny, tiny detail or you can take an element or two that you like and put your spin on it. I feel that using sketches allows me to play and stretch my creativity because the main design concept is already decided and all I have to do is customize it to fit my needs. There are endless ways you can customize a sketch to work with your theme, your photos, your style, and your creative ideas.

I’ve got three layouts to share with you today that all used the sketch below as a starting point. Even though each layout started with the same sketch, they each look uniquely different.

Click HERE to download the full version of this sketch that includes measurements and placement notes!

Supplies | Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned paper, die cut flowers, wooden circles, chipboard banner, and enamel hearts: Cocoa Vanilla Studio; Wood veneer: Elle’s Studio; Word/phrase stickers: Simple Stories; Nuvo Drops: Tonic Studios; Embroidery floss: DMC; Font: Coffee Shop

For my first layout, I followed the sketch quite closely while making a few adjustments to better fit my photo. I had just one 3 x 5-inch photo which is very different from the sketch with the two smaller photos. A general guideline I follow with photos is: as long as the photo or photos cover the same general area of the sketch it should work without having to make any major adjustments. With this sketch in particular, nothing about the design hinges on the photos, meaning you can adjust the photo sizes and amounts without having to worry about changing the papers or the design of the layout to fit.

With the strips, the sketch shows several different colors/patterns for those, but I chose to go with a single color instead. I sanded the edges of each strip to show that they are individual pieces. There are so many ways you could play around with those strips! You could use a different patterned paper for each one, you could alternate colors on every other one, or you could create an ombré or color fade look.

To embellish my layout I followed the sketch and used flower clusters.

Whenever I create clusters I like to have a variety of sizes, textures, and levels of dimension. I used die cut flowers, wooden embellishments, Nuvo Drops, word/phrase stickers, and enamel hearts.

Supplies | Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned paper, cloud die cuts, sun die cut, “hello sunshine” die cut, chipboard hearts, and gold chipboard circles: Vicki Boutin for American Crafts; Sequins: Doodlebug Design; Glitter paper: DCWV; Heart punch: Recollections; Embroidery floss: DMC; Font: Century Gothic

With my second layout, I made some big changes to the sketch. I simplified the sketch design by using a single piece of patterned paper in place of the strips. Anytime you see a sketch with lots of strips or squares or any other shape grouped together, you can always simplify by replacing some or all of that design with a single piece of paper.

I chose this paper because I loved the rainbow design and it worked well with the paper tilted to create the same angles as the sketch. To add more detail to the rainbow design I added hand-stitched hearts in coordinating colors. I’m addicted to hand-stitching so I’m always looking for unique ways to add it to a design.

For my photo, I had just one 5 x 3-1/2-inch photo. This single photo ends up being almost the exact size of the two smaller photos together so it worked well without having to make any changes.

The biggest adjustment I made was with the embellishments. I wanted to play into that rainbow theme and so I arranged clouds and a sun at the end of the rainbow. I also added hearts, metallic chipboard pieces, and sequins.

Don’t ever be afraid to make changes to better fit your theme. Remember, sketches are just a starting point! With my third layout, I again made some big changes.

Supplies | Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned paper: Echo Park, Simple Stories, My Mind’s Eye, Vicki Boutin for American Crafts; Foam “awesome”: American Crafts; Block alphabet stickers: Simple Stories, Pretty Little Studio, Doodlebug Design; Star punches: Fiskars, Recollections; Glitter paper: DCWV; Stickers and die cuts: Simple Stories; Embroidery floss: DMC; Font: Century Gothic

I have always enjoyed playing around with smaller shapes and grouping them to create a larger, super-detailed design. With this design, I realized that if you took a square of patterned paper and cut it in half diagonally, those triangles would be perfect for filling in the same space as the strips. It allowed me to create a completely different background while still following the same general design concept of the sketch. I also added lots of hand-stitched borders on every edge to add texture to the design. You could play around with all kinds of shapes like hexagons, stars, hearts, circles, or arrows to create this background.

For the photos on this layout, I had three 2-1/2 x 3-1/2-inch photos. There’s plenty of room on this sketch to add a third photo, so this was an easy addition to the sketch design.

To embellish the layout I swapped out the flowers on the sketch for stars to go with a more boyish theme.

I layered lots of stars together, some with foam adhesive to add some dimension to the design.

With these three layouts, you can see that a sketch has so many possibilities! If you want to see even more ways to adapt this sketch be sure to grab the Creating with Sketches: Bonus Sketch Options PDF. There are even some two-page sketch options using this design.

Click HERE to download the Bonus Sketch Options handout!

I challenge you to use this sketch and see what unique ideas you can come up with. Remember, sketches get to do all the heavy lifting while you get to have all the fun!

If you do use this sketch I would love to see what you create, so if you are on Instagram be sure to tag me so I can see it!

Hi, I’m Allison and I’ve been scrapbooking for about 17 years. I got my start when my family decided to open a scrapbook store in Springfield, MO called Scrapbook Generation. A few years after we opened the store I started creating sketches and producing monthly sketch bundles and books while also teaching and sharing how to adjust and customize sketches through my website, online classes, and YouTube channel. I have been married to my husband, Mike, for almost 19 years and we have two sons, Drew and Jackson. Drew is continuing the “generation” element of SG as the third generation working at our store. It truly is a family business!

Find more of Allison’s work here: Website | Sketches | Facebook | Instagram