How do you Color Block?

I'm sure someone has already asked this, but ... how would one explain how to COLORBLOCK? I have seen works, but don't exactly understand it and I'm toooo cheap to spend the $20 on the class. I'd rather spend $20 on supplies! HELP !!!

Are you talking about the page templates? I'm not sure I've heard the colorblock term before.

If it's the page templates, I have two of them and I've used them a few times. They're great if your mind has gone BLANK and you need a little jumpstart to get going on a page.

HTH!

You can get templates from DCWV and other companies---I actually heard they discontinued them. Bascially you lay pieces of paper on your page and have them all be equidistant from each other, usually about 1/4". It is kind of like a window, with each piece of paper being a pane and the backpage acting as the borders. You do not need to spend $20 on a class to do it. Just make some sketches yourself--draw a square to represent your 12x12 page. Then fill it in with blocks with a border around each so none are touching. Then guesstimate the measurements. You can cut your pieces a little big and then trim to fit r you can actually measure them. HTH

I just saw the templates at a convention. (The ones I'm most familiar with are made by Deluxe Designs but I think that Ek Success had some ages ago called "Plan a Page".)
It's basically like how chococatgirls described... all the photos or embellishments sort of 'fit' in their window and are separated by about 1/4" of 'white' space. (Which isn't necessarily white---just whatever you used as the base of your page. PP or cardstock.)
It's a great way to get tons of pics onto one page and still keep it looking balanced. A great resource would be the idea books by Deluxe Designs. I think it's called "Deluxe Color Blocking Idea Book".

Sorry--not DCWV but deluxe designs. I don't havce them so I was going off memory...LOL

The easiest way I've found to Colorblock is to cut your paper in half both directions. Then adhere two pieces in opposing corners of a full sheet of paper. You can add borders or leave it alone. This gives you 4 equal sized areas to scrap in. Works for either 12x12 or 8 1/2x11.

After you are comfortable with this you can experiment with cutting the paper into different sized squares or rectangles and with laying the pieces in different areas.

Good Luck

Here is a page with some colorblocking that PhoenixLmom did.

http://www.scrapbook.com/scrapbook_layouts/showphoto.ph...

Thanks Choco!

I guess I just have probs finding PP that matches and can be coordinated. I did just find a few sheets yesterday at my SB store of surfboards and beach themed and they all run kinda in the same color schemes. I will try with these!

THANKS EVERYONE!

Color blocking can be done MANY different ways.

It is simply the placement of different, like, or coordinating papers in some pattern to help give organization and dimension to a layout. Using patterns or stencils will help, but you are only limited by your imagination.

If you take three coordinating pieces of cardstock, cut a 3 7/8" strip of each and then attach one to each opposing edge of the background and then center the last one, you have created color blocking. Take that design concept and think TIC-TAC-TOE and mix them up that way. On that same line, clip the corners off each tic-tac-toe square and you create an octagonal blocking that can be used as is or mix in patterned paper for a page quilt. Make the spaces between the octagons a bit thin and add either machine or hand drawn zig-zag stitching for a nice quilt page.

Color blocking isn't limited to squares or straight lines either. You can color "block" with circles and ovals as well. Take 4 oval shapes and put them in opposite directions in quarters. Or not. Draw an 11" circle and cut it into 4 "pie pieces". Or, but the circle in as many wedges as you want or need. You can color block giant heart shapes for a love or valentine page.

Color blocking is merely the application of color in a symetrical or nonsymetrical pattern. It is setting definition to blank space.