Polka Dot and Petals, a Simple Composition

I made this pretty card for a swap club I am in. I was a little nervous about it; the card is pretty simple... and some of the cards I received back in the swap were really elaborate! I hope everyone liked my card! It thought it was a terrific swap!

I was inspired to do this Navy/Pink/White/Gray color combo after seeing a bedroom on the blog Design Sponge done in these colors... the room used Silver which I replaced with Gray. Also present in the room was a big white bed with a cool white waffle patterned bedspread... the bed held a single Navy daisy pillow... I duplicated this look with the embossed square in the upper right hand corner; also with a Navy colored daisy!

Stamps: Much Appreciated, Polka Dots and Petals (spring Mini).
Paper: Night of Navy, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White.
Ink: Night of Navy, Going Gray, Pretty in Pink.
Accessories: Pink Brad, "Shapes" Brass Embossing Stencil. 1/8" hole punch

My friend Nancy thought this card was an easy example of some basic composition concepts... and we chatted about it when I showed her the card... She remembers her Art 101 better than I do! SO it was nice to be reminded of some of the terms, methods and composition techniques I now often take for granted. I thought I'd share some with you.

Creating Depth: What may be difficult to see in this picture is the holes punched in the White layer... revealing a Pink layer below. SO there are really 5 layers... or at least field depths in this card. Something I like doing in subtle ways like this. So on this card you have the Navy base, the Pink under-layer, the White main layer, the raised embossed layer and the pink brad. Creating multiple layers in simple ways can add a lot of dimension to a card without a lot of heaviness. Overlapping objects; or in this case stamped images as I did on the left is another way to create a sense of depth. As well as varying the value or shades of color.

Rhythm, Design and Balance: I try to think of my layouts in terms of thirds and triangles. Three focal areas, three lines for your eyes to travel across, and the focal point is rarely in the center of the card. Picture this card divided into thirds vertically and horizontally. You can see then how the focal points fall near the areas where those lines would meet. This is also referred to as the rule of thirds; a term mostly used in Photography circles; but it applies sensibly to card making and general composition as well.

Wow... I guess I really do remember some of my very expensive education. I guess I did learn something in college!