I can’t tell you how often I’ve set out to make a single-layer card only to end up trimming it down to make it into a panel and matting it onto something else before being happy with it. It’s been a lot, of that I’m sure, and it’s pretty dog-gone frustrating!
I am happy to report, however, that I have broken this unlucky streak and, really, once I realized how I managed it, I’m kinda kicking myself for not trying this before.
What it all boiled down to were three basic rules of design and composition:
- Repetition (the same stamped shapes repeated throughout the image)
- Limited color palette (dark, medium, and light of the same color family–in this case tangerine/orange)
- Balance of positive and negative space (leaving one area blank to offset the busyness of another)
The diagonal line I created with the flowers helped too, and by playing with the mix of color and texture within the repetitive shape I kept the card interesting.
You can see exactly how this card came about–including video!–over on the Imagine blog today!