Thursday Sketch: Grid Upon Grid

When it comes to selecting a layout design that works every time, there is nothing quite like the go-to grid. It is an appproach that suits an "everything in its place, and a place for everything" mindset.

A grid need not be perfectly aligned. Varying the sizes of the items in it and staggering their placement can create a more relaxed feel on the page. Today's sketch features two different grids on a single layout -- a conventional, perfectly aligned grid, and a more loosely structured one.

My take on the sketch pulls together nine photos and eleven different patterns. Those numbers sound pretty high for a single layout, but it is the sketch, with its smaller blocks arranged in two grids, that makes those numbers possible to manage.

What also helps to create a sense of cohesion on the page is that all of the items are from the same coordinating collection, October Afternoon's Public Library.

I modifed the squares and rectangles in the patterned grid by adding journaling and accents to them, using stickers, labels, and stitching. My favorite addition is the little doggie stamp scampering across the bottom of the page.

The rise and fall of the stamped image gave me the idea to add similar rising and falling stitched lines to the page, breaking up the more rigid lines and "relaxing" the entire layout in the process.

I'd love to see your interpretation of the sketch. Share your work in the October Afternoon Flickr gallery, and if you do, be sure to post a link in the comments below so that I can check it out.

Thanks for visiting today!

-- Jill